Original oil painting on primed card 5x3" available from my Etsy shop

 This old nautilus shell has appeared in a couple of my still life paintings before. I'm not sure I'm happy with how this one has turned out but if I sleep on it I might see what I can do to improve it.

 Original oil painting on primed card 3x4" available from my Etsy shop

After a few drinks with friends, a nice glass of water -a very quick study tonight.

Original oil painting on mdf panel 9x6"

There was still a slight frost on the grass when I got down the river this morning, the air was very cold and the river still enough to allow some beautiful reflections to form.  I was absolutely frozen by the time I had finished. In spite of this I'm really hoping it snows soon - I will be ridiculously excited - I love snowy paintings and would love to have a go.    Getting out to paint is making me really enjoy January - it has always seemed like such a dreary month but the subtle colours and light are great for painting.

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Original oil painting on mdf panel 9x6"

Having a go at painting the russet apples on the 8x6" the other day gave me the courage to try out a 9x6" panel outdoors. It is still a relatively small painting but I felt much more conspicuous and also unsure if I could pull it off. Could I cover a board this size in an hour? Had I bitten off more than I could chew with all those foreground trees?  In fact I think it turned out pretty well (unless it turns out to be one of those I like at first and then gradually realise is not so great!). I think this was due in part to the weather being kind to me - the sky remained clear the whole time.  I'm feeling confident to try another tomorrow if the weather allows. 

To get the painting  home in one piece I tried a tip using a wine cork that I found  here on Marc Dalessio's blog. It worked a treat, and perhaps because I only had a ten minute walk home there was no smudging at all where the corks had been.
 
​And after squinting into the sun for a whole hour, tomorrow I will definitely try to find a cap to wear!

Original oil painting on primed card 5x3". Available from my Etsy shop

In the end I decided to go for a small panel today and had a go at painting some feathers that have been hanging around in my studio - they were probably collected by my daughters.  I've got some peacock feathers which we found in Kew Gardens that I'm feeling more confident to try painting now I've tackled these. 
Please excuse the glare on the photo - I really have very little time to spare to take proper pictures and have been relying on my phone camera lately.  Better photos will follow at some point when I get the chance.

 Original oil painting on canvas covered board 8x6" available from Newbloodart

I decided to have another go at the russet apples - I had a bit of painters' block this morning, so I decided to try a slightly different approach to help me get going. I picked an 8x6" canvas covered board and started off with my larger brushes.  It felt good to work a bit more freely after working on such tiny paintings for the last couple of weeks. I might try another this size tomorrow.

Original oil painting on primed card 6x4"

I've made it to two weeks.  I'll be honest, the last two days before this one were a struggle.  The only time I could find to paint was after the kids had gone to bed - and I was pretty exhausted.  I think that shows in yesterday's painting of a russet apple in particular - I made a mistake with the drawing which I'm itching to go back and fix.  Maybe I can squeeze that in tomorrow.

Today I took advantage of the sunny morning and headed down to the river Thames, not far from where I did my last plein air painting. Looking across the river towards Ham (Ham House is just to the left of this scene) the sun was not long risen, and dazzlingly bright. I hope I've managed to capture a sense of that in my painting. I'm not especially pleased with the composition - I think I need to walk a bit further along the river to get to a bend so that the opposite bank doesn't make a horizontal line across the picture.

I'm a bit of a newcomer to plein air painting, but I have to say I've enjoyed every minute so far.  Its been my dream for many many years to paint landscapes straight from life so  I'm really happy that I'm finally managing to do it -although I've still got a lot to learn.
I've been following Marc Dalessio's blog for a a long time, and have picked up some great tips from there and his youtube channel where he very generously shares videos of some of his demonstrations.  Also, I highly recommend the book  'Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting' to anyone wanting to give this type of painting a go.

Original oil painting on primed card 5x4"

This russet apple was another find at the greengrocer's.  I love the colour and the matte appearance of their skin. They are also more of a flattened sphere than other varieties which makes an interesting change.
I felt frustrated to have to stop as I can see a few things I'd still like to work on, but unfortunately I can't keep painting all night..

 original oil painting on primed card 3x5". Available from my Etsy shop

This Chinese pear caught my eye at the local greengrocers this morning. I love the smooth pale skin. I'd love to make a larger painting with a few of these when I get time.
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oil painting on primed card 6x4" available from Newbloodart

This leaf blew in through my kitchen window - I think it wanted its portrait painting.