Vines

There's a local competition/expo that I thought I'd enter while I was in the landscape painting mood, for paintings relating to wine and vines. Still going for another Blue Peter badge - whatever happens, in the worst case scenario I get an invite to the vernissage, which means a free drink and bite to eat. As for the vines in the painting, this is the good stuff. I plan on testing the rosé this afternoon.

We're off on the road to Morocco

When I was a kid I loved watching those "Road" movies with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. Not as much as I loved the Marx brothers, but I thought Bob Hope was great. No really, I did. But then I was only 5, and didn't know what an awful right wing git Bob Hope was - besides, my grandmother would always happily tell me: "He's Welsh you know. His mother was from Barry". Then Rolf Harris would come on the telly and she'd say "He's Welsh, you know, his mother comes from Merthyr", and then Shirley Bassey would come on... Anyway, you get the idea. Groucho Marx didn't have a mother from Barry or Merthyr, but he was a nice Jewish boy, so he was alright too. But none of this has got anything to do with my newest painting, as you can see below.

Moroccan Window

It's not Barry or even Porthcawl, but it looks like a nice beach.

Not my normal kind of thing I suppose,  but I thought I'd have a go at a competition being run by Boesner and Canson (art and paper suppliers here in France). They are offering 1000s of euros worth of art materials plus 3 holidays in Morocco. Mind you the last thing I won for any of my paintings was a Blue Peter badge. No, that wasn't recently, it was for a painting I did of a fire engine in about 1966.

I met Peter Purves once - at a punk gig in Leicester Square. No I don't know why he was there either. Lovely chap though: mother comes from from Llantwit Major. Or maybe not. Made that bit up. Everything else is true, obviously.

Horsies

My wife, the Old Nag, has long encouraged me to draw horses. I'm not a great lover of horses and have no interest in riding them after trying age 10, but I have met one or two that I like recently, and have drawn them. Particularly Gump, May and Geegee. The Old Nag thought I might be able to flog people drawings of their horses, so I did some last year: but she gave me such negative feedback I never even bothered to scan most of them. "They don't have the life and the character of the ones you did of May and Gump and Geegee": she said. Oh well...

However, recently my drawings were appreciated by horse aficionado and boss of the local Apaloosa ranch, Camille Auguste - so i decided to scan my drawings and put them up for sale on my website. There are a couple below, but you can see more at my website at the horses page: http://www.davidabse.com/portfolio/horses/index.html. So if you're a pony fancier - take a look!

All moved and painting again

Yes. All moved in to Bize-Minervois in our lovely new home. Where I have a studio space, and a view, and things. Lousy weather and no money, but you can't have everything. Last week I started painting again. Before that all I'd been doing were iPad pictures - mainly Purple Cat ones. Take a look at the website for the latest ones: www.purplecat.co.nf . So I started painting. And stopped. It's hard starting painting again after a gap. What was I doing last? Why? Hmmm, back to painting standing up instead of sitting around. Yay! dancing around to music while painting. This is more like it. This is what we want! So I stopped and looked at other people's paintings who I like. Sometimes this can be inspirational. In this case it was Franz Kline that got me painting again: a man like me who likes strong black lines.

Franz Kline -  Mahoning, 1956. Oil and paper collage on canvas. 80 x 100 in. (203.2 x 254 cm)

But that's not all I like. So no imitation Franz Kline for me - I don't have the necessary self control (or the telephone directories). And I am back on the road I think. Black lines, colours, cats, birds, a head....Who knows what comes next?

David Abse - Cat and Bird, 2013. Acrylic on board 72x54cm.

David Abse - Head, 2013. Mixed media on wood, 80x60cm

More works on paper

Continuing to paint on A3 paper - which works well in my current confined space, and am quite enjoying the necessity of working quicker, and over a small space. Can't wait until we move though in April and I will have access to a new studio space where I will be able to stand and paint once more. Funny how important that is it turns out. Anyway, all the paintings below should be available on Artwork100 once Jai has uploaded them. Take a look lots of art for £100 including postage.

Go back where you been 42x30cm Mixed media on Acrylic paper

It's more than disappointment we share 42x30cm Mixed media on Acrylic paper

I'm just a modern guy 42x30cm Mixed media on Acrylic paper

You can find time for love 42x30cm Mixed media on Acrylic paper

Of course I've had it in the ear before   42x30cm Mixed media on Acrylic paper

You're knocking at my door   42x30cm Mixed media on Acrylic paper

Painting on Paper

I had a dream recently about doing a massive painting on a huge roll of paper. It was a large abstract. I subsequently bought a roll I can paint on, but then looked around my little space I am using and realised I didn't have the room to do a painting like that, so it remains within my head. I did buy some smaller paper for painting on though, and here are some of my most recent efforts:

Don't Want Much 

Red Stairwell

Baby did a bad bad thing

So Far Away

Tell the king the news

They are all mixed media on acrylic paper, 42x29.7cm.

These should all be appearing shortly on the Artwork100 website where they will be for sale for £100 (including post and packing) - A bargain, if I ever saw one.

Purple cat can see well in the dark

In other news Purple Cat's adventures continue on his website, and all sorts of new products are available there: not just T shirts but mugs, phone covers and even pants.

The Life and Adventures of Purple Cat

Purple Cat has now got his own website at http://www.purplecat.co.nf . Take a look and keep up with his adventures there!

And you can buy a Purple Cat T shirt from MySoti!