art by derek jones

a private smile

2012-02-14T15:42:00.001Z

being conte and some watercolour

on buff Stonehenge paper

small conte study

2012-02-11T15:50:00.002Z

a small conte and watercolour on the

lovely Stonehenge buff paper

acrylics back in cupboard

2012-02-10T17:49:00.001Z

this is pastel and acrylics....

but the acrylics have been put away again

fiddling with pastels

2012-02-08T18:59:00.001Z

was fiddling with pastels

wanting a more painterly feel
but then decided to work over it with acrylics
(lower image is acrylic)

morning

2012-02-07T12:19:00.000Z

really just thinking aloud

watercolour, coloured pencil and gouache

watercolour face

2012-02-04T15:58:00.001Z

a small quicky watercolour to learn about this

lovely face.....

this lady lives in Norway and is sending me

photographs to work from

two doodles

2012-02-03T14:29:00.001Z

two rough little doodles - just trying to get to

know a couple of new faces

touch

2012-01-31T18:47:00.003Z

conte and watercolour

this wonderful model!

whither?

2012-01-26T11:31:00.001Z

a favourite profile...

I think she may be in New Zealand

at this moment.... hope all is going well!

conte and watercolour

a quiet still life

2012-01-22T17:28:00.003Z

thinking about doing some still lives to see

where they get to

conte, watercolour and gouache

passing through

2012-01-21T12:03:00.003Z

conte and watercolour

a wonderful model who, in the words of Mr Cohen

"was only passing through"

Louise's hair

2012-01-17T11:44:00.002Z

from a photograph taken after a drawing session

conte and watercolour

white top

2012-01-15T12:02:00.002Z

have always liked this pose which

I photographed after a drawing session

some years ago... conte and watercolour

long hair anyone?

2012-01-13T13:30:00.001Z

always loved the mystery of long hair tied up

conte and watercolour

a first face in charcoal

2012-01-08T18:50:00.001Z

a first face study in charcoal.

on prepared paper the charcoal

is used wet and dry

am looking for some new female faces so if any one

looking at this wants to get involved email me!

old charcoals

2012-01-08T10:40:00.001Z

there was a period many years ago when I was doing

three or four charcoals a week with models

these are some of them -

posted because I am thinking of some

large charcoal faces.......

any thoughts?

2012-01-07T15:12:00.002Z

top still life in acrylics and the lower in pastels

any thoughts anyone???????

2012-01-05T12:13:00.000Z

hope that's enough done to make it interesting!

unfinished

2012-01-03T18:19:00.001Z

needs some more work

I need time to decide how important to make the hands

but it feels ok at this stage

watercolour

pastel still life

2012-01-02T12:26:00.000Z

thought I had better post something new before

you all forget me!

just testing suitability of pastel for still life

have some slow moving things on the go

so if they survive will show them soon....

calm waters for the new year!

one that escaped the compost

2011-12-24T18:56:00.001Z

it's cowering in the corner

looking at all the torn up images in the corner

almost fifty years

2011-12-24T10:55:00.001Z

this reproduction has featured on my walls

for almost 50 years...

it still hangs by the kitchen table.....

not my favourite artist Munch but daft enough

to be interesting!

am going through one of those untidy phases

where everything I try ends up in the compost

but often this sort of restlessness ends

up with something new emerging

lets hope!

and to all who turn up here have a decent

festive period and lets hope for

calm waters next year.............

still life with gouache

2011-12-20T15:56:00.001Z

this watercolour/gouache is on

buff Stonehenge paper which I have

enjoyed but after the Arches it seems

very soft.........

feeling the need to use some of the things learnt

doing still lives with some figure/faces

milkjug

2011-12-19T15:48:00.001Z

watercolour and gouache...

detail shows the area that interests me most

rice bowl

2011-12-18T15:17:00.002Z

something starting to happen, I think....

watercolour with some gouache

a study

2011-12-17T14:13:00.002Z

don't have any "live" models at the moment

so am going to do a couple of still lives

to see where they get

watercolour

a watercolour face

2011-12-16T12:43:00.002Z

a basic watercolour face study......

I think I feel a few still lives on the horizon

from the past

2011-12-13T11:41:00.001Z

old memories

a watercolour based on a model from some years back

always gentle and with a natural elegance

that dress

2011-12-11T12:28:00.001Z

watercolour

about the dress....

it was a lovely dress from India circa 1935

well worn, it sat on the model like a breath

and I used it constantly... an older model suggested

that she took it away to do some mending,

popped in the back of her car and went off.

The next day she traded her car in-

and forgot the dress....

later she rushed back to the garage

to find the dress in pieces being used

as oily rags..... sad, sad, sad.

I couldn't bring myself to work with her again!

first study

2011-12-08T11:23:00.001Z

a first quick study of a new face

mainly conte pencils

hands and dress

2011-12-07T14:11:00.001Z

one of my favourite older works
is a triptych in conte

of this subject....

an amazingly sensual model and

I wondered how it would look in watercolour

back to my favourite

2011-12-05T11:50:00.001Z

watercolour

and so much more to say about

this marvelous face!

Russian girl two

2011-12-04T11:16:00.001Z

same model as last posting...

one thing I enjoy about watercolour is its simplicity

a few colours, decent brushes and paper,

and water!

a Russian girl

2011-12-03T11:16:00.001Z

for once not one of my models but a

Russian girl I saw on the internet

she always seems to bring an elegance

to her modelling

still trying with watercolour

2011-12-01T17:46:00.001Z

got some Arches watercolour board

and this is the first use....

used to use the paper years ago and

have forgotten how wonderfully tough it is!

another simple wtc

2011-11-30T17:39:00.001Z

still just using watercolour in a straightforward way

a simple watercolour

2011-11-29T18:32:00.001Z

am going to spend a while just exploring watercolour

and this is just that.......

a different sunday

2011-11-27T17:54:00.001Z

thought I would have a change today

using the messy watercolour/gouache approach.

loose gouache

2011-11-26T15:04:00.001Z

satisfingly loose

gouache, watercolour and conte

quite large for me

doodling

2011-11-25T11:40:00.001Z

a small conte and watercolour while

I try and work out what to do next....

ready for framing

2011-11-23T14:45:00.001Z

this is how it ended up-

in a frame this afternoon and

to a gallery tomorrow....

have a new project niggling away at me

so it will get started on friday now

that new stuff is with most of my galleries

monday's child

2011-11-21T15:05:00.001Z

my favourite model came for a visit this morning-

sadly we both had a cold so the drawing

is a bit tentative........

conte, watercolour and pastel pencil

slow going

2011-11-20T12:36:00.001Z

in the middle of this picture....

watercolour, conte and pastel pencils.

obviously lot more work but not sure

when I will get time to complete it

as I lose a few days this week getting

work to galleries for December shows

stripes again

2011-11-17T18:17:00.001Z

a favourite pose with the added interest of stripes.

Conte, watercolour, gouache and pastel pencil.

finished again

2011-11-17T12:04:00.001Z

I deleted the last post as I was not sure about

the feel of it.....

and in the post today came a few Daniel Smith

watercolours I wanted to try and among them

was a particularly lovely Cobalt Blue Violet.

Not able to resist it I flooded it over the

background face!

so far so good - watercolour

2011-11-15T17:19:00.001Z

I suppose this is more than half way done

but the work left to do on it will be crucial.

watercolour....

on some Richard de Bas paper that I have

had for some time - sadly the surface seems

to break up easily so may not use it again....

I did enjoy a visit to the mill many years ago

but the paper disappoints

two models

2011-11-11T15:19:00.001Z

have been thinking

(!)

about next year producing some more

complicated works with two figures...

this is a small pastel study to get the thinking

going and is on Fisher 400 paper

red shutters

2011-11-10T11:58:00.002Z

another smallish pastel for an upcoming show-

also might have a glimmer of what to do

next with the figure stuff!

new pastels

2011-11-09T12:47:00.001Z

some recent pastels - well the

top one is a one that has been posted

but has had some fiddling

ship shape etc

2011-11-07T14:32:00.003Z

I think I mentioned that a gallery owner wanted

some landscape to go with some of my figures

for a show - well the subject that has the most

beautiful lines apart from the nude is the boat.

two images from the magic isle of Lndisfarne.

pastels

morning glory

2011-11-04T15:13:00.000Z

conte, pastel, pastel pencil, sunshine

my favourite model......

I have a mixed show soon and the gallery

wants me to do some landscapes as well

as figures so watch this space....

another reworked charcoal

2011-11-03T17:08:00.003Z

from about six weeks ago

with watercolour and pastel added

reworked

2011-11-02T16:11:00.002Z

this was a charcoal drawing from a month or so ago

and has been on my wall quite happy....

but in the words on the Mamas and Papas

"I saw her today" and couldn't resist

roughing her up a bit

a simple torso

2011-11-02T10:04:00.003Z

whenever I feel unwell my intentions seem to narrow

down to making pictures look real.....

conte, pastel and pastel pencil

eyes open wide

2011-10-30T09:39:00.000Z

when I finished this pastel the eyes were closed

yesterday decided to change it....

thoughtful

2011-10-29T12:00:00.001+01:00

a lovely melancholic image

a small pastel

2011-10-27T15:43:00.003+01:00

a small pastel

spirit of Modigliani

2011-10-26T14:37:00.001+01:00

this pose ( the last for a long while with L)

reminded me of some of Modigliani's nudes....

Pastel and conte.

in the balance

2011-10-25T13:51:00.001+01:00

am a bit puzzled about what to put in some

shows that happen soon -

and I think my furrowed brow may be

showing in this picture.....

cannot decide whether I like it or not....

so if it vanishes you know it has been burnt!

pastel 23/10

2011-10-23T17:44:00.002+01:00

this morning's larger pastel

wanted to get the face suggested

last few sessions

2011-10-22T16:01:00.001+01:00

about four sessions left with this lady...

this one Unison and Kremer pastels with conte

on Clairefontaine pastelmat

looking

2011-10-20T11:32:00.004+01:00

this seems to work....

watercolour, pastel pencil, conte

and a touch of gouache

in the pink

2011-10-18T13:44:00.003+01:00

I only have next week with this

wonderful model before she goes

to live in a big bad city........

what will I do?

mixed media

as so on

2011-10-15T16:04:00.001+01:00

top pastel done

and lower mixed media getting towards

being finished or jumped on...

blue

2011-10-14T14:53:00.002+01:00

this morning's session in pastel-

the drawing goes further down and I will

probably post the full image when the hands are done

snail's pace

2011-10-12T11:17:00.001+01:00

visits by plumbers and other tradesmen

are taking a toll on this picture....

seems to be little time to get on with it

but it is a bit further

a start at least

2011-10-11T15:22:00.000+01:00

so far watercolour, pastel pencils,

conte and colopured pencils

sunday morning

2011-10-09T15:56:00.002+01:00

a lovely way to spend a sunday morning-

me drawing and my favourite model sleeping!

pastels on Clairefontain Pastelmat

reworked

2011-10-07T17:41:00.001+01:00

was about to frame this pastel for

a show when I realized I had not

scanned it since reworking it a little

probably done

2011-10-06T14:11:00.002+01:00

as far as it needs to go

some gouache and coloured pencil added

in progress

2011-10-06T12:36:00.000+01:00

recording these stages so I can see

how it all happens..

unfinished I think - again the idea of

female landscape emerges

pastel pencil, conte and watercolour

more lost souls

2011-10-05T16:15:00.001+01:00

large study

2011-10-05T16:06:00.004+01:00

this is about 60cms tall

which is large for me...

too large to scan so a dull snapshot.

Conte, charcoal and some pastel

some lost images

2011-10-05T16:03:00.004+01:00

stupid

2011-10-05T15:58:00.001+01:00

in a moment of studpidity I have managed to

wipe out the last 25 entries of the blog...

so I will simply load some of the lost images

up again in shame!

no rest for picture

2011-09-09T12:36:00.000+01:00

still messing with this image-

as well as trying to find a resolution

to the conflict in my head about it

-dressed? naked?-

it has become an exploration of

just how much punshment the

Clairefontaine Pastelmat will take

2011-09-08T11:03:00.000+01:00

did some more work on this image.....

dressed her to make sure attention was on

lovely face.... not sure how to crop it for framing

starts and finishes

2011-09-05T18:43:00.000+01:00

starting again after good open studio...

Louise here this morning-

reworked top image a little to soften

importance of breasts and started the

other two images off.......

new model who I met at open studio

pops in for a trial session tomorrow....

beautiful distraction

2011-08-31T13:47:00.000+01:00

am in middle of open studio panic-

escaped this morning for a lovely

session with my model..... pastel

final session

2011-08-27T12:21:00.000+01:00

final session before this lady goes to college....

pastel and gouache - still aiming to be more gentle

two starts with Louise

2011-08-26T15:24:00.001+01:00

both pastels just started and need some work

to them- they seem to be going into interesting places

some conte, pastel, gouache and water!

Louise

2011-08-22T15:46:00.001+01:00

a small study of the lovely Louise-

conte and pastel pencils on

Clairefontaine Pastelmat

model in stripes

2011-08-21T15:53:00.000+01:00

when I picked my model up the other day

she was beautifully dressed in a rust top

over a striped dress -

started me to think about stripes

and how to paint them.....

this is a study thinking of those things

curled up in pastels

2011-08-18T16:54:00.000+01:00

pastel - she seemed to enjoy this pose!

wonderful morning

2011-08-17T15:15:00.000+01:00

this model has become my all time favourite over

the years and this session was excellent

esp when drawing her beautiful face....

pastel on clairefontaine pastelmat

16 aug - pastel

2011-08-16T12:55:00.000+01:00

have not seen this model for some time

so delighted to see her again...

pastel - again photographed rather than scanned

so a bit jumpy

15 aug pastel

2011-08-15T12:09:00.000+01:00

was going to call this

"Madonna on Rocks waits for Taxi"

but didn't...... my model enjoying last day

before going back to her education.....

pastel on Clairefontaine Pastelmat

pastel in progress

2011-08-13T18:09:00.001+01:00

a small pastel study on a strange green

Senellier pastelcard......

11 aug

2011-08-11T14:22:00.000+01:00

todays session -

pastel on Clairefontaine Pastelmat....

this woman is so good to draw!

drawing large and I as I don't fix my pastels

had to photograph it - so not brilliant,

but gives an idea....

will try to photograph it again later

another rainy day woman

2011-08-10T12:37:00.000+01:00

have not worked with this lady for a while

a treat to see her on this dreek day....

charcoal on buff Stonehenge paper-

not a particularly good paper for charcoal

a bit hard

2011-08-09T12:24:00.001+01:00

it's a bit hard to concentrate on important things

such as painting when we as a society and civilisation

seem intent on tearing ourselves apart...

anyway -

I want to use the watercolour for full figures and this

is a first look at it!

let it rain

2011-08-07T14:34:00.000+01:00

its been dark, gloomy and raining for two days but

this lady brings the sunshine with her!

lovely Sunday session,

charcoal and conte on Fisher paper

blue

2011-08-05T18:27:00.000+01:00

bit intense this one......

watercolour and gouache.... mainly

Louise - charcoal

2011-08-03T14:35:00.000+01:00

result of lovely morning with Louise...

charcoal, conte and some pastel...

louise

2011-08-02T18:26:00.000+01:00

watercolour with some gouache and

coloured pencil.....

all being well should be drawing this lady tomorrow

an emerging face

2011-07-30T12:09:00.000+01:00

tried to keep scanning this work while it developed.

largely watercolour on stonehenge buff paper

with some gouache and coloured pencil

Open studio

2011-07-30T11:04:00.000+01:00

it's that time of the year when I pretend

to be human for three days.....

we do have some lovely visitors during

the week which makes it all worth while-

so no excuses.... get your travel sorted

home made biscuits and drinks!

some interesting art!

a favourite face

2011-07-28T14:39:00.000+01:00

I said on a recent post that I had known

this lovely model for seven years -

well it's ten years - and certainly she looks

lovelier whilst I slowly fall apart!!

in charcoal and white conte - just an

excuse to gaze at her closely before

tackling a watercolour .....

Oh - recentle a chap called Tim started

following the blog - Tim , if you and I

taught together a while ago do email me!

monday nude

2011-07-25T15:15:00.000+01:00

although a bit ragged from a lack of sleep

I did enjoy this session.....

always good to draw this young lady.

charcoal and white conte on a blue grey paper.

pastel study

2011-07-24T12:40:00.000+01:00

A friend who bought one of my best pastels last

year finally came for a sitting......

pastel and conte