Oil Paintings

Happy clients make me feel great. There is nothing better than delivering a painting by hand and helping the client hang it. Witnessing the joy on their face is priceless. That’s what happened when I dropped off a portrait I had done of Mark Brownlee.

Moreton Bay Region Art Awards opening night was on last night. The winner of the night was Bridie Gillman with her abstract landscape titled “Some sort of Growth”. I unfortunately didn’t pick up any prize but was super proud to have been chosen as a finalist. It feels so good reaching the finalist round for any awards, for me it represents recognition for the years of hard work. I submitted my painting “Rise and Shine” which is a scene of the morning sun rising up over Moreton Bay.

How pleased am I to be able to support such a wonderful charity like Friends of BFT Australia. The Painting for Peace Art Show at Marcel Desbiens’ Breakfast Creek Galleries was held this weekend. The proceeds of all artwork sold during the exhibition goes towards supporting Friends of BFT Australia (FoBFTA). This charity changes the lives of Cambodian villagers, particularly children and their families. FoBFTA raises funds for BFT (Build your Future Today) to secure resources and construct classrooms and other buildings as well as supply key equipment to assist in the everyday lives of humble Cambodian families.

When was the last time you took time-out from your busy schedule and indulged in a true personal passion? For me, it was last weekend. I had the opportunity to attend a 3-day workshop to learn from John Wilson artist, Australia’s foremost landscape artist.

3 COMPOSITION TIPS MUST DO TECHNIQUES I USE TO CREATE GREAT LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS

In this post I want to talk about painting composition and 3 things I feel have the greatest visual impact on my paintings. First let’s start with the definition of the term composition and how it relates to visual art: “the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work.”

My painting “Delicate Balance” made the finalist cut for this year’s Brisbane Art Prize. I am one of 115 finalists from Australia and 6 other countries including England and Malaysia. The Brisbane Art Prize is a unique event, as all works are restricted to dimensions of 40cm x 40cm, no bigger, no smaller. It makes for a nice level playing field for all contributing Artists. The theme for this year’s Prize is “The meaning of life”. A balancing act between the choices we make, the risks we take and the successes and failures on life’s journey is what my painting Delicate Balance is all about. I feel it is a perfect fit for this year’s theme.

I’m pleased to announce two of my paintings have been selected as finalists for this year’s Rotary Art Spectacular. The Rotary Art Spectacular is Queensland’s largest and most prestigious annual art exhibition. It has raised almost $1.6 million for Brisbane Rotary community projects and local charity partners. This year is the 37th annual exhibition, but the first time I have entered into this award. I am delighted to have been selected as a finalist.

The Lethbridge 10000 exhibition opening night was held last night and the winner announced. Congratulations to Claire Toms for her artwork “Two Hearts”.

While my wife and I were browsing all the spectacular pieces I ran into Marcel Desbiens. Earlier this the year I attended classes and a workshop conducted by Master artist Marcel Desbiens at his Albion studio. I took the opportunity to have this photo taken of the two of us with my painting “A Night Time Story”. If it was’t for the fantastic tuition of Marcel I doubt I would have made it to the finalist exhibition at all.

I submitted my painting “A Night Time Story” to this year’s Lethbridge 10000 art award. Guess what? I made the cut and am now an exhibition finalist.

For those of you who don’t know, the Lethbridge 10000 is the largest “small scale” art prize in the country. Small scale means the artwork cannot measure any more than 61cm in either dimension. I have already achieved my goal by becoming a finalist. Needless to say I am over the moon and anything else from here is a bonus!

One of the icon vistas of the city of Brisbane is from a spot near the corner of Bowen Terrace and Hardcourt Street.

You can take in the view at the top of an escarpment with the Story Bridge in the foreground framing Brisbane’s skyline as the Brisbane River snakes its way under the bridge and along the edge of the city.