sea blue sky abstracts

Still working on a Winter theme, but with some sun coming through. Sea has continued to be spectacular, with quite a lot of wind, but the weather is so much drier and brighter and the days longer.  Feels like Spring, as colour and flowers return to the garden.  A lovely blue sky as I write, cloudless! The newly completed paintings below will soon be framed and on display at Art Space Gallery . 'Sun on the Surf' oil on primed board, 13.5 x 13.5cm.   SOLD 'Promise of Fine Weather' oil on primed board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD 'Gale Force Swells' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD 'Winter Sun at the Beach' oil on primed board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD 'A Winter Day' oil on primed board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD Click to enlarge.  Copyright Lesley Ninnes.

Not surprising really that these paintings are rather stormy, given the wild weather we experienced earlier in February.  The sea is still spectacular here, with plenty of surf and off-shore breezes, but so much quieter than a couple of weeks ago - which is very welcome! 'Wild Weather, Godrevy' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm, framed.   SOLD 'Here Comes Another' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm, framed.   SOLD 'Light After the Storm' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm, framed.   SOLD 'Weathering the Storm' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm, framed.  SOLD 'Porthmeor, Still Wild' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm, framed.   SOLD 'More Storm Breakers' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm, framed.   SOLD  Click to enlarge.  Copyright Lesley Ninnes.

'Rough Sea Brightness' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD 'Headland and Low Tide' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD 'January Storm Sea' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD 'January Swells' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.  SOLD 'Windy Waves' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD 'White Water and Cliff' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD 'Wet Sand Runnels' oil on paper, 15 x 18 cm.   SOLD 'Porthmeor Peace' oil on paper, 11 x 10 cm.  Not for sale 'Porthmeor, Late Afternoon' oil on paper, 11 x 10 cm.  Not for sale 'Cloud, Sun and Incoming Tide' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD Click to enlarge.  Copyright of all images belongs to Lesley Ninnes.

The first two paintings are as yet unframed, but will be soon, along the same lines as 'The Cappuccino Cup' (scroll down to view).    'February Storm Sea' has unsurprisingly been inspired by the spectacular weather experienced in this part of the world recently.  Worked on a reclaimed canvas - an abstract I rather liked - the painting is a mix of memories that (hopefully) convey some of the feeling created when witnessing raw nature.   'Riverford Pears 2014' oil on canvas, 30 x 21 cm.   SOLD 'February Storm Sea' oil on deep edge canvas, 26 x 20 cm. This painting will be raffled in December 2014 at St Ives Society of Artists .  Tickets (£1 each) are on sale now for this and other artworks contributed by members, with the first raffle taking place in July, 2014. Here's one of the works I plan to submit to this year's Bath Society Open Exhibition   which runs from 5th April - 31st May 2014. 'The Cappuccino Cup

This first painting gives some impression of the wet January weather we have been experiencing.  Fortunately, there's been sunshine too, more recently and the days are getting noticeably longer! 'Caught in the Squall'.   SOLD oil on primed board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm  'Houses Beside the Beach' oil on paper, 5 x 15 cm.  SOLD 'Grey Sky, Wind and Surf' oil on board, 12.5 x 6.5 cm.   SOLD Lastly, here's  'Hidden Horizon' SOLD which I forgot to include in the previous post.  Click to enlarge.  Copyright Lesley Ninnes.

The first painting is currently residing at Art Space Gallery , the second is sold and the third is waiting to be taken to the framer's to be float mounted and backed! 'Light on the Surf' oil on primed board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm, framed.   SOLD 'Porthmeor, Wintry Day' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm, framed.   SOLD 'Breaking Wave, Close to Shore' oil on primed board, 6 x 13.5 cm, soon to be float mounted.   SOLD Click to enlarge.  Copyright Lesley Ninnes.

There's quite an interesting story attached to 'Porthmeor Triptych' below: I'd bought the distressed frame back in the summer and cut and primed paper and board in readiness, but didn't get around to starting the painting until the last week of November, right after the Christmas Card printmaking workshop!   Two big 'toothpaste squeezes' of green and blue ink remained unused at the end of the day, which I scraped onto some cartridge paper and took home rather than waste - and then transferred to what has become the top painting.  I think the intensity of the inks has given an authentic 'sea feel' to the artwork and scraping away the glutinous solidifying medium, a pleasing abstract quality.  'Porthmeor Triptych' SOLD printers ink/oil on paper/board, framed size 23 x 66 cm soon to be exhibited at Art Space Gallery, St Ives Click to enlarge.  Copyright Lesley Ninnes.

'Wren's Spires' by David Higham For this year's Xmas picture I have used a Christmas card sold in aid of  Freedom from Torture  Click to enlarge.  Copyright David Higham/Freedom from Torture. I think we all tend to look back over the year during this time of reunions and gatherings of family and friends, reliving the good parts, having borne the bad!  So many special people didn't make Christmas 2013 and those of us that  remain must celebrate and be thankful because we are the lucky ones. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! x 

Square paintings are framed and on sale at Art Space Gallery  if not marked 'sold'. 'Surf and Some Blue Sky' has yet to be taken to the framers to be float mounted.  The remaining float mounted boards, which I forgot to measure (again) are to be found in the browsers at St Ives Society of Artists Mariners Gallery 'Rocks Revealed' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD 'Headland Shelter' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD 'Surf Force' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD 'Surf and Some Blue Sky' oil on board, 15 x 13.5 cm.   SOLD 'Turbulence and Foam' oil on board, 13.5 x 13.5 cm.  SOLD 'Light on the Sea, Porthmeor' oil on board, 'tiny' float mounted.   SOLD 'Misty Creek, oil on board, 'tiny' float mounted.   SOLD 'Mid Tide Surf' oil on board, float mounted.   SOLD 'Dark Bay' oil on paper, float mounted.   SOLD

Assorted Christmas cards below, the outcome of a day spent at a printmaking workshop towards the end of November, at Newlyn School of Art  led by Jesse Leroy Smith and Alex Higlett.   Of the Holly print cards, one features the actual printing board I made.  It has a gold sheen and pale ghost holly image and is shown on it's side - the only way the reflective effect could be captured in the photo. (below) The Merry Xmas card (below) on the left was printed and then worked on afterwards, using watercolour and acrylic holographic medium.  The card on the right was made at home, using mixed media and 'printing' the cut out cardboard 'holly leaves'. People who follow this blog will probably recognise the Chough images, which were drawn from photos taken further up the North coast last year.  I reworked and even combined two prints (below right) using watercolour and acrylic paint.  All good fun! Click to enlarge.  Copyright Lesley Ninnes.