The Art of Thomas Greaves

2010-01-05T00:39:00.002Z

It's been a long time since I posted here. Summer was very busy. The only free time that I could find was devoted to collecting source material, and enjoying my local environment in the sunshine, (while it lasted).
Autumn brought to me a prolonged illness from which I am, even now, still recovering. There was little opportunity, (or inclination), for me to indulge myself in artwork.
Hopefully this will be the beginning of a better and more productive year.
Those of you who had been following me in WetCanvas will have noticed my absence there also. I shall not be presenting my work there in the future, however. It became abundantly clear in the earlier part of the year that my recent forays into other (digital) media were unwelcome. The monthly digital abstract thread has in fact, I believe, been discontinued entirely. Critique in that forum also appeared to have become limited to kudos only, resulting in my falling out with the administration.
Anyway, here are a few diverse offerings which I hope will soon be followed by a more regular input.
Please feel free to submit your comments, kind or otherwise. No offence will be taken for harsh critique.

2010.01.04.3 (photo-manipulation)

2010.01.04.2 (photo-manipulation)

2010.01.04.2 (photo-manipulation)

Xmas 2009 (digital)

Some Other Recent Works

2009-06-19T00:45:00.011+01:00

Just a small collection of images which were created from scratch, using Adobe CS2.
Hopefully you will enjoy at least one of them.
Please feel free to comment using the function at the foot of the post.
Thanks for looking.

Click on Images to enlarge

Dining With Dali (digital)
A playful (but hopefully respectful) homage.

Life and Death (digital)
A somewhat introspective journey, which I still find a little disturbing.

Torment (digital)
Another piece of introspective self-expression

Titanic (digital)
Visions of chaos and confusion/terror.

The Memorial House at Aix (digital)
Created at the request of and inspired by a piece of poetry, written by the love of my life.

A Midsummer Nights Dream (digital)
A pure flight of fantasy.

Pillar of Contempt (digital)

Ceramica Contorta (digital )
A simple exercise in composition

Reclamation by Decay

2009-06-19T00:01:00.003+01:00

Reclamation by Decay (click on image to enlarge)

They say that if mankind should disappear from this world, the last monument to his existence will be the Hoover Dam. But after a few thousand years even that will crumble to the forces of nature.
This is not the Hoover Dam, just my representation of simple bricks and mortar after not so many years exposure.
All comments, complimentary or murderous, are of course welcome.
Thanks for looking.

Tech Info:
Medium : Digital
Software : Adobe CS2
Print size : 60 x 42 inches
(Original) Image resolution : 150 ppi (9000 x 6300 pixels)
(Original) File size : 16.8mb @ 1Mbs

Incidentally:
Working on such a large scale in CS2 is not advisable. Having struggled to save the original image, the software appears incapable of opening the file again (insufficient RAM), and I was forced to rely upon Windows Paint to create a reduced size copy for loading here. Any suggestions as to how to overcome the problem within CS2 would be appreciated.

Fingal's Cave

2009-04-13T16:33:00.008+01:00

This is the first of what I expect to be a considerable output of work this month. I have many images which are very close to completion.
Inspired by the movement of the same title from Mendelssohn's Hebridean Suite, this was produced using Adobe Creative Suite.

Fingals Cave (digital - click on image to enlarge)

(Technical info: Original image size 3000x2276p without border. = 30x22.75inches. Resolution=100ppi. Original file size=7.04mb)

Please feel free to comment.

Eden, The Final Reckoning, and others

2009-03-25T00:58:00.013Z

In this posting, I am presenting five new images, created over the past week or so. Two of them are offered as what I call serious works, one is a study, and the other two are more frivolent, fun pieces.
When I use the word serious, I do so to emphasise that these are not quick-fix images produced by playing around with a keyboard and some software. They certainly weren't quick, and they were the result of long periods of contemplation and hard work. On occasions that work can be mind-bending, as I struggle to persuade the software to perform the tasks I require.
The reason for me saying all this stems from an incident recently, in which I was involved, which demonstrates the serious prejudices which still exist against digital media. It was suggested that I didn't "get my hands dirty" as I might have done if I had limited myself to more traditional paints, such as acrylics or oils. Strange that acrylics should have been mentioned, because only very recently have they been accepted as a serious medium, and in fact, many galleries still refuse to host such work.
I deliberately used the word 'limited' a couple of sentences ago, because that is the way I see those 'traditionalists' who refuse to take on board advances in technology. They just cannot seem to encompass the idea that digital software is just another tool to add to their arsenal. At the end of the day, art is about delivering a statement, albeit a visual one. It is not about the methods employed to reach that goal: that is craft, and maybe there lies the bone of their contention. Maybe they believe that as a digital artist I have not 'paid my dues' by learning the craft of the medium, as though all that is necessary is for me to push a few keys and the programming will do everything else for me. Let there be no mistake, the complexities of the software are no easy topic to learn. I have known professionals who have been using the same software as myself on a daily basis for years in a commercial setting, and who still claim that they are but scratching at the surface of the subject. True, with just a little knowledge a great deal of fun and a certain amount of success can be had, but that success wil be limited in its range.
Anyway, now that I have ranted long enough in support of digital art being 'real' art, perhaps I should say something about the pieces I am presenting here.
This first is one of the serious works, and was conceived in order to express my personal concept of what it might be like to come face to face with the moment of reckoning, those last moments approachingthe point of death. Death is always going to be a terrifying experience. It will be apocalyptic in personal terms. At the same time, I also had in mind the possible alternative apocalypse, the sudden and violent end to this world as we know it. However, what you see here will always be your own personal perspectives. Incidentally, this piece was 'designed' to be printed pretty large, anything up to sixty inches wide, if ever I can find someone with the equipment capable of doing so.

The Final Reckoning (digital) (click to enlarge)

This second piece, also hopefully to be taken as a serious work, is anything other than apocalyptic in its subject matter. Again a personal viewpoint, it depicts one way of perceiving the Garden of Eden. A place unspoiled by the hand of man, a place where he/she lives in harmony with the beauty and diversity of nature. Again, this is intended to be printed reasonably large, perhaps thirty or forty inches square (one metre).

Eden (digital) (click to enlarge)

'Ignition' is a study piece, what tradtional artists would call a sketch. I'm not going to say much about it at this time, its title is self-explanatory, and in all probability I shall post the image again in the future, alongside the finished painting that I am currently working towards completing. How far into the future that will be is indeterminate, just as it would have been had it been sitting on the easel.

Ignition (digital study) (click to enlarge)

And now we come to the 'follies', or less serious images. Both are quite simple in their composition, and in the methods used to produce them. These are genuine 'quickies'.
They were both created to support and be included in a 'Quick Digi' thread in the WetCanvas web forum. The thread has in the past, and continues to be, a learning ground, and a generally fun place, for those wishing to experiment with or just play around in the medium. I give it my support because I believe that many people who feel that they cannot produce art, who cannot express their emotions and experiences so well through more traditional methods, or who find themselves shackled by conditioned realism, or even indeed simply don't have the time required to be more dedicated to their art, can often experience much joy by exploring the possibilities of doodling or 'sketching' their ideas and presenting them in a less formal critique setting. We all have visions and dreams, let them see the light of day, that others might enjoy them also.
Both of these pieces demonstrate the potential of a very limited knowledge of the software, requiring only very minimal use of the standard tools.

Stars and Stripes (digital) (click to enlarge)

Oppulance (digital) (click to enlarge)

Many thanks for taking an interest in my work. Comments are always most welcome, using the facility at the close of this post.

Produce of Passion

2009-03-17T00:38:00.008Z

Only when we unshackle ourselves from the inhibitions of our emotions do we begin to open our eyes. Only then do we allow our creative intuition the freedom of expression.

Click images to enlarge in new window

Urban Free-Fall (digital)

Temple of Contemplation (digital)

Feel Feather Flow (digital)

Please feel free to comment. Thanks you.

Nine New Images

2009-03-14T02:29:00.025Z

Sometimes images can lay around for days, or more, in a folder waiting for the right moment to arrive. Sometimes that moment of inspiration is required to give the image the final touches to make them work. Today has been one such day, and a number of works have come to completion. Others will have to wait for the emotional batteries to be recharged before they find their way out into the light of day. Here anyway is a selection of the latest to have made their way into the world.

Click Images to Enlarge

Hurricane (digital)

Hokusai #1 (digital)

Holi (Regeneration) (digital)

Wrought (digital)

Mono (digital)

Cradle of Creation (digital)

Power of Three (digital)

Ethnographica (digital)

Knurl (digital)

Thanks for looking. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Just Jazz & Imperfect Storm

2009-03-10T03:45:00.003Z

Some passages of our lives are inevitably more emotionally charged than others. Such periods lend themselves to a greater productive output generally, but even more so in the creation of art. Recent days have found me stretching the frontiers of my personal life, with the anticipated consequences.

Just Jazz! (digital - click to enlarge)

Imperfect Storm (digital - click to enlarge)

Pe Plaja Electric & Counting the Cost of Summer

2009-03-06T02:34:00.012Z

Here are two further new images. Again, they are digitally created.
It is often supposed, by some, that these digital performances are achieved mostly by accident, and quickly. In the case of some fractal imagery, and some other abstact work, that theory might have some credence, and there is no denial that software such as Adobe Creative Suite can drastically reduce the number of hours needed to complete the process when compared to more traditional methods.
I hope, however, that the images which follow will go some way to dispelling any misconceptions concerning the degree of conceptual process and the amouint of hard time required to bring them to fruition.
Thanks for looking.

Pe Plaja Electric (The Electric Beach) - (digital - click to enlarge)

Counting the Cost of Summer (digital - click to enlarge)

Ziiiiip!

2009-03-05T03:20:00.004Z

I'm just going to let this one stand on it's own.

Ziiiiip! (digital - click to enlarge)

2009-03-03T22:11:00.007Z

I have recently started a new series of digital images, thanks mainly to the encouragement of those of you who have privately endorsed my recent work, and especially due to the formation of a new and very special friendship.
Here are two offerings.

Dissidence (digital)

Pueblo Nevada (digital)

2009-03-03T21:52:00.005Z

I don't usually add literary appendages to my work, so what follows the next image is somewhat of a rarity.

Ioana - Convergeance of Virtualities (digital)

IOANA (Converging Virtualities)

Out of darkness they emerged,
apart, but treading parrallel courses,
seperated by the gulf of ethereal identity,
neither knowing the potentials of their destinations.

But as they ploughed the waters of that foreign place,
they glimpsed each other, and became aware
of the presence of a light within,
a beacon, enquiring to know
if there existed in this world somewhere,
another of similar heart.

Slowly they shifted there courses
to take a closer look, and found they had committed
to know who lay within.
And so they ventured onward, forever drawing near,
until a point was reached where fingers stretched from bow to bow,
and hearts screamed forward to that place
where dark might meet the light.

Thomas Greaves, March 2nd, 2009.

2008-10-15T16:42:00.036+01:00

Well I'm feeling a little guilty, as I haven't posted any new work for quite some time.
Truth is that summer is only just drawing to a close, and whilst plenty of colour and light persist in the great outdoors, very little in the way of completed art is coming from the easel still.
It seems that my year is divided in two: one half being spent filling my eyes and gathering material, and the other half translating and rendering my inspirations to canvas.
However it appears that my recent forays into the realms of digital abstraction have proven very popular, and so I have dedicated some time to exploring and producing a further (quite large) series of images.
I present them here hoping that some of them, at least, will provide equal enjoyment to viewers as they have to me in their creation.

The 'R' Series
(click image to enlarge)

a new direction

2008-07-02T20:29:00.004+01:00

Well recent weeks have seen little rain in my part of the world, and so very little has come off my studio easel.Of course there has been a lot of activity outdoors, with various mediums being utilized, but it is almost exclusively preparation or sketch work. At some point in the future I shall endeavour to organize the fruits of my labours into some kind of presentable format, and publish it here.In the meantime, the last few waking hours of each evening I have been employing the latest addition to my toolbox, and have been creating digital abstract images.These images are somwhat of a departure from those that I normally present here, but I have decided to post them for the sake of posterity, and hopefully for the enjoyment of some of the regular visitors. However I do appreciate that they will not appeal to everyones tastes, and so those of you who are newcomers to my site, and who wish to view more traditional forms of painting, are invited to scroll to the lower sections of the page.Many thanks for viewing my work, I hope that you will enjoy at least some of it.Enquiries for originals, giclees, and prints, as well as commercial enquiries, are always welcome via the email address at the head of the page. I am not a greedy man, and I believe you will find my charges extremely affordable.

Click Images to enlarge

2008-06-17T01:28:00.004+01:00

The other day 'Anonymous' posted a comment regarding 'This is Not a Painting'. They said "Your computer does pretty good work, mine does too".
Well, the fact that the author felt disinclined to name themself, or to leave a forwarding email address so that I could discuss further with them, led me to interpret their thoughts as somewhat derisive. It is my belief that he or she was suggesting that anyone armed with a computer could produce art. That is a little like saying that anyone with a paintbrush in their hand is an artist, anyone with a hammer and chisel is a sculptor, and anyone who has a typewriter is the author of great books.
A tool is a tool, and without the neccessary skills to manipulate it, is capable of absolutely nothing. Indeed, give a man a gun and he will most likely be killed before killing someone!
But here is the point. Whether an image is executed in oil or watercolour paint, in pastels or in coloured pencils, with inks or indeed on a monitor using complicated software. that image was primarily the product of the mind of its creator. If any person believes that gaining possession of a computer empowers them to produce art, then I and the rest of the world eagerly await to see the fruits of their labours.

Montage

2008-06-09T20:50:00.004+01:00

This is what I have been playing with recently, following my recent forays into digital image creation. It comprises a small collection of individual images that I have designed in spare moments , between painting sessions in my studio, and the countless hours that I seem to be spending in the great outdoors.
With the arrival of hot summer weather, I'm finding myself exploring and gathering as much reference material as possible, whilst I have the opportunity.

Montage No1 (Digital) Click to enlarge

This is Not a Painting.....or is it?

2008-05-28T02:10:00.009+01:00

OK it's out of season but that's the least of issues here.
If I said that this was 42x30" painted on canvas I would probably receive considerable kudos for my efforts. But then I would be telling lies.
Usually I paint in acrylics or watercolours. Occasionally I employ other traditional medias.
Other than my eyes, my legwork in tramping the countryside searching for inspiration, considerable imagination and a lot of hard work, however, this is totally created employing digital technology.
The thing is that, because it was produced digitally, it is almost invariably dismissed as 'non art' by the purists.
My task as an artist is to create stimulating images, to describe the world in which I live, and to express my experience of it.
This particular image required a lot of experience (as an artist), a lot of looking and consideration, and a certain level of skill in manipulating the softwares which produced the image on my screen. The result is a balance of composition, colour and value, just as if I had actually painted it with brushes and pigment.
So why should it be considered any less of a work of art? Produced as a decent giclee and most would be none the wiser.
Thank you for your indulgance.

Autumn Lane (Digital. 5.32 megabytes) Click to enlarge

Two Trees Talking

2008-05-23T01:17:00.034+01:00

Is it really so long since I last posted?

I haven't had a lot of time for studio painting these last couple of weeks. The sudden arrival of good weather here has taken me out into the fields. I have been exploring, sketching, and generally gathering as much reference material as I can find. After a seemingly long, dark and wet winter, the excursion 'into the green' has been a beneficial and much needed tonic to the soul.

By contrast, the painting below is derived from an image that I found some weeks ago in the reference image library at WetCanvas. Unfortunately I didn't note the contributor at the time (my bad!), and try as I might I can no longer find it. So I hope that whoever it was will forgive me for not giving them their due credit. However, the painting is so unlike the original photograph that it is barely recognisable. It sat on the easel for two weeks whilst I debated whether or not it was finished. Eventually I have come to the decision that anything further I do to it will add nothing of significance, and thus I am calling it 'done'.

I think the title is self-explanatory, but what I am trying to describe is that moment in time, just before the light fails completely, when shadows become mass, and the air is so still that it seems the slightest sound carries for miles, and the ear becomes witness to the whole symphony of the surrounding landscape. Please take the time to enjoy, and thanks for looking.

Last Light (Landscape with Two Trees Talking)
Acrylics on canvas 20x24" (click to enlarge)

A different kind of week

2008-04-30T00:41:00.013+01:00

Well the past week was certainly different. Having previously sung the praises of WetCanvas.com, I found myself suddenly in a position to re-assess my views.
It all came about after someone posted their latest painting, which in my opinion was a plagiarised derivative of my 'Field of Fire' from a couple of weeks ago. Naturally, I voiced my protests. However, not only did I receive no support for my claims, but it transpires that it is not permissible for the membership to even make such, and I was issued an 'Official Warning' by the moderators of that forum for having had the nerve to do so!
I suppose that posting ones work in the 'web' invites abuses such as plagiarism, and even theft by downloading copyrighted material. There is nothing that one can do to stop it. We have to accept that if we wish to share our art with the world, then there will always be someone out there willing to imitate, or even straight-forward copy, (steal) that which we have created. The only alternative would be to bury it at the end of the garden, and then, what would be the point of making it?
At the end of the day, if someone likes my work enough that they feel compelled to copy or steal it, then I should feel complimented. Needless to say, I find that a hard one to swallow. Painting is my blood, I paint because I have to, but I would like it to also be the bread upon my table!
All this business left me with little spirit to paint for a few days, in fact I didn't even pick up a brush. The canvas sat unattended on its easel. But it was inevitable that the phase would pass eventually, and it did.
The painting which follows is the result of my return to work. With it I have tried to nail the inner experience that I felt, as I viewed this scene on many occasions, on my early morning walks to work in the next village.
It depicts the patchy mists rising from the river at first light, as viewed from the road bridge adjacent to the lock-gates.
There is always something very mysterious and ghostly about such a scene. Nothing moves but the mist itself. No human invades the view, and the only sounds, other than the birds in their dawn chorus, seem distant and detached. It is as though one is isolated from the rest of the world, outside of time, alone in a dawn of re-creation.

Misty Dawn over Mountsorrel Locks (24x2") Acrylics painted on canvas

'Field of Fire'

2008-04-16T01:41:00.006+01:00

This is the latest painting from my easel. I must admit that I was surprised by the reactions it generated when I posted it in the WetCanvas acrylics forum.
It drew associations ranging from the bush and forest fires, which cause such devastation in other parts of the world, to memories of 9/11 in the USA. Others found it just plain scary. What it represented to me was contrarily benign in comparison.
For many centuries man has harnessed fire and employed its purgitive powers in order to clear land prior to, or after, the raising of crops. Here in the UK it used to be a common sight to annually witness the burning of corn stubble after the harvest was complete. It was the way by which the farmers would rid their land of disease, and return nutrients to the soil quickly. In more recent years this practice has mostly given way to the use of pesticides and chemical nutrients. I'm unsure which of these practices is the more environmentally friendly or harmful.
Here though is my description of such an event.

Field of Fire (24x20") Acrylics painted on canvas.

'Buttermarket'

2008-04-15T01:36:00.006+01:00

Here's one that I completed last week. A semi-abstracted view of a local landmark. Really I just used the form of the architecture as a vehicle to play with light and colour.

The Buttermarket (20x24") Acrylics painted on canvas

Two Takes on the Peace Garden

2008-04-14T23:22:00.006+01:00

The Peace Garden is a very small green enclosure in my village, planted with trees and accomodating a memorial to the fallen of two world wars.
Here are two loosely interpreted cameos in which I have tried to describe the differing seasonal attributes of an old stone-wall boundary within the garden. The first is an autumnal impression, the second, a high summer afternoon.

(Click to enlarge images)

Peace Garden #1 (24x20") Acrylics painted on stretched canvas

Peace Garden #2 (24x20") Acrylics painted on stretched canvas

'Green Cottage'

2008-04-06T23:46:00.006+01:00

This is another very recent painting, and one with which I encountered a few struggles.
It is a fairly loose interpretation of a cottage located within my village.
My first problem involved getting a view of the whole of the building. There seemed to be always at least one vehicle parked right outside the front. Eventually i collected a series of photographs, which enabled me to piece together the layout.
The next problem was one of season. My decision to paint this subject was taken in the middle of winter, when all the trees were bare, and the Wisteria on the front of the cottage itself had been severely pruned back. Thus some imagination was needed.
Of course, without a proper reference from which to work, I had no way to judge relative values of tone and colour temperature. I was forced to set the two main trees as a datum reference, and try to balance everything against them. This was not as easy as one would imagine, and resulted in my having to rework some areas to create the correct spacial perspective. I also had to employ a level of artistic licence in my description of the foreground, replacing a busy road and a narrow stretch of flat, closely manicured grass by inventing the footpath and gradients.
Anyway, this is the result of my labours, together with a couple of detail photographs, which hopefully will illustrate the technique employed.

Green Cottage (24x20") Acrylics painted on canvas.

detail pic.1 (click to enlarge)

detail pic.2 (click to enlarge)

'Composition #1'

2008-04-06T01:21:00.005+01:00

Although my work often deviates considerably away from reality, it is very rare that I paint something that is totally abstract.
This is one such creation, and is titled 'Composition #1'

Composition #1 (10x7") Watercolour on Bockingford w/c paper

'Cathedral Porch'

2008-04-04T04:49:00.004+01:00

This is another painting from last year.
I had been exploring the back-streets of Leicester with my camera, looking for possible motifs to paint.
It was a wet and grey Sunday afternoon, and having just visited a German Expressionists exhibition at the city art gallery and museum, with all its vibrant colour, I was finding little that inspired me. So I headed over to the cathedral, in the belief that the eclesiastical architecture would surely fire my imagination.
Unfortunately I found it clad in scaffolding and plastic sheeting...it was having a facelift.
I was just about to give up hope when I spotted the railings outside the rear entrance porch. Closer examination revealed the wonderful arcading on the inside ceiling. Now to get both the railings and the ceiling into one composition required me laying on my back in the rain and aiming the camera at a very strange angle. It did however provide me with an unusual perspective. The resulting photograph was as grey as the day, but a little imagination delivered this :

Cathedral Porch (19x22") Acrylic painted on 140lb watercolour paper
I.

'Brisbane Skyline'

2008-04-02T18:12:00.006+01:00

This painting was my submission to a WetCanvas! monthly 'Different Strokes' challenge. (Link = http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=467629 )
The idea behind the challenge is that one member submits a photo reference and invites members to interpret all, or part, of the image in whichever way they choose. Participants then publish their result on the same predetermined date.
The photograph we were provided for this particular exercise was an aerial(?) snapshot of the Brisbane city skyline, almost totally devoid of colour.
Anyway, this was my interpretation of it.

(Image is clickable to enlarge)

Brisbane Skyline (24x20") Acrylics on canvas.

'Fallen Bole'

2008-04-01T04:51:00.009+01:00

Here's one that I completed a couple of months ago.
I finally got round to a studio work-up of a plein-air reference from over 20 years ago. That plein-air study can be found elsewhere in this blog.
This 200 year old plus birch tree, although having fallen to a very precarious angle, was still very much alive in Sealyham Woods in Pembrokeshire.

Fallen Bole, Sealyham (20x24") Acrylics painted on canvas.

'Drums' & a couple of old ones

2008-03-31T04:20:00.013+01:00

IMAGES ARE CLICKABLE TO ENLARGE

Tree Study 1988. (14x19") Watercolour

Trecwn Arborial, 1988 (10x7") Watercolour on paper

Searching through my studio today, I came accross a pile of what I had assumed to be old sketch-notes. Lo-and-Behold, wedged amongst them I discovered a collection of small watercolours that I had completely forgotten. No doubt at some time in the past they had fallen out of favour and been relegated as 'references'. But I was surprised that some of them weren't so bad, so I thought I would share a couple of them here.

The other painting here today though, is one which was posted many moons ago, but had somehow escaped the ether.
It belongs to the series of three which I painted, inspired by jazz and blues music. The other two, 'Cryin the Blues' and 'Trumpet' can be found at the beginning of this blog. This one is called, simply, 'Drums', and was my expression of the colour, energy, enthuisiasm, and movement of a live stage performance. It was painted with just three colours: alizarin, cadmium yellow, and cobalt blue.

'Drums' (15x11") Watercolour on 140lb w/c paper.

'Windswept'

2008-03-30T21:43:00.007+01:00

This is a painting I did last night, using just arylamide yellow, burnt sienna, and ultramarine, plus titanium white.
I think I'm beginning to like this palette

Windswept (20x24") Acrylics painted on stretched canvas.

Back Way

2008-03-29T16:05:00.009Z

This is a painting which I completed last year, and is probably the most difficult image I have had to photograph. Modern digital cameras do not enjoy being persuaded into dealing with the colour orange, especially when it is so strongly represented as in this painting, flanked by equally powerful reds and bright yellows. The image that I have presented here is the result of considerable digital manipulation, and as such is a compromise, lacking some of the clarity of contrast and resonnance of the painting. It is, however, a reasonable representation of colour palette.
I had been taking my dog for a Sunday afternoon stroll around my village, when I came accross an ancient back-way which I had previously been unaware of. As I explored the route, I suddenly found myself having to shield my eyes from the glare of the sunlight as it was reflected from the brightly painted yellow wall on one of the old stone cottages. The passage-way was otherwise quite a dark place, but in this one particular spot all was illuminated by the reflection from that wall. The cottages and walls are constructed from a locally quarried crystalline red granite, upon which that golden light literally danced as one progressed along the route.
As always, my camera was ready, and the resulting painting is what you see here.
Of course, I could not resist the temptation to make as much of colour as possible, though in so doing this was not an easy one to paint.

The Back Way (20x24") Acrylic painted on stretched canvas.

Two new ones, Winter Light, & The Canal Bridge

2008-03-28T23:00:00.011Z

These are two paintings that I finished last night.
Winter Light was created to portray the effect of the late afternoon February sun which was almost backlighting the bare trees and illuminating the tall dry grasses before them, creating a warm glow on what was otherwise a cold and frosty environment. The temperature hadn't risen above freezing for some days, but the bright conditions had tempted me outside with my camera. It would certainly have been too cold for plein-air painting.....for me at least!
Although I live in the heart of the industrial Midlands of England, my actual location is still relatively green, thus providing me with plenty of natural motifs to paint, within walking distance of my front door.
The Canal Bridge is typical of many such scenes to be found close to my home also. The river and canal meander gently through the flood-meadows, or leas as they are known, of the Soar Valley. They are a haven for wildlife, and provide me an easily accessible refuge from the noise and bustle of daily village life.

Winter Light (20x24") Acrylic painted on stretched canvas

The Canal Bridge (24x20") Acrylic painted on stretched canvas.

First encounters with acrylics

2008-03-24T01:13:00.011Z

The Sarah Tree 16x20"

Well, what can I say. I have somewhat neglected this blog since its inception. Time to start making a few more regular posts.

Since the last time I was here, I have returned to painting more seriously. That's something I didn't do for nearly 20years, due to the responsibilities of being a lone parent. But now that the girls have all 'flown the nest', I have found myself with the time necessary to 're-learn' the skills which I had previously spent many years accruing.

Rather than return to my old favourite medium of watercolours, I chose to re-invent myself using acrylics. Although the basics of composition and colour harmony remain the same, I had a big shock coming to terms with the consistency, quick drying time, and permanence of this new medium. No more was I able to apply paint with the intention of discretely removing portions of it again, nor blending washes into those which had been laid previously. Furthermore, I discovered that colours did not mix in the way to which I had previously been accustomed.

Most of my earlier work I had been able to create using a very limited palette of alizarin red, cadmium yellow, and cobalt blue, with the occasional addition of viridian green. It soon became apparent that I was going to have to extend my range of colours somewhat. Only now, 18 months along the line, am I becoming able to work with just a half dozen tubes of paint. However, for the sake of convenience, I more often use up to twice that number, depending on the painting.

So, here I am, with new paints, canvases twice the size of the papers that I was used to, (another concept that required some coming to terms with), and a handful of brushes. Now, how the heck do I manipulate this thick stuff into the images I want to produce?

I was very fortunate in being directed to the WetCanvas! site. There I found a bunch of people, some beginners like myself, and some with years of experience and professionalism, and all willing and eager to share both their knowledge and their work.

Having gleaned the basics of the medium, and taking the general advice to just play with the paint, to experiment, and find out first hand what it would and wouldn't do, I set about attacking a 16x20" canvas. What great fun that was, to hold a brush in my hands again, and to just let my mind explode in a riot of colour. I soon found that it was fun to blend the colours on the surface rather than on the palette, bending and sculpting great blobs of the stuff into representations of the forms inside my head. Some things worked, others were miserable failures, but it was fun, and I learned so much from that first experience.

That first painting in acrylics took me over a week to create. Nowadays I would probably complete it in just a few hours.

This is the outcome of that first encounter.

2007-05-13T18:27:00.000+01:00

sketches, studies,and exercises, Oh...and a couple of paintings too!

2007-03-22T03:32:00.001Z

Click on images to enlarge

Title: Winter Arrives [Watercolour on 140lb Bockinford paper.50x38cm]

Referenced from a sketch that I made at Trecwn, Pembrokeshire, whilst waiting in the rain for the bus to take me to town. West Wales can be very bleak and miserable when the weather turns, and this painting was expressing my mood!

Title: Still Life With Apples [Watercoulours on Fabriano 300lb cotton. 70x54cm]

An ambitious project [my largest watercolour yet] painted from life. Still can't decide if this is finished.

Title: Still Life - Mono [Grisaille watercolour on paper board. 34x27cm]

A winters day exercise in observation and tone control.

Title: Attitude [graphite on paper. 21x16cm]

I always enjoy working with graphite pencils, especially when i can use them heavily. I also love the challenge of portraying expression in faces.

Title: Lecha Farm, Llanhowell. [Watercolour on 140lb Bockinford. 22x15cm]

An October plein-air study of a typical Pembrokeshire farmstead that never quite became a hamlet.

Title: Pembrokeshire Trees [Conte wax pencil on paper. 33x29cm]

Just a grouping that I 'found'. A plein-air sketch...I near froze to death doing this...it was December!

Title: The Hair-piece [Charcoal on paper. 38x28cm]

I was supposed to be sketching the same subject that she was, but found her to be more interesting!

Title: Tea & Eggs [Graphite on paper. 35x29cm]

Another winter day exercise whilst living at the pottery in Wolfscastle...I have a thing about elipses don't I?

Title: Intent [charcoal on paper. 23x23cm]

Detail referenced from a photograph that I found in an old magazine.

Title: Birch Stand & Beech Fall [Watercolour on 90lb tough paper. 24x17cm]

A small study, expressing the play of light in the treetops

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Untitled Study [Conte pencils on paper. 33x26cm]

Another plein-air exercise, this time to study the play of light on rocks and water in the upper reaches of the Cleddau River in Pembrokeshire.

Title: Days End [Ink & colourwash on 140lb Bockingford paper. 35x25cm]

Pure fantasy. Based on the Lecha Farm study. A fun piece to do...this really does reflect the slow and traditional way of life which still prevails in rural Wales.

More Paintings

2007-03-21T23:12:00.002Z

Click on images to enlarge

Title: Accross Fishguard Bay Towards Dinas [Watercolour on lightweight card, 31x25cm]

A little known view and a favourite personal fishing spot, hidden behind the ferry terminal at Fishguard.

Title: Cobbled Cherries [Watercolour on 140lb Bockingford, 26x18cm]

A painting of Town Hall Square in Leicester, before the city fathers decided that the raised cobbles were an insurance liability and relaid them level and in straight lines!

Title: In Sealyham Woods [watercolour on Fabriano 300lb cotton board, 40x36cm]

Another studio painting from a plein air reference drawing, juried and exhibited @ West Wales Open Art Exhibition, and Abergwaun [Fishguard] Music & Art Festival, 1986

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Title: The Old Drapers Shop [Watercolour, 140lb Bockingfors paper, 33x23cm]

Studio painting worked from a reference sketch taken from life in Fishguard, this must surely be the last image of this shop, as it was converted to an estate agency two weeks later! I recently discovered a similar victorian shop, still intact but close to dereliction, in the centre of Leicester. Surely another painting waiting to be done!

Title: Fallen Bole [watercolour on 140lb Bockingford, 22x15cm]

A plein air study from Sealyham Woods, Pembrokeshire, still awaiting being worked up into a full size studio painting.

Title: The Late Great Eddy James - Tribute to a Lost Friend [watercolour on 140lb Bockingford , 27x24cm]

The title says it all really....referenced from a photograph taken whilst we were putting away the whisky on a Christmas Eve

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Title: The Wheel [graphite on cartridge paper, 29x20cm]

Just a pencil study of what i considered a busy subject, done whilst living in a cottage adjacent to the pottery in Pembrokeshire.

Title: Cryin' The Blues [Watercolour on 140lb Bockingford paper. 32x22cm]

The third from the series of paintings inspired by blues and jazz music. Juried and exhibited at West Wales Open Art Exhibition, 1986.

2007-03-14T23:48:00.002Z

Click Images to enlarge

Title: Broken Windows Shattered Dreams [Watercolours on sculpted wallpaper. 300x250cm]

An experimental work exploring the properties of different surfaces. The subject was the result of living in the Highfields area of Leicester, which was basically the city ghetto.

Title: The Watch House [Watercolours on 140ln Bockingford paper. 37x30cm]

Much photographed by tourists on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, this 18th century excise officers cottage overlooked the sea at Llanon, near Trefin, just north of the St.Davids peninsula. It was virtually my next door neighbour and I painted this on the third day after our arrival. After living in an inner city for so long my new environment felt like paradise.

Title: The Pump at Trefin [Watercolours and ink on 140lb Bockingford paper. 26x20cm]

Painted soon after arriving to live in Pembrokeshire in the late summer of 1985. Being a father of three months, my mood was optimistic.

Title: Trumpet [Watercolours on 140lb Bockingford paper. 38x30cm]

Last of the series of three paintings from 1986, inspired by jazz and blue music.

Title: Going Cafe to Cabaret [Inks & watercolours on paper. 200x125cm]

An early work, inspired by the Joni Mitchell song, 'Free Man in Paris'.

The Art of Thomas Greaves

2007-03-14T21:28:00.000Z

Ok! Here is my first attempt at displaying some of my artwork here in the net.
I have no previous experience whatsoever at doing this kind of thing, so the results are going to be unpredictable at the very least.
If some kind soul wishes to spare their time in order to tutor me, then their suggestions will be welcomed, and the results will no doubt improve.

So, a word about the images that I am about to upload here.

Most of these works I consider to be old...that is...they were produced shortly before i gave up painting in order to dedicate my time to becoming a lone parent of three small girls.
That was sixteen years ago. My daughters are now all grown and flown from the nest, and so I have returned to expressing myself through the medium that I used to enjoy so much.
My preferred medium all those years ago was watercolour, quite simply because it was the first medium with which i learnt my craft.
I had considered other mediums but practicalities and familiarity won the day. Watercolours were what i knew, and I saw no reason at that time to invest elsewhere.
Recently I have begun a journey in the use of acrylics, a medium that i am discovering to be very versatile and at the same time convenient to use. I am also very much enjoying the results of my efforts.
I have had no formal education in art other than the encouragement and guidance of my old school art teacher, Mr. Roy Porter, to whom i shall for ever be endebted for sending me on a journey of expressive exploration which I am sure will continue to the end of my days.
I am also extremely grateful for the advice, encouragement and great friendship of Royston Hopson [Google him], who I had the great fortune to paint with durin my years living in Pembrokeshire, SW Wales, in the late 1980's. The one great lesson he taught me was to never be afraid to paint as i feel and see, and never to heed too closely the words of critics.

So...enough of words...let's upload the first image