Monday 21 September 2015

Lemons, lemons, lemons




Oil on mdf wood, 20x 20cms

These are lemons from my garden earlier this year.  They're not perfect, they're uneven shapes but they smell and taste wonderful.  Sicily is famous for its lemon cultivation, although  in recent years it seems to be in decline.  The price of  lemons on the market is so low that it is not worth while growing them.
When we first bought our house the fields around us were golden yellow in the spring with fruit.Wild fires and construction have sadly changed that forever.






This is my original sketch in watercolour, I decided to lose the reflection from the glass dish as it looked odd  and untidy.


                                                     


Wednesday 9 September 2015

People Watching




Do you like people watching?  I find it fascinating to observe my fellow humans and their habits, even inventing characters and lives for them..
There is an art  to the social science of watching without being noticed and  I like to sketch or even photograph people discreetly.
A nice place to sit with a coffee is ideal, as in this case on the seafront at Siracusa.
These local lads were chatting and watching a friend fishing. it was the beginning of the summer holidays so I could imagine them planning some exciting activities for the coming months and wonder if they'd caught anything.




Later in the day as the sun went down I sat in almost the same place with a pizza, people were very relaxed walking and chatting.  This man and his dog were out for an evening stroll...I couldn't resist!
I enjoy painting my 'unaware' subjects, but I'm never sure if one day they'll come cross their portrait by accident online. I d love to know their reaction and is it allowed anyway? mmmm..

Both are oil paintings are 20x20cms on mdf board.