BLOWING UP A STORM – ACRYLIC PAINTING

Regulars with a good memory might recall other, earlier versions of this. One of those versions has been propped on the wall of the studio, taunting me to do better. Hopefully with this I may have, but is it good enough? Another studio residency will no doubt tell me.

I tackled this with a palette knife to try and impart some of the energy I felt was lacking in earlier versions. I also rearranged the players, particularly the pianist and bassist and tried to keep the colour range tighter. Other than that, the theme remains the same: a theme I like. I might even try a companion piece, but first I have a couple of commissions to do which may take a while.

Other paintings are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

IT’S DOG EAT DOG OUT HERE – ACRYLIC PAINTING

I used to run almost everyday – for 53 years – until the surgeon who replaced my right hip socket advised me against doing any more. I miss it, and the feeling of well being I felt afterwards – maybe a result of the adrenalin. So these days I get up early and walk the course of my shortest run around the neighbourhood. And my mind starts to wander at this slower pace. A version of this vision above, popped into my head the other day on my walk. Well, some of it anyway. Then as I started painting, more got added. It kept me occupied for a morning.

When I completed it, I googled ‘dog eats dog’ and unsurprisingly, it’s been painted before – but not in red stilettos (the dog’s not mine – mine are blue) Just dont ask questions it’s solely here for your amusement.

Other, less quirky, paintings are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

BLOWING UP A STORM – ACRYLIC PAINTING

Last month I posted some sketches for this painting. Since then I have developed it further and it is now on this 50x76cm canvas. Running liquid acrylics about on the canvas opened up other possibilities but I have generally built on the sketches rather than altering them. I’ll leave this alone for a while before making any assessment of it. One thing I am conscious about is that changing the scale of a piece can make a difference to how I feel about it and, for me, many times I have found out that bigger isnt necessarily better.

Other music inspired paintings are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

FOOTPRINT – ACRYLIC PAINTING

I recalled that story of guilt-ridden dieters who, in desperation, stood, teetering awkwardly on one foot on the bathroom scales in an attempt to ameliorate the effect of their indulgences. I thought of the parallels between that and our attempts to reduce our carbon footprint. We carry the baggage of our carefree lives and old habits making it very hard to change our ways – ways that are channelled and shaped by big business who are themselves driven by the cold god of growth.

Many try hard, some succeed, others are green in parts. Perhaps there’s just too many of us. Still, on the bright side, I read that male sperm counts were decreasing.

This painting follows one I posted years ago, in 2013, entitled All the King’s Men. The first version of this finished up on a placard for the local Greenpeace Group.

Paintings for sale are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

YOU CAN TAKE YOUR HAT OFF, TOO – ACRYLIC PAINTING

I started again with the painting I posted on my last blog and here is the result. It is a little rough around the edges but it now has the feeling of a mad hatter’s tea party – not that I’m calling my step-brother mad for one instant – he could be reading this. I thought that the first version was too static and it needed something, so along came a bit of humour and action. I did consider just altering the last offering but changing the poses and adding the bottle and hands blocked out bits I wanted to keep – so it was start again.

I will allow time for reflection and then perhaps refine a few bits, but I feel John will appreciate this version a little more or dislike it a little less.

Other paintings for sale are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

LAND GRAB – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

My internet connection has been down these last few days, so I have been delayed posting, though I have been painting, At least with painting there is very little that stops you operating.  I remember when I broke my right arm, I started to doodle with my left hand – perhaps it’s something I should have persisted with…

Anyway back to the present; in April I posted a  watercolour sketch called All Sides Now. Above is a variant of this idea worked up into a more finished piece. I am quite pleased with the result here and it has moved the idea on a bit. I will have a go at reworking All Sides Now and also see where this could lead.

Other landscape paintings are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

 

ALL SIDES NOW – WATERCOLOUR SKETCH

I was doing another painting of our local beach but things got out of control and I washed off what I had done with the intention of starting again, but when I got the paper dry again my heart had gone out of the project and as it was a piece of reclaimed paper I thought that I would try out an idea I had been carrying around in my head.

I am quite happy with the result and though a few of the panels could be improved I think that there is scope for further development and I might even be able to create a small series on the idea. Anyway, I’ll post any further work here.

Other landscapes and townscapes are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

IT’S MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT – ACRYLIC AND COLLAGE PAINTING

This is my take on the state of football; its emotion, fervour and balance sheets which seem to sidestep the joy of participation and physicality that make it such a good game. I did consider including a group of lads kicking around on a piece of waste ground, but it was already becoming a bit muddled, but for me sport is really only about playing – rather like painting.

Other paintings on a variety of subjects  are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

COMINGS AND GOINGS – OIL PAINTING

It was a year ago yesterday I started this madness – and I don’t mean the painting. I started with an oil so here is another oil. I keep meaning to do more but never get around to it. I did this with multiple glazes,  but it got a little ragged trying to glaze  around small objects. I would definitely tackle it differently if I did it again.

Other oil paintings are available on my website grahammcquadefineart.com

ALL THE KING’S MEN – ACRYLIC PAINTING

I did this acrylic painting some time ago and today was updating my website grahammcquadefineart.com and thought it might be good on my blog as they are looking to do some Fracking in our area So here it is.
I gave a copy of it away to a fellow painter who is in Greenpeace and she used it as part of a banner for a march she was on.
Painting the stars was a bit of fun, flicking white paint at the paper.