Tomatoes in progress - on the computer

I am only just beginning to realise how useful a programme like 'paint' can be. I never could get on top of Coreldraw or Corelpaint , and don't have them on the computer any more.
But with the simple paint programme, I could draw in a missing tomato, some stripes, some shading. Magic. Some copy and paste .. it is fun!
I also realise the colour pick tool is great for assessing a shade or tone. If you have never done this... try selecting the colour of your teeth in a photograph ... across the whole smile. It is a revelation! And enough to send me to the dentist for whitening treatment.

Garlic, stripes and geraniums

Here are some oil sketches I have been working on with a limited palette and smallish canvases. I've been trying to loosen up and improve the immediacy of my painting and colour choices.I've also chosen a dark background(burnt umber and ultramarine blue), which is a change for me. I think it adds a bit of drama. The photos were taken on a dark and stormy afternoon, and are very subdued and a bit fuzzy, but they are not too far off what the paintings look like.
I may put these on a fund-raising show later in the year, as they want some small and saleable pieces. Garlic? Hmmm ...... not everyone's cup of tea.

Stripey purple WA garlic, with geraniums and an edge of my much-loved old striped linen jacket (I'd wear it but for the 80's shoulder pads.... not a good look! I painted this sitting down. Only when I finally stood back did I realise how my composition had bunched into my line-of sight, leaving a big dark void above. I think the stripes balance this out a bit. Standing to paint suits me much better.
More purple garlic cloves on an ochre board, that gives a sort of sulphurous air, I think.

This one is still very much in progress... vine-ripened tomatoes and a basket, in which I will put more tomatoes. I put in the dark background after painting the fruit, and it certainly changed the feeling. Obviously the light coming through the weave will have to change. But there may be more stripes.

A trip to Langkawi Island

I was lucky enough to go with my husband to a conference at the weekend on the beautiful island of Langkawi, in Malaysia.

I have done so little sketching and painting of late, I felt very hesitant with pen and aquabrush, but got as far as recording the view from our room on one of those Daler-Rowney watercolour postcards. I may send it to our hosts to thank them .. or try a few in colour first, perhaps.