Soft and rounded afternoon clouds, Varteg hill is a studio oil painting.
Started from an unfinished pencil sketch in the car and finished in the studio with oil paint on board.
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| 184. Soft and rounded afternoon clouds, Varteg hill Oil on board 7.9 x 12 in / 20.3 x 30.5 cm 16th June 2026 |
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| Soft and rounded afternoon clouds, Varteg hill painting on the easel in her studio |
This is a painting from life that was a flop.
I was not completely happy with that and so I retouched it in the studio. Mistake!!!
Lesson: if it is a painting from life, do not work on it from memory and feelings of the day after. Take it out again in front of the real subject instead.
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| 183. Climbing roses- failed Oil on board 15th June 2026 |
I forgot to take my brushes with me, so I painted with fingers, twigs and leaves.
A nice and unexpected challenge I really enjoyed in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve.
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| 182. Sheep in Ystradfawr Oil on canvas board 7 x 5 in / 17.7 x 12.6 cm 8th June 2026 |
This is a painting made in the studio and it features the canal walk we used to have when we lived near the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal in Llanover, Wales.
I was attracted by the light and reflections created by the sunshine and it shows a lush vegetation I really love.
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| 181. Canal Walk Oil on board 9.9 x 12 in / 25.2 x 30.5 cm 6th June 2026 |
A second day of oil studies in the garden with further different colour palettes.
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| 179. Garden study 3 Oil on paper 30th May 2026 |
The first study of the day is featuring my climbing roses in the garden. Some unusual colours to mix the paint for this study.
The second study is about the same flower pots of yesterday but with a different colour palette and with the strong light snd shadow.
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| 180. Garden study 4 Oil on paper 30th May 2026 |
In this day I finally inaugurated my new painting setup: the 12x9-inch easel and 16-inch panel holder by DayBreak Easel, and my carbon-fibre tripod by K&F Concept.
As experimenting is fun and makes you learn new things, I decided to use different a colour palette to try different colour mixing.
The first study is on the top left and it depicts part of my garden and the sky.
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| 177. Garden study 1 Oil on paper 29th May 2026 |
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| 178. Garden study 2 Oil on paper 29th May 2026 |
This is another oil painting featuring the beauty of countryside, where nature is lush and you can walk under a big sky.
I liked the path leading to a distant field behind the line of trees and the open sky above with many passing clouds. The sense of peaceful movement was what I tried to recreate in this landscape.
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| 176. Sky and Land, Walking in the Countryside Oil on board 9.9 x 12 in / 25.1 x 30.6 cm 3rd May 2026 |
Inspired by open land and big skies, I painted this landscape painting featuring a well known field in Llanover, Wales.
I worked in the studio over some working sessions. My main focus and aim was to capture the sense of space both of the land and the sky, with the soft feeling of playful clouds.
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| 175. Clouds and Dandelions Oil on boards 12 x 11.8 in / 30.5 x 30 cm 27th April 2026 |
I really enjoyed using the palette knife to soften edges and create atmosphere.
