Zebras

This is one of my favourite paintings from the month I spent painting at Orama.

I love animals, especially baby animals!  These 2 are from Auckland Zoo.

I painted all the black first, with Indian ink, so that any other paint I put on over the top wouldn't cause the black to run, as Indian ink, unlike watercolours, is completely waterfast.  Both have their benefits and difficulties. The disadvantage of Indian ink is if you make a mistake it is much less forgiving!  It is approximately A4.

Tiger

I really enjoy painting tigers...probably because they are one of the most majestic, beautiful and awe-inspiring animals.  

This painting was very quickly done, on mat board that is usually used to frame watercolour paintings, instead of on classic watercolour paper.  

As I had no idea how the support was going to respond, I painted very quickly with minimal planning.  However, I rather like the loose and sketchy look that you simply can't get if you are overly concerned about the finished product! It is about A4 size and definitely one that will end up in a frame :)

Chooks

These 2 paintings of hens and roosters I did rather quickly in watercolour. First time I've painted hens (or a barn for that matter). 

The barn was a class activity in which I learnt various painting techniques, expecially wet-on-wet.

The top one is A5, the barn A3.

Lilies

These lilies were a class activity. The teacher (Bob Mitchener) did a painting like this, which I thought was a whole lot more interesting than just painting green and white lilies!  

I learnt about using complementary colours (which I have never really been into) and picking a colour scheme and sticking with it.   

This painting is also done in watercolour on A3 paper.

Orama Sunset

Here's an oil painting of a sunset from Great Barrier Island.  Such a beautiful place, watching the sunsets many nights from Karaka Bay was a priviledge.  I left this painting behind at Orama as a thankyou for their kindness and generosity towards me. Amazing place.

Lion

This lion I painted at an art school at Great Barrier Island in November.  Love painting lions and other big cats.  This one is done with watercolours on A4 paper.  
There's a lot of other earlier paintings I haven't got around to putting up here, but thought it would be easier to start with my latest ones!