This month has been really busy with our move to our paddock in Alexandra. The camping has been good so far as the weather has been really good, except for one night of thunderstorms, lucky the tents handled it, we did have a few leaks though, but the barn is going up slowly but surely. Seen as I don’t have a proper studio set up as yet Im doing a lot more outdoor painting ‘en pleinair’. Its been a whole new palette of colours down here, so I have been pulling out a few tubes I haven’t used much in a while, like raw sienna and violet. Its certainly much better painting from real life, I don’t always get it entirely finished in one go so I then work on it in my make shift tent studio. Sometimes you have to let it dry to be able to finish it off better.

Bannockburn Stone Woolshed
Available
Oil on Board
Size 15cm x 15cm
With Frame aprox 18cm x 18cm
Painted with Palette knife & Brush
An old stone woodshed built over 100 years ago at the end of Bannockburn road, Cromwell. To view visit my shop on my Facebook page.

How to Paint with Knives

If you are bored with your brushes and looking to add an extra dimension to your paintings, knives might just be the answer.

For artists who have only ever worked with brushes, making the transition to painting with knives can be a difficult one. After the soft sweep of a brush, the relatively rigid handling of a blade can feel harsh and unwieldy. It is worth persevering though, as it can make a striking addition to your skills.

You will find two main types of knife in art stores: ‘palette’ knives and painting knives, a palette knife is straight, like a large butter knife, while a painting knife will have a ‘crank’, or bend in the metal before the blade.

Thicker consistencies make for more dramatic results , the best textures are formed by confident, direct strokes, … to read more visit my BLOG…

Visit my website Shop Retro Caravan Prints to see whats available, 12 designs, unframed option now available too, they are at a lower price starting from $35.00 , this gives you the option of picking a frame that would match into your own home.

Available on my Facebook shop– I have always liked the idea of having a little house on the prairie. Oil on board, Mini, size 15cm x 15cm

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