New Original Paintings

Eight new, original mixed-media paintings are now available from the website…. They’re mostly part of a new series of large (for me!) mixed-media originals I’ve been working on, which grew out of the ‘100 drawings of Greece’ project started on January 1st this year. A couple of the smaller ones were prototypes using one of the new acrylic transfer techniques I’ve been working with to incorporate my original drawings into my paintings…

Starting life as simple ink line drawings, done in and around the villages of Messinia, the paintings – mostly created on stretched cotton canvas – incorporate layer upon layer of text, drawings, artist grade acrylic paints…plus the odd bit of wax and rather a lot of matte medium!

Each picture tells it’s own story… Although initially based on actual places, during the creation of the paintings, the doors and walls of these village houses gradually took on an air of mystery and the images ceased to be purely representational. They speak of the passing of time… of days gone by… and the many layers of life.

I happened upon this old wooden door, shored up against the elements, somewhere in the back streets of Logga village and did the drawing on the spot. In the process of creating the painting, ‘Lost in Time’, many of the details were altered and the scene was gradually transformed into what you now see here…. I love the slight air of mystery and the summery feel the painting has. I struggled a lot with this picture at various stages but was more than happy with the finished result. Do you like it?  Lost in Time is now available HERE

Summer’s Yard is another personal favourite which is based on a sketch done in my neighbour’s garden in Harakopio. Her front door does indeed have those prison-like metal bars and there is a broken drainpipe and a large, curling hosepipe by the front step. In the process of creating the painting, the colours, composition and layers of pattern used have gradually transformed her garden into another place entirely… I’m particularly fond of the little scraps of Greek recipe text in the lower left corner, and the floral patterns merging the garden with the sky. What do you think? Summer’s Yard is available HERE

I wanted to convey the impression of a sizzling hot summer’s day in the narrow, shady streets of the village with this painting which started life as a sketch done just around the corner from our house. Layers of blown-up Greek text and handwriting from a vintage postcard were added to the steps and the walls. I’m rather fond of the emptiness of the foreground and the colours in the blue-green wall on the right of the painting. Quite a bit of artistic licence was used when painting this picture! I love the way the multiple layers of fluid acrylics used add to the depth and richness of the colouring. Stepping Up is available HERE

There are pots like this all around this area. One of the last potteries in Harakopio was in operation just behind my studio until the 1970’s apparently. Evidence of the lost kiln abound – broken shards of pots are strewn around the olive grove and when we re-built the boundary wall we found it was little more than a big mound of broken pottery and mud! This particular pot in the painting sits quietly in the corner of a long-abandoned courtyard, where it presumably receives enough rainfall to keep the plant alive… Layers of Greek text are barely visible here and there beneath several layers of brightly coloured fluid acrylics. I particularly love the patchwork of text scattered around the edges of the painting. Forgotten Corner is newly available from the website HERE

Created using slightly different techniques to the other paintings, Shored Up is a bright and jaunty collage-painting, loosely based on one of the fishing boats in Koroni harbour. Drawn freehand on tissue paper, with lots of Greek text making up the background, this painting tells a colourful and cheerful seaside story of a typical Greek harbour scene. The original of Shored Up is currently available HERE

Smaller than the others, Blue Harbour tells the story of another local fishing boat at dusk – one day at the end of the summer. The textures, colours and patterns of the blues, plus the almost ghostly feel of the boat were born out of that mysterious time of day when the sun finally goes down and the long summer day slips into night. This small stretched canvas was very popular at the summer exhibition. The original of Blue Harbour is available HERE

The ubiquitous Greek electricity meter, found in towns and villages all over Greece, takes on an air of beauty in this little painting… ‘Connected’ is a beautifully textured, small original acrylic mixed-media painting created on a piece of un-stretched cotton canvas. It comes in a smart white aperture mount, ready for you to slip into a standard 30x21cm frame of your choice. The painting itself measures 17x12cm (6.75×4.5″) and the mount measures 30 x 21cm. The original of Connected is available HERE

‘Behind the Church’ is based on a sketchbook drawing of some colourful washing hanging behind Logga Church. I stumbled across the scene whilst wandering around the village and could not resist making a drawing. Later on, back in the studio, I created this little painting on a piece of cotton canvas, using an acrylic transfer technique and fluid acrylic paints.This small painting comes with a matching white aperture mount which will fit a standard 30 x 21cm frame. The original is signed and titled on the back – The original Behind the Church is available HERE

If you’d like any more info or reference photos of any of these original paintings just contact me