More Peeks into My Group Exhibition works

Edith Cavell Statue, Opposite The National Portrait Gallery, London. 5" x 7", Watercolour, 2009


All set up now and ready for Mondays opening!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE- here-I could be painting scenes like this of NEW YORK SOON! Lets live the dream!

Sketches on the train and tube in May IX

I forgot my sketchbook and had to use these light sheet ones I picked up form my studio, only problem, they are not acid-free!






Don't forget to VOTE for Me Here

I am currently 3rd on the ratings and don't wanna go backwards! Help me live this dream!!! I'll keep you updated!

A peek into my group exhibition on Monday.

From now till Monday, I'll be posting a few of the pieces that would be in my exhibition at St Stephen's Church Gloucester Road, London SW7 4RL - it's all part of the Saint Stephens FESTIVAL of ARTS and FAITH. The opening will be on Monday 1st June at 6pm. Come one, come all! If you are in London or around! You'll be able to see some of these paintings and sketches of people on the trains and tube and urban life scenes in London, live and even grab a piece for yourself at reasonable prices. Other artists exhibiting are Colin Merrin ARWS(paintings), Patricia Northcroft(Sculptures in Bronze) and Edywn Collins(Wildlife Prints)


IF YOU LIKE THESE WORKS DON'T FORGET TO VOTE FOR ME TO GET SOME OF THESE DONE OF NEW YORK. VOTE HERE I am currenlty placed 3rd on the ratings with 10 days more. So vote - It is possible!






Rear View Royal Academy of Arts, 5" x 7", watercolour, 2009



Grey Day on the Strand




Drizzly Day on Fleet Street



Invite Cover- Painting by Colin Merrin (Loggia Delia Signoria)




Catalogue Cover- (detail) Painting by Adebanji Alade

Sketches on the train in May VIII

These sketches were done this morning. Somehow The three face lady sketch(above) had a twist to it, can you figure it out?

Don't forget to vote for me this is the link

I NEED YOUR VOTE!!

I have been shortlisted as one of the Great Britons who might have an opportunity to travel to their dream location by winning free flight tickets sponsored by British Airways!




Every two months they shortlist the strongest applications and then it comes down to public voting! This is where I need your vote. If you love this blog and you want to see me take on sketching and painting live in the busy streets of New York, then give it a go. It may turn out ot be a great exposure for me, as I plan to exhibit all the tons sketches and paintings in an exhibition on my return and also to get a book published as journal for this trip. All this is still a dream but you can make it a reality!




Just go to the site and vote for me! This is the link to my page.

For those you that loved the last Rush Hour painting I did of Madison, from the DSFDF, will know that painting these kinds of scenes are a dream for me. So give your support-I'll really appreciate it whatever the result is!

Sketches on the bus and train in May VII

More people!!!!

Sketches on the bus, train and tube in May VI

I am back with my more traditional way of sketching- Biro and Tom bow marker. Because it has been a long time I have used this medium, my hands felt very timid. I was quite worried myself. But as the day went on I grew in confidence again and I got a few sketches done. All these were done on Saturday last week.

The Smith Grandchildren, 16" x 20", Sanguine &Sepia dust and coloured pencils, 2009

This commission came from the same lady who commissioned Cutee. This was a real test because she only had a very small picture (5x7) of 4 of them standing in a row, I had to work with some extra effort to get this one done. I'm happy because today it was completed and verified!



This was done with sanguine and sepia dust with coloured pencils from the red/brown family on heavy watercolour paper.

The Engineer, 16" x 16", Sanguine/Sepia dust and coloured pencils, 2009

This is dad completed and verified his wife and son have been previously posted. I'm just putting finishing touches to the double which would have him and his wife.



This was done with sepia and sanguine dust with the actual drawing and detailing in brown/red family coloured pencils.

IGBO KWENU!!!, 24" x 15", Mixed Media on Canvas Board, 2008

This is the second piece I discovered and it celebrates The Igbo child in Finland. I saw a video that inspired this piece. It shows how children who are of Igbo descent in Nigeria are taught to speak their mother tongue even though they are born in a foreign land. I was thrilled because I also speak Yoruba, my mother tongue to Josh and it really helps him to have a sense of belonging.



This was done mainly in acrylic, coloured pencil and black markers on canvas stuck to masonite board.

A Time To Dance, 24" x 15", Mixed Media on Canvas Board, 2008

I haven't really been posted works inspired by my African origin/influence and as I was going through my works today I discovered 2 I painted last year. This one is dedicated to the "not too privileged children" of Nigeria/Africa who, in spite of the adverse situations they face, always in one way or the other find a reason to dance. Sometimes it's because of a plate of food, sunshine, rain, good water to drink or just being kids like we all love to be!



I have done this in my traditional mixed media method using mainly Acrylic then having hints of biro, coloured pencils and wax crayons

Rush Hour V, Oil sketch on Board, 12" x 15", 2009

VOTE FOR ME here

This is my entry into this Karin Juricks' DSFDF. It was an interesting reference from Madison Avenue in New York City.



It has always been my dream to paint scenes like this and because I am currently very busy with commissions and preparing for a group exhibition in June, I just wanted to concentrate on catching the spirit of a Rush Hour in this piece. The buildings and detail where not my focus, if I tried to fuss about that I would never get this piece done before Wednesday, and I hate missing out!. So in an Alla Prima Style, I set out to knock this off in one sitting as if I was right there painting it life. I just included figures and the busy hustle and bustle as I would have if painting from life and I really went wild with colours. I wanted this piece to have a spark of life, movement, energy and total chaos.


DETAIL

I have done this with oil on a self primed Masonite board and it joins the group of other detailed Rush Hour Paintings, I've done. All Grease to Karin's elbows for bringing me back to one of my first loves.

Josh Watching WALL E, A3 sketchbook, carbon pencil, 2009

This time Josh is not sleeping, he is busy watching WALL E. Here I try to capture that serious concentration and pure attention he gives this beloved film.



I did this with my carbon pencil, which has some great qualities for achieving rich darks.

Sketches on the bus and train in May V

These are more sketches. Some might be mounted and not straight because they were used for a presentation and I couldn't get a good shot of them with proper alignment. Others were done on the train today.



These one page sketches form the basis and core of my eye-hand training and I hope keep this going.............

Josh in Sleep Mode XV, Oil base pencil(Sanguine), A4 sketchbook, 2009

This makes number 15 in my current series of my son sleeping. This time after a busy day at Nursery, he ate and watched "Prince of Egypt" after which it was a switch to sleep mode. I quickly rushed to get another sketch done before he changed gears.




This was done with an oil base sanguine pencil with a bit of sanguine dust at the end, in my A4 sketchbook.

Old friends and their sketches, 2003-5

These are some real oldies of sketches I did of friends I worked with. It was more of informal education and I had to motivate and demonstrate to them how to do quick sketches. Here you can see three pictures. One is an oil sketch I did for one of the greatest pool players I have ever come by and the other two where given as Christmas presents in the end, after the demonstrations. I tried to get then to pose in the exact way I saw them but it didn't quite work.

Josh in Sleep mode XIV, A3 sketchbook, Sanguine/Sepia dust/Coloured pencil, 2009

This is number 14 in my current series of quick records of my son in sleep mode.



This afternoon while working on a commission that I was using sanguine and sepia dust, he fell asleep beside me. So I quickly took a break and tried to capture another sleep mode. I think I ended up pouring too much dust on the paper and it was hard to lift off.

Rough Sketch of Grandad, A3 sketchbook, graphite, 2009

This is another commission I will be working on at the moment. The task is challenging but I am up for it. The client wants his Grandad painted. It would have been simpler if he was alive but he is not and also they only have a small 6" x 4" black and white picture.




I have a blog dedicated to black and whites to colour where I experiment transforming my sketches into colour with no colour reference and sometimes with only mental notes they come out well. For this commission I 'll be using the colour of the clients face(I took reference shots) since he said his grandfather would or should be his complexion, this makes it much easier.

This painting will be in oil on canvas and will be 10" x 12". But for the client to understand how the portrait will sit on the canvas, I normally do a rough sketch without scaling or griding. The clients has approved and I will be working on this in the weeks ahead.

Sketches on the Bus in May IV

More people! All sketched yesterday. There are 4 more which are not included here I'll be posting them soon as I can, didn't have time to scan them before making a presentation with them.



So the one pagers in brown continue and I have tried to join them together to preserve the vertical space of scrolling down.

Sketches on the bus in May III

Only two one pagers today but worth it, even though they only stayed on for moments.