Frames now available!

FRAMED original canvas can now be bought from Cat Salter Daily paintings! Here are the two frames I have chosen - a silvery grey and a metallic bronze -which I think set off the paintings really well! I am very pleased with the quality of them and feel they make the paintings look very special! Isn't it amazing the difference a frame makes to a piece of work?

The cost of a framed original will be between £160 and £180 depending on the painting. (ex shipping)

 

Eurasian Eagle Owl

'Noble Bird' Eurasian Eagle Owl  (Acrylic on cartridge paper with chalk pastel background)


I adore painting birds! I love the detail in the feathers but it can do your head in painting them! You loose where you have got to!

'Watching the night'

'Watching the Night' Pencil Sketch


I haven't done any pencil work for a while and fancied a change last night from painting! 


With this drawing, I really wanted to explore using a pencil to add texture rather than produce a technically perfect and photographic quality piece of work. I can find such pieces rather soulless and lacking in feeling. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.....

'He made the stars also'

'He made the Stars also' (Oil on canvas board 30x30) FOR SALE £67


I was asked by a contact on Twitter if I could paint something to help promote their campaign to reduce light pollution so we can enjoy the wonders of the sky at night! Having lived in Africa I have often been in awe at the amazing spectacle of an African sky at night in the bush, without all the light pollution which we endure in this country.


I have always loved this verse in Genesis 1 v16; 'he made the stars also'. What a wonderful example of understatement!


This was painted quickly in oils so that I could get the richness of colour in the  sky just as the sun has gone down as the light show of stars appears.

'Pear and Pair'

'Pear and Pair' (30x30cm Oil on Canvas board) 

For Sale £75 (inc worldwide shipping)

It has been lovely painting with the sun on my back today and really warm!


I real enjoyed painting the quick oil sketch of these white mugs a couple of days ago, so, I thought I would re-visited them and spend a little longer on them. It is quite hard getting the effect of light reflecting and the glossy texture of the mugs with white paint. I used one of my favourite colours in the background; Prussian Blue. You do have to be careful with it as it is a very strong colour and can overpower everything. It is great for making a very dark colour mixed with Burnt Umber instead of using Black. (We were always banned from using black at school and art college!) I must admit, you get a much more interesting quality to the dark shadows if it is mixed from other colours


I have been to the framers today to choose frames for four paintings which are going to a local interiors shop. The paintings look stunning with frames around them and it really makes them look imposing! I will photograph them when I get them back and show them on the blog.

'Perilous Cups'

'Perilous Cups' Oil on 30x30cm canvas board 

For Sale £75 (inc worldwide shipping)

Hard to believe there are so many shades in a white cup. Have learnt to pop in the white highlights of light first and then 'grey down' the white so that the highlights shine out.


Good to be back on my 30 x 30 boards today!

Persian Key SOLD

'Persian Key' (7x5" Acrylic on Canvas Board) SOLD


This was the last little board I could find so I decided to 'go small'! It took as long to paint as some of the larger canvases though! We have had the Persian Carpet bag for many years and I have always loved the rich colours in it. The rust old key seemed to work on the colourful background. 


I have received my order of more boards yesterday so I will go back to normal size tomorrow, although this has been fun to paint on something so small!

Vintage Tea Cup Stack

    

Old version

  

New version

Vintage Tea Cup Stack 

For Sale £75 (inc worldwide shipping)

30 x 30cm Acrylic on canvas board.

Still waiting for new canvases to arrive which is why I have not been painting this week. I have not been lazy though and have done a garden design for a client and researched material for a children's book I have been asked to illustrate!

I love these three tea cups and have had them a long time. I still have tea out of them sometimes! This painting is in acrylics as I find it easier to get the detail needed for a piece like this. It has taken some considerable hours and there were times when I wondered why I had chosen this detailed a subject! Still it is finished now and I hope you love my vintage teacups too!


Update: Once this painting was photographed, I realised that the background wasn't working and that it needed to be denser and less 'sky' like! I am happier with the new version and hope you all like it too! I can't take the paint off again!


For Sale £77

'Three in a row'

'Three in a row' Oils on Masonite board (30x30cm) 

For Sale £75 (inc worldwide shipping)

Have had a couple of days away from painting while I made some new boards to paint on! Bought masonite and had it cut into squares and primed it using acrylic gesso.  This is my first painting on them so I have gone for something fairly simple again just to get the feel for them.


They behave differently and tend to 'grab' the paint more than I have been used to.  I like the smooth surface you get though.

'Pear of Mugs'

'Pear of Mugs' Oil on Canvas Board (30x30cm) 

SOLD

A quick oil 'sketch' still life today.  I wanted to paint in a free way today and get a quick impression on the subject down on canvas.


Am on my last shop bought canvas board today so I will have to get out to the hardware and make some of my own......

'Breakfast Heaven' SOLD

'Breakfast Heaven' Oil on Canvas Board (30x30cm) SOLD


Oh,.... one of my all time favourite Breakfasts! Yummy!


I debated with myself as to wether to use acrylics for this or oils! It is probably the most detailed painting I have done using the oils and I am fairly pleased with the outcome! I am starting to understand how to use them.


Went to an art shop yesterday and drooled over the brushes and paints. Controlled myself though and only bought a few new brushes, three tubes of oil paint and some gesso. I want to start making my own boards to paint on. Very impressed with the brushes I bought yesterday. ProArte Tynex. Very reasonable price but good quality. I like using flat brushes for my painting and am not that keen on hog hair. Don't like the marks it leaves in the paint. These ProArte ones are synthetic but have good 'spring' in the bristles, something which I like.


For Sale £77

'In the Pink' SOLD

'In the Pink' Oils on Canvas Board (30x30cm) SOLD


Enjoyed painting something pink today! Have reworked the foreground and am much happier with it now! I liked the pink but it needed to be a bit more subtle and have some shading and highlights on it. Better I hope?


SOLD

'Plateful of Pomello' SOLD

'Plateful of Pomello' Oil on Canvas Board (30x30cm) 

SOLD

It is always a challenge to get a painting done on a Saturday with the family home! But I have enjoyed painting this cheerful plate of cut up Pomellos. (What is the difference between a Pomello and a Grapefruit, I wonder?)


Yellow can be quite a difficult colour to paint with. It is the shadows that cause the problems as it is difficult to judge what colour a yellow shadow actually is. You don't want to make it muddy and still have to keep the fresh feel to the colour. I never use black in my paintings (was banned from using black at College) so I always mix 'shadows' from Prussian Blue and Burnt Umber and sometimes crimson. The addition of crimson makes it very dark.


For Sale £57

'Favorite Mug'

'Favourite Mug' Oils on Canvas Board (30x30cm) 

For Sale £75 (inc worldwide shipping)

Didn't have a lot of time today (had to take my daughter's portfolio to Cheltenham Art College for her application to an Art Foundation Course) so I did a quick 'oil sketch' of one of my favourite mugs! It is a great mug to have hot chocolate or soup in!


Liked the colours of this piece but could probably have improved the composition. Never mind, not every piece of work produced is a masterpiece and every time you paint you learn something new.

'Grandma's Spoon' SOLD

'Grandma's Spoon' Acrylic on Canvas Board (30x30cm) SOLD


This old spoon belonged to my Grandma and is perfect for measuring out batter for drop scones and filling cup cake cases! Went back to acrylics for this one today, as I wanted to catch all the detail on the metal spoon. I love that it is wonky at the tip and all scratched!


The surface texture of the canvas board made it easy to get the linen effect of the napkin!


It has been strange working in acrylics again after a week of oils! A bit like swapping between a manual and automatic car! The colours with acrylics certainly don't have the luminosity of oils. Am I become an oil paint convert?


SOLD

'Olive Bowls' For Sale Framed

Olive Bowl

30x30 Oil on Canvas Board

FOR SALE Framed - £150

Have had a few days break from painting but have not been idle! Went to London on Saturday and popped into the Saatchi Gallery. Not sure about some of the 'works' in the current exhibition but each to their own! Took some photos at Portabello Market which I want to use for paintings.


This little bowl of gorgeous shiny olives was crying out to be painted! I loved the way the oil captures the little spots of light and wanted to try and capture that. And this is in oils again! I have settled into using oils finally and learn something every time I paint with them! Might not want to go back to acrylics soon!!

'Pointy Pepper'

'Pointy Pepper' 

Oil on Canvas Board (30x30cm) 

For Sale £75 (inc worldwide shipping)

I actually painted this yesterday after the cups as I knew I would be busy today with Garden Design work. Things are looking up for the garden design business after a quiet time and work is coming on line again! Now I just need to be able to paint AND do my full time job!


I am not a great fan of peppers to eat, but, I do like the way they look, especially these pointy one! I have learnt with oils to put the white highlights on first and not after as I do with acrylics. It was important with this subject to get the lovely glossy skin right. I also prime the board with an acrylic wash as it dries quicker than doing it in oils and I can get started on the painting! Not good at waiting!

'Cup Tower'

'Cup Tower' 

Oils on Canvas Board (30x30cm) 

For Sale £75 (inc worldwide shipping)

Building on my attempts at mastering oil paints. Have learnt that you must not panic if things a re not going well. Take a deep breath and have a break, come back and you will be able to see what to do! My first reaction is to throw down the brushes and walk away!


I would never have believed that this subject could be so challenging! All those different creams and greys! I need to work on this a bit more when the oils have dried a bit. Enjoyed painting it though and love the light catching the bowls; just need to get that across in the painting better.


(I have done some more work on this painting so have rephotographed it and replaced the old photo)

'Avocado'

'Avocado' Acrylic on Canvas Board (30x30cm) 

For Sale £75 (inc worldwide shipping)

Oils again! I think I am getting the hang of these oils at last! I am moderately pleased with this one. I took some advice from a contact on Twitter and he gave me some hints on how to use oils and it seems to be working.....!
I love the creamy green colour of the flesh of an avocado and the knobbly dark skin. I will do some more oils tomorrow! I am getting hooked!


I developed a simple 'logo' signature to go on the paintings today. Have to go back and sign them all now!

'Pride and Prejudice'

'Pride and Prejudice' 

Acrylic on Canvas Board (30x30cm)

For Sale £75 (inc worldwide shipping)

I have never tried candle light but it is not too difficult. Bit of a challenge getting the halo effect around the flame though. I have always loved this little leather copy of Pride and Prejudice and I loved the way the candle light picked out the burgundy leather cover and the gilt writing on the spine.