"Untold Stories",

A small selection of  WW2 RAF memorabelia will be the subect of my next painting. They belonged to my partner's late father. The fact that these items had been kept and treasured made me realise that each one has it's own story to tell. Stories of life, laughter, sadness and comradery. Stories that will never be told as the narrator is no longer with us to relate them.  I wanted to put them together into a composition to give an extended life to these "Untold Stories" Acrylic.24"x 20"x 1.5"

Page 1......underpainting the two hats and flight record book.

Page 2..... Building up the layers on the leather flying hat.There are so many different tones and colours that it took about 6 hours to reach this stage.

Page 3.....starting work on the hat and book meant I could leave the leather work to dry out for an extra day.                                                                                    

Page 4...building up the layers of paint, making a start on other areas and starting work on the detail. While one bit dries I'm able to work on another area It's now starting to come to life :)                                                                                                           

The final page..................................                                                                                              

"Untold Stories"

24" x 20" x 1.5"

Acrylic on box canvas

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"Into the Blue"

20"x16"x1.5"

Acrylic on box canvas

"Love is in the Air". Still life with pink rose

The trees are full of blossom and the gardens are now in bloom. The month of May is the traditional start of the wedding season so I thought my next painting should have a touch of "love is in the air" :)

 A still life composition based around a single pink rose ( signifying "adoration") and pretty powder blue forget-me-nots ("Faithful love"). Acrylic on box canvas 24"x20"x1.5"

Flirting with the composition.....

Pink blushes........

 Feeling blue..........

Finally......

"Love is in the air"

Acrylic on box canvas

24"x20"x1.5"

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paula-Oakley-contemporary-acrylic-paintings/165789990165599

"Purple Rain" painting black tulips

Whilst walking home in the rain the other day I couldn't help but notice a mass of beautiful black tulips in my neighbour's garden. Covered in rain drops and slightly battered they looked splendid, defiantly holding on in their battle against the elements.

"Purple Rain"

Acrylic on box canvas

24"x 20"x 1.5"

Click here to find me on Face Book :)

"Red,White and Booze"...acrylic painting

With the Queen's 60th Jubilee approaching I have seen several paintings inspired by the event. All very commercial, stereotypical and quite boring!
A public holiday has been declared, a day for street parties, hog roasts and bonfires!
 So I have decided to paint my version of the celebrations, flags,beer, nibbles and wine! It may not be to everyones taste but it will be to mine !
The beer I'm using is a delightful ale called "Spitfire", brewed in Kent by Shepherd and Neame Spitfire ale

 It will be BIGGER, BRIGHTER, BOLDER AND.....BRITISH! :)
"Red,White and Booze" Acrylic on box canvas, 24"x 20"x 1.5".. Enjoy......;)

Day 1, laying the table......

Day 2, starting the glass  work...

Day 3, a bit of detail......                                                                                                           

Day 4, adding the nibbles and glass....  (Not a very good photo as the weather's grim today and the light is bad :/ )                                                                             

...and finished! My tribute to the jubilee celebrations!!!!

"Red,White and Booze"

Acrylic on box canvas

24"x20"x1.5"

Featured!!!
Wow! I have just received the latest copy of the Artist and Illustrators magazine to find that my painting "He Loves Me, He loves Me Not" is the "Painting of the month" :) I'm delighted :))))

and as an added bonus I won a prize :)

:)))))))))

"Flowers in the Rain", acrylic painting

The April showers continue but in the moments of sunshine the Spring flowers come alive and bring welcome colour to the countryside. On a  recent walk in my local woods I was delighted to see the emerging bluebells and wood anenomes in a  perfect partnership.Spring walk photos.A view to capture on canvas.....

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"Flowers in the Rain"

Acrylic on box canvas

24"x12"x1.5"

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"Reflecting the Dark Side"

The April weather has so far been a typical mixture of sunshine and showers.One moment the house is all lit up the next it's thrown into darkness! Light and dark, a great combination for creating interesting reflections! This inspired a day of experimenting with different surfaces and objects, the result is a piece of classic musical nostalgia ! A little bit of this...

(Yes! We still have vinyl records)...and a little bit of this.....

Resulted in some interesting and colourful images.....

I just loved how Pink Floyd's album "Dark side of the moon" reflected so well on the guitar....how could I resist!!! ;)

The first layer of paint....

Today I started adding the reflections...

and a little bit more...

Adding the strings and prism colours.........

"Reflecting the Darkside"

Acrylic on box canvas

18"x14"x1.5" SOLD

Love this?Then check out "No Strings Attached" ..HERE

Planes, paint and the bit left over!

In our house we have a selection of model aeroplanes, a mixture of ornaments, toys and models...

One day whilst dusting them I found a small shiny bolt that doesn't appear to belong anywhere. It made me think of all the kits, from models to flat packed wardrobes that when assembled always seem to have a bit left over! So I thought my next painting shall be a tribute to all the leftover bits in the world ;)

"The Bit Leftover".....work in progress

Didn't do much today but I did put a spanner in the works! ;)

Getting down to the nuts and bolts!

Well. I've finished the painting but I still seem to have.....the bit leftover!!! ;)

"The Bit Leftover!"

Acrylic on box canvas  

12"x12"x1.5"

For more still life paintings please visit my gallery Still life paintings

Butterfly days and Sussex memories....

The sun has come out and signs of Spring are in the air. This week my sister and I decided to visit one of the farms where we lived as children, nestled deep within the Southdowns of East Sussex, where the views go on for ever and the river Ouse makes it's last journey before reaching the sea.Click here for more photos Southease, Sussex

The house has barely changed  :)
The woods where we used to play have unfortunately gone but the view of the river is as picturesque as ever! Perhaps this is where my love of the Southdowns originate.
 So childhood memories and wonderful sunshine shall be my inspiration for a new painting....
Day 1.....

"Butterfly Summer"

Acrylic on box canvas 18"x14"x1.5"

The blue flowers are round headed rampions, also known as "The Pride of Sussex".The small blue butterflies are a delightful sight on the the Southdowns each Summer :)

For more paintings of the Southdowns please click here

He Loves Me, He loves Me Not and Time to Reflect still life paintings

The 1st of March today, St David's Day . The skies are blue and the sun is shinging bright, a real promise of Spring :)
I have been busy giving the kitchen a fresh coat of white paint. The crisp bright white with the lovely weather reminded me of  Summer days when the fields and roadsides are a mass of bold ox-eye daisies, bobbing and dancing in the wind. Childhood memories of sitting on the grass, pulling off the petals chanting " He loves me, he loves me not".

Dance of the Daisies (Sold)

Wild Summer (Sold)

So  the  seed of thought was planted...
Daisies ...
I have painted them before in landscape settings.




This time I thought I would use one in a still life composition, a romantic mix of colours and textures, a touch of Summer romance.

                                                                                     Straw hat, soft chiffon and of course a daisy!

                     "He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not"
                             Acrylic on box canvas, 18"x14"x1.5"...
Today was spent sketching out and getting the underpainting started...

Started to build up the layers of colour on the hat and scarf today....

Painting in the shadows ......

and finished :)

"He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not"

Acrylic on box canvas 18"x14"x1.5"

Delighted that this was chosen as "Picture of the month" in the Artist and Illustrators, June 2012 edition of their  magazine

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It's rained all day today! Dark and gloomy, but my thoughts are still with those warm breezes of Summer. Lazy days of sunshine, wild flowers and butterflies . Carefree moments to gather one's thoughts and let day dreams and happy memories  take over . So this shall be the essence of my next painting ...

"Time to reflect"

Acrylic on box canvas 18"x14"x1.5"

The first few hours......                                                          

A bit more thinking .....

                     The final thought....

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