Kit's Blog

This one, called "Winter" is currently on view at Mosman Gallery (Art Gallery Way, Mosman, NSW, Australia).  It's big (92x122 cm or 3x4 feet) by itself on a wall as you come up the stairs.  It's done with inks on canvas.  It's based on a very large fig tree in North Harbour Reserve in Balgowlah.  Since it's by itself, it has grown out in all directions without hindrance, and it's enormous.  It usually is a giant green, beautiful tree, but when the leaves dropped, it became possible to see the structure of huge limbs and masses of tiny branches.  I started drawing and painting the tree as spring approached, and the leaf buds swelled.  Im happy to report that it's already a mass of green again.

Our Headland Park Artists annual Open Day, with all studios open, will be on 

Sunday the 9th of October

There will also be a group exhibition in the Landship Gallery

Saturday the 8th to Sunday the 16th of October

www.headlandparkartistprecinct...
Headland PArk Artist Precinct, Read Place (off Middle Head Road) Mosman, NSW

This has occupied a lot of the start of 2016.  I did a double portrait in outlines of my subject, Stuart Rees, peace negotiator, author, university professor (ret.) and co-founder of the Sydney Peace Institute and the Sydney Peace Prize. Stuart is friend of a good friend of mine who suggested that we should meet and that I should do his portrait.  Since he has one of the most interesting and expressive faces of anyone I've met, I was pleased to try.  I like the version in overlapping outlines where I settled for two images that express some of his many contemplative looks, but then I did a second version, also a double portrait, also with overlapping outlines, but with more shapes and colours, making more solid, but still overlapping portraits.

Above is first one: Man of Peace in Outlines.

Below is the second one: Man of Peace.

I've done quite a few "Tree Portraits" now.  They are called Tree Portraits because the paintings always start from something that is special about a tree or a group of trees.  A number - but not all - of the Tree Portraits are quite large, 120 x 150 or so.  The larger ones have mostly sold.  This one, based on a tree at Balmoral Beach, took me months.  It is a drawing, in charcoal on (white gessoed) canvas.  The tree is enormous, and most of its leaves are on the upper and outer ends of branches.  Its branches define a huge space, and it has an architectural and sculptural feeling about it, but of course, it is a living thing and very beautiful.  I didn't paint the leaves because it was the form of the tree that interested me and I called the work "Strength and Structure."  It sold pretty much the day I finished it.  A print of it is in the studio now because I asked a photographer for an image before the painting left.