Thursday 17 April 2014

Harbour Evening.



Well finally..... finally..... this clapped out, broken down old heap is beginning to fire on nearly all cylinders. That's me by the way, my car is still off the road.
First, I must thank everyone of you for all your good wishes and kind comments in response to Helen's update back in March. It really helped to read those when I was struggling. Bless you all.
The next thing I need to do is explain why I haven't visited everyone's blogs as much as I would have liked. The fact is I've had great difficulty getting on the blogs. I don't know whether it's Blogger or my ageing computer but it's been impossible and hugely frustrating for a lot of the time, particularly on USA sites. I bring up the page, click on it and.... crash!! If anyone has any advice I would really appreciate hearing it as we are stumped this end. I hope this assures everyone that it's not due to a lack of interest on my part.
Now onto this picture. This is my first attempt at palette knife painting with acrylics, after some advice and encouragement very kindly supplied by a new friend. It's not purely done with the knife, there were also bits of credit card, fingers and damp rags but the paint was applied everywhere with the knife initially. Basically anything was used apart from a brush!! I've used a limited, warm palette of Ultramarine, Naphthol Crimson and Naples Yellow and of course Titanium White. The warmth is because I wanted to capture that balmy evening feeling after a hot summer's day. So, to sum up, after a very long lay off, I've attempted to portray a particular light effect with a medium I'm not very familiar with, using a method I've never tried before. They may have removed bits of me in March but my optimism is still intact.
It's been a long and bumpy road, not just for me but for my family also, they have been fantastic all through this. This isn't a brilliant picture but it is a significant one. I dedicate it to Helen, Chloe and Daniel. You are all brilliant.
Thank you. xxx  

18 comments:

  1. Wow! This is great to see you're back! Even more with this wonderful painting. To me it's brilliant and perfect how you have captured that balmy evening feeling after a hot summer's day. I'm sending best wishes for further recovery!

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    1. Thank you Stephanie, yes, it is really good to be back and doing again. I'm glad you like the picture.

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  2. How lovely!!! Great reflections, and I love the colours.

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  3. If you are painting all must be going well. I am so glad you are feeling better!!! (Happy dance for you here!) This is lovely! The glow of that building adds that "it's the end of the day and I'm happy to be home among the people I love" feel. Nice job on the reflections too.

    I am so glad you had your family to help you through the hard times and the road to recovery. I hope you can work out the problems with the computer. It is strange that some blogs and sites have such difficulty loading. There are several that I check and it seems like they will never load. I wait and wait, and just about when I am ready to give up they pop up on the screen. And it still amazes me that computers and the internet just make all this possible. Who ever thought we would be communicating with friends all over the world? We are very lucky to have friends that can reach across those distances. All the best, my friend!

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  4. Joan, thank you and you are so right, we live in an amazing time. You and I can remember when what we have today would have been regarded as pure science fiction. Nevertheless, we now have friends who we never would have had contact with a short time ago! I've picked up on something you've said and will try leaving sites to load much longer, perhaps I'm too impatient!! I'm glad you like the picture and the feel of it has come through. I'm cautiously happy with it for a first attempt...... sort of.

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  5. Kev, Brilliant painting mate. As you say, warm and bright. Full marks to you. Glad that you are on the mend kev. Good to see you painting again. All the best mate.
    Vic.

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    1. Thanks Vic. You showed by example how to make a comeback a short time ago. Glad you like the picture.

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  6. Hello Kev,
    I find this painting fantastic, the fact that you are not so familiar with acrylic and how you painted it with a knife. I like also the looseness and the reflections of the lights. Great to see you back in painting which means you are now in good shape. I was also absent in the blogger world for almost 3 months. So as a warm up, I began sketching again. Have a good day.

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    1. Hi Cora. If I remember, you went on some travels, It's good to know you got home safe, I hope you had a fantastic time. Yes, I've finally found a way to make myself paint loose! Glad you like it. Good luck with the sketching!!

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  7. Glad you are feeling better, Kev! This is a very pleasing and intriguing piece... so well done! The composition and perspective are excellent. You should be very pleased:-)

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    1. Thank you for such a nice comment minnemie! I'm glad I'm feeling better too, it was all getting a bit tedious! Yes, as a first attempt, I'm fairly pleased with it.

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  8. Hi Kev,
    Glad to see your up and about. I like the colors in this new painting, you handled the challenge of using a palette knife with acrylics very well. Great reflections.
    Painting is good therapy.

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    1. Thanks Pat. It's good to be up and doing. You've summed things up very well with the word "challenge". It was certainly that but also very absorbing which is why, as you rightly say, it's good therapy.
      Glad you like it.

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  9. This is fabulous! Love the view itself and it has a great "painterly" feel to it, Kev. Bet you are PROUD!
    I, too, find a limited palette is the best way to go when trying new techniques.
    Glad to hear you are on the road to recovery.

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    1. Thanks Julie. Yeah, I had enough to think about without having to worry about too many colours!
      Proud? No.
      Encouraged? Yes.

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  10. I'm glad to hear you are on the mend, Kev! This is a real beauty, I love the colours! I cannot believe it is your first palette knife painting.

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    1. Thanks Judy. I enjoyed using the technique and want to do more. It's finding the time now I'm back at work!!

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