Paul Apps - Artist Blog

             The image at the top is one I completed earlier in the year. ’Luangwa River Horse ‘ created from reference collected on our recent field trip to South Luangwa, Zambia. It was a fantastic experience, despite some illness that dogged our efforts. A lot of reference was collected, manifesting in some marvellous ideas.

 This Painting along with many more can be seen on my website and also where it can be purchased from my gallery in Florida, www.callofafrica.com

        I said it, Zest-it. This is an amazing product. If you are painting in oil paints then I have to think that you are using solvents of some description in your working practices. Whilst this has been the only way to clean our expensive brushes, thin our paints and create a medium, it has its draw backs. The biggest is the health aspect, not to mention the terrible smell.

       Over many years of constant use solvents have a cumulative effect upon our bodies, building up poisons that might well have serious implications for us. So last year I was introduced to the product Zest-it and the lovely lady Jacqui who sells it online. It is a harmless, biodegradable solution of Orange Oil, so not only does it do exactly what it says on the bottle, it smells great as well.

        I have tested this product extensively within my professional work as an artist, and I have yet to find it wanting. You can even extend its life by allowing it to stand and drain off the pure liquid once the oil paint has settled, thenjust keep using it.

        Use it as a thinning agent for paint and avoid distilled solvents commonly used, even combine it to create a painting medium.

        Though the very best news is that we can stay healthy, and that is good news!

Contact Jacqui on http://www.zest-it.com/  you will be glad you did, P.S. I am not on commission, but it is that good in my opinion.

    Just the other day I found myself in front of sixty members of the Hythe Art Society, being hooked up to a camera and sound mic as I prepared to do some painting for them. 

    I have done so very many demonstrations in the past so it should be second nature to me, and indeed it was, except that this was my home town, and some were well known to me. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and Catherine came along to support  me which is always welcome.

   For the first part I painted the eye and surrounding fur of a lion, showing how I go about doing this, and hopefully imparting some useful tips along the way. It seemed to go well and took us nicely to the coffee break. Here, I was able to answer many questions from individuals with particular issues.

   The second half went equally well. After I had checked that I was putting no one to sleep, I commenced to paint a great white egret from Florida in a lake setting with all its reflections. I feel that it went well and after many extra questions the afternoon drew to a close.

   I hope that all those who attended gained somthing from it, I know I had an enjoyable afternoon, as did Catherine who experienced the demonstration from both points of view. I have been asked back next year and if my schedule allows it, I will look forward to seeing all at the Hythe Art Society once more.

   I would just like to add my thanks to the organisers of the art group who made our afternoon such fun, they know who they are.

  Above is one of my latest images painted for my US gallery . ‘Sundowner - Luangwa River’ this image is described in more detail in my gallery ‘Big Cats’ http://www.paulapps.com/

        Catherine and I recently returned form a field trip to Zambia to obtain new reference material for future paintings. We were not disappointed as the eight days on the ground were full of opportunity and magical adventures. As demanding as our goals were, 99% of our boxes recieved a welcome tick. 

       The whole excursion was tailored to our specific needs through Norman Carr Safaris. The staff from cooks to scouts and guides equalled our expectations and moveover excelled them. It has to be said they managed an outstanding job for us. Our guide Lawrence possesed a great knowledge of natural history which served us well in the field. We stayed at three prestige camps Mchenge, Kakuli and lastly Kapani, and enjoyed comfort which we had rarely encountered in the bush before.

            The heat was intense, as temperatures exceeded 40 degrees most days with high humidity as the short rains were due. Indeed, the bush camps shut down the day we left in reddiness for the approaching wet season.

       If any of you are thinking of a trip to Africa, not just Zambia, then might I suggest a friend of ours Rob McDowell, who put our trip together without any problems, and certainly no worries to ourselves. I have included his information at the end of this post.

       Keep an eye of these pages as I will add some photos and stories about our happy experiences over the next few weeks. In the meantime may Catherine and I wish all my clients and our many friends a very happy new year.

   I have been busy with a very heavy painting schedule, and it has kept me away from the contributions that should have been made to this blog. Now I seriously wanted to add to it every day, well, it soon became evident to me that I was onto a hiding to nothing. I then set my goal to updating it fairly regularly, that idea failed as fast as the first, so periodically was the next step, you know, adding things as they happened, or things worth mentioning to you. Umm! I promise I did try, but my work took over and as much as I wanted to stay ahead of this blog I am afraid it slipped away from me a little. 

         All that said and apologies I hope accepted, I have over the next few weeks several things to chat about and report upon. So I hope that you will be able to come back from time to time and see what Catherine and I have been up to on our travels, as well as catching up with my latest images.

        Please do not forget the web pages as they are constantly being updated with my latest paintings .By the way the image above is called Scarlet Beauty, it is subject of a stage by stage painting featured on this blog site and also in the Art of England magazine  ( www.artofengland.uk.com)

best wishes for now Paul

Macaw 1-9 

   This is the final stage showing the completed painting. I have checked all the hues and values in each area. I used the chisel brush to lay in the swept primary flights feathers as they wrap around the bird adding a few more highlights to the back and head. I finished the remainder of the wing in cerulean blue and toned down the yellow. I also toned down the rear wing a little further. Finally I added some highlight brush strokes to the bottom foreground. Now the painting is completed. I hope that you like the image.  

*  n.b.  Chromatic mid-tones, a term I use to describe colour equivalents of greys. By using complimentary colours together in differing strengths, they neutralise each others effects, towards the warm or cool. I believe that all shadows are chromatic and are not decided by tonal shifts in a particular colour.    

Macaw 1-8  

At this point I make a significant decision to change the whole background. I am unhappy with the colour relationships of the background and the macaw. It is not until this late stage that I decide what I want to do. I express the colours using cerulean blue and cadmium red and orange, thus loosing the naples yellow hues. I also establish feelings of movement by making my brush strokes brash and loose.  

Macaw 1-7 

This is a close up of the head. You can clearly see the detail that I have put into the face. I have used whites and reds in various values to delineate the cheek skin folds, then use blue and yellow blended together for the eye.  

Macaw 1-6  

This is quite an important stage, as here I am starting to use the round brush and the rigger, now I am concentrating on the head. I am paying great attention to the detail it contains, as this is the focal point of the painting. Your eye has to go directly to it, so this is where the sharpest edges will appear. Colours are white, cadmium red, ultramarine, black and naples yellow in the beak. Just as important are the other areas where I have applied degrees of highlight colour. Apart from the fact that the image needs them, they help balance the values across the painting and help you to judge the overall effect more competently. I am blending white into the underside of the right wing primary feathers. The effect of white is to dilute the power of the reds. Conversely on the back of the head, neck and along the back of the bird I am using values of cadmium orange and yellow. this adds the highlight without diffusing the strength or intensity of

Macaw 1-5   

      I have started adding cadmium red to the head area and those little yellow wing feathers with cadmium yellow and touch of cerulean blue, as there is a little greenish hue within those areas. I must state at this time that I have only basically blocked in the forms and stated values using the larger flat brushes. Another thing to mention are edges, they are a fundamental factor in all painting. In this image they are present yet blurred,  

in other words soft, or a  word I like to use is, lost.