Small outdoor landscapes on sale

Posted on July 5, 2018July 5, 2018 by Philippa Robert

outdoor painting-philippa Robert-whitewater bridge-2017

05 Jul

Small outdoor landscapes to love are in the spotlight for you until mid-July. They offer little patches of colour and light to make your space sparkle. Have you seen these glimpses of Adelaide and summer-time in England?

My home “curator” has hung a line of them on our salon-hung living room wall and they look really dense and lively with colour and contrasts.

This one “Whitewater Hotel, Newby Bridge” is one of my favourites. The dark tones are in ultramarine and prussian blues which I still feel drawn to. I was inspired by the lovely contrast between the local whitewashed buildings and the greenery.

It is neat and petite, 12.5×17.5cm without the frame but really packs a punch. Full-priced at $150, Whitewater Hotel, Newby Bridge is on sale now for 10% off – just $135.

To paint this work I stood on a footpath near the bridge edged with the dry-stone wall. The road was quite busy at the time as people were off to work on this early summer morning. I met the breakfast chef as he arrived cheerfully for duty (on foot). After a couple of hours work I returned to our cottage for a breakfast cooked by Martin, our host and chef. What a nice start to the day before our cruise on Lake Windermere.

Have you visited the Lakes District?

Mid-month madness – landscapes sale

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Philippa Robert

2017-Mason's Court-outdoor painting-streetscape-Philippa Robert-Adelaide South Australia

19 Jun

Landscapes sale! Somehow July always gets the gig for this feature. It’s mid-way through the year and summer feels so far away. It just isn’t as easy to be outdoors painting landscapes right now. OK, call me faint-hearted.

This year I am starting a little earlier. Mid-year, mid-June. That’s why I am calling it mid-month madness.
Perhaps it’s the winter solstice that sends me a bit crazy? Anyway…
The website is set up for you to find a little painting to love.

From Tuesday 19th June to midnight Monday 16th July I am giving you a chance to start your art collection. Modestly.
If you have already started a collection, you have a perfect opportunity to add to it. Modestly.

So, what are these landscapes?

These little beauties have not been openly exhibited before.
Take a peek here.

landscapes sale-outdoor painting-Philippa Robert-Adelaide South Australia — Harton hedge. 12.5×17.5cm; acrylic, framed.

They have been seen in calendars and an Open Studio weekend, but all in all they have not seen much daylight. Except as they were being created – these are outdoor paintings after all. Most of them were painted on a recent trip to the UK and yes, there was sunlight.
They mark my change last year to a much more colourful palette. There is a certain joy about these. And a directness.

That’s a good start.
Now, all they need are….

New homes to settle in!

New homes can be old places of course. They can be flats or rooms or even a desk.

outdoor painting-landscapes sale-philippa robert-whitewater hotel with pen-2017 — Whitewater Hotel, Cumbria. 12.5×17.5cm; acrylic, framed

One of the special features that makes these paintings easy to live with is their size.
They start at 10x15cm. The next size is 12.5×17.5cm. Still easy to live with.
They don’t dominate your space, but they do make it more interesting.
The image above of Whitewater Hotel is shown framed. The length of the pen is actually the height of the painting.
Hence propping on the desk IS a possibility.

So, their small size is a big plus!

Are they affordable?

You may already know that my prices are reasonable. My high end items reach over $1,000 but not much more. They measure up to 100cms in any direction.

And these littlies? They are normally $120 and upwards but – and this is where the madness comes in – during this landscape sale they will be selling at 10% off that price.

Very small prices.

Marion’s Florist, South Shields; 12.5×17.5cm, acrylic, framed.

It’s a great way to start your collection (or add to it). Or it might even be time to put a gift away for your “special someone”.

Any hidden extras?

Only good ones!
At the moment I am only selling within Australia and the postage is FREE.
The paintings are framed and ready to hang. Look again at the Whitewater Hotel painting above. This very neat wooden frame is shown. It has a simple profile, is box-style and finished in a charcoal colour. And they are all covered by my guarantee.

landscape gallery

Dramatic cafe paintings, quick and lively sketches.

Posted on June 16, 2018June 14, 2018 by Philippa Robert

cafe paintings-Philippa Robert-Adelaide South Australia-2018-in the spotlight

16 Jun

Dramatic cafe paintings this time. This might be the last batch for a while.

My selection today is driven by DRAMA!

So, what creates (painted) drama?

There are lots of ways with composition and techniques. We can work with strong lines or shapes (and their combination), clear colour and vibrating colour contrasts or large differences in tonal value.

In my recent work on small landscapes and café paintings, I have been conscious of using tonal contrasts for dramatic effect.

“The Reader”

10x10cm; acrylic on linen panel. $90, framed

This fellow looks a bit different from the original “sitter”. He sat and read a newspaper for almost an hour. As it happens, I was working on another group when he arrived so I was glad he stayed. It was around Valentine’s Day and there were heart-shaped decorations suspended from the ceiling. From the mezzanine, our reader had a large “heart” above him. It made a strange image, but somehow unfair to my reader. About a month later, he re-appeared to sit and read the newspaper. A regular! He liked the painting but perhaps his wife thought I had lopped off too many years, or inches because she said the boys would not see it as a good likeness.

“In the spotlight”

10x10cm; acrylic on canvas panel. $90, framed.

Their body language suggested that these three were involved in a job interview. The person in black seemed to be the interviewee, looking fairly relaxed under pressure. The figures are lightly brushed in and there is just a hint of the tiled floor on the left.

Drama

Both of these paintings are dramatic because of their contrasts between the background and the figures.

The first one on a deep blue ground shows highlights of a related paler blue which contrasts with the rusty brown.
The second draws its drama from the black background and the lighter figures of the two women. Again there are colour contrasts which add life to the composition.

“In tune”

Here’s one with a different sort of drama. Pale background and darker figures against the light.

10x10cm, acrylic on linen panel. $90 framed.

There are many ways to achieve drama in painting. I believe it is important not to overdo any one technique. The by-word is variety!

More cafe paintings, available now!

Posted on June 1, 2018June 2, 2018 by Philippa Robert

cafe paintings-Philippa Robert-Adelaide South Australia-A rare notion-2018

01 Jun

More cafe paintings for you to see this time. Here are three of my favourites! I hope you like them too.

Let’s see….

“Above it all” – acrylic on linen panel, 20x20cm. (SOLD)

“A Rare Notion” – acrylic on linen panel, 20x20cm. $220 framed in charcoal-coloured wood.

“Working with circles” – acrylic on Belgian linen, 66x61cm. $680 unframed.

So why are these my favourites?

For me, the answer to that is most often in the composition. Occasionally it is the curiosity factor.

“Above it all”

After spending a few weeks painting the café from the mezzanine floor, I came downstairs for a change of perspective. In this case, it was also a simpler prospect because my subject was inert and stationary! Bliss after painting busy café patrons. These are the beautiful women who support the central (waterless) fountain. I was attracted by the rough symmetry and the gorgeous dull brass patina of the sculpture. Turquoise seemed to be the perfect colour to offset that. Simplicity and elegance. And sold.

“A Rare Notion”

This beautiful model, at least her top half, was sitting in a glass case between the entrance to Gay’s Arcade and the tables of Caffe l’Incontro. While I was painting I had seen her from the mezzanine floor and included her in my “Café sketch”. But it was a week or two before I actually ventured down for a closer look. My subject was advertising “A Rare Notion”, the curio shop upstairs in Adelaide Arcade. Another week later she was settled back in her shop-home, so I was glad I painted her when I did. An eerie stillness about her, yes, but also a stylised beauty which harked back to the 1940s. She was draped with scarves and adorned with buttons, all of which added colour to her pale form. This painting is here for you ! Available now for $220, framed plus postage.

“Working with circles”

The mezzanine view of Caffe l’Incontro’s work-hub inspired this large studio painting. Against a backdrop of square tiles and angular shop-fronts, the circular forms of the work space makes a dramatic contrast. For an artist, working with circles has its particular challenges. I imagine that for staff, working in circles also has its difficulties. I enjoyed my work with this one and can still sense the bustle within that work-place. In the painting the tight energy of the central circle has its echo in the dish of the overhead fountain and it softens and spreads out of the centre through the lively tiled squares. Despite the comparative size in the photographs, “Working with circles” is three times the height and width of the first two pictured. This painting is for sale and available here.

More cafe paintings

So, would you like to hear about more cafe paintings?