Liza moves on

Imperial Gate

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:31:00 +0000

One of the many grand gates leading from one huge courtyard to another.

oil on canvas - Öl auf Leinwand - huile sur toile
20 cm x 20 cm / 7,9" x 7,9"
Buy it here

Beautiful Past

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:24:00 +0000

Visiting the Forbidden City was, of course, a highlight of our trip. I especially loved the vast spaces between the individual temples. But then, finding a beautiful gate like this one in a "back alley" was also very impressive.

oil on canvas - Öl auf Leinwand - huile sur toile
20 cm x 20 cm / 7,9" x 7,9"
Buy it here

Chinese Delivery

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Nowadays you don't see as many bicycles in Beijing as there used to be and therefor all the more cars. So this one seemed like a souvenir of old times...

oil on canvas - Öl auf Leinwand - huile sur toile
20 cm x 20 cm / 7,9" x 7,9"
Buy it here

Passing Through

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:29:00 +0000

Its a good feeling to be posting again, even better to be painting again! I missed both but.... visiting Beijing wasn't bad either! Yes, we went to China. And although it was freezing cold, we loved it. As usual, I didn't get any painting down while we were travelling, but I took loads of photos and hope to be able to do some good work from them. Here's my first attempt, a scene in the Forbidden City.

oil on canvas - Öl auf Leinwand - huile sur toile
20 cm x 20 cm / 7,9" x 7,9"
Buy it here

Winterly Warmth

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:08:00 +0000

Another seat at Camden Passage, waiting for somebody to cuddle up in the blanket in order to enjoy sitting outside in winter. I found it difficult to take a photo of the finished painting without reflections and unfortunately it turned out too blue as well. Its actually more white than here.

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
20 cm x 20 cm / 7,9" x 7,9"
Buy it here

At Camden Passage

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:03:00 +0000

Camden Passage is a small winding street in Islington, seamed with antique shops, vintage- and lifestyle boutiques, cafés and pubs. This was on a cold weekday - tables and chairs pushed together, blankets hanging over the backrest, waiting for the crowds at the weekend, when a flea market spreads out in the street, attracting loads of people, rambling and enjoying a beer or coffee in the open outdoor spaces.

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
20 cm x 20 cm / 7,9" x 7,9"
Buy it here

On Guilford Street

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:06:00 +0000

Nothing much to say here - just loved the atmosphere....

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
20 cm x 20 cm / 7,9" x 7,9"
Buy it here

Looking Down

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:17:00 +0000

Not only does the "One New Change" shopping mall offer a great view of St.Paul's but it has interesting aspects of its own, like this opening between two glass walls with slivered reflections - a nearly abstract image.

Inspite of it being very crowded, I am glad I got round to visiting the Da Vinci exhibition on Friday. It proved definitely worth queuing for! On show were sketches and paintings created during Leonardo's time in Milan, highlighting his two versions of the "Virgin of the Rocks" and of course the "Last Supper", of which a full scale copy was on display, painted by one of his pupils just before the original work deteriorated. It was interesting to be able to compare the two virgins - shown together for the first time - as they had been painted with a time lag of several years and "reveal a change in Leonardo's ideas from an art rooted in the observation of nature to one where the artist's powers of invention might reveal a glimpse of the devine imagination" (quoted from the exhibition leaflet). Of the two, I personally preferred the first one, because it seemed more alive and warmer than the second one. On the whole, I was more taken by his drawings, of which to my surprise most were very small, if not tiny. (Needless to say anything about the quality...)

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

Queuing for Leonardo

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:03:00 +0000

This morning my friend Paola and I shared standing in line for the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition at the National Gallery. Tickets online have been sold out for ages and the only possibility to see it is to queue for 4-5 hours early in the morning. Paola was there at seven in the morning and I arrived at eight, when she had to leave for work. Finally at 11.30 I had our tickets for this evening in hand. The first people in line had arrived as early as 4.30 am, can you imagine! But I am sure it was worth it and I am very much looking forward to seeing it. A nice couple from Italy in line behind us, had already waited yesterday without success and came back again today, determined to see "Leonardo!". They were good company and held my place for me while I went to buy a Chai Latte (hmmm) around the corner. So all in all it wasn't really all that bad having to stand there that long.
Plus, although it was fairly cold, I managed to do a few sketches while waiting. As you can see, everybody was trying to keep warm with scarves and hats.

ink on paper - tinte auf papier - encre sur papier
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"

St.Paul's V

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:50:00 +0000

As you can see, I am trying out different styles again. Seems I can't decide on one, because each approach offers other challenges, other things to learn and study.
This will be my last of the St.Paul's series and I am not unhappy with it.

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

St.Paul's IV

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:41:00 +0000

Seen from a different angle this time. Just across from the cathedral there's a new shopping mall with a roof terrace offering fabulous views of the London skyline and close ups of St.Paul's. It was a challenge and fun studying the values here.

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

St.Paul's III

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Happy New Year everyone!I hope you all had a great holiday.
I am still working on views of St.Paul's Cathedral and have here tried to capture its majestic presence, even more apparent at night when lights make it stand out of the dark blue sky.

oil on canvas panel - Öl auf Malplatte - huile sur carton entoilé
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

St.Paul's II

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:22:00 +0000

Here we see St.Paul's in the afternoon of a cold winter's day, when the lights have just been switched on here and there.

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

St Paul's I

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:15:00 +0000

I like the tower of St.Paul's Cathedral that you can see on the skyline of London from so many different angles. Here's a view seen from Tate Modern, where I visited the retrospective of Gerhard Richter's work the other day.
The predominant whites, greys and purples that the cold light produced appealed to me.
I wish all my readers, fellow artists and clients a very Merry Christmas and a successful, healthy and prosperous Year 2012! Thank you all for being out there, as without you my work wouldn't be half the fun!

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

Three Graces

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:41:00 +0000

Cold weather, a dead end street and beautiful abstract lines in the sky.

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

Streetfood

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:46:00 +0000

A great feature in London are the many stalls with delicious, international food, that pop up at midday at various spots in the city - and luckily also just round the corner from where I live, on Exmouth Market.

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

Winter Sun on Exmouth Market

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:37:00 +0000

Wonderful sunshine again today, but a blasting cold wind as well. Luckily I found a wind sheltered spot to paint on this small street with lots of nice cafés, restaurants and shops near where I live.

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

Paola's Patio

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Ok, I cheated a bit today in regard to plein air painting - this was painted through a window.....
It's not only the cold and the on-lookers that are obstacles for me with painting outside. There's this whole thing of having to carry the equipment you need (which sums up to quite a lot)to the spot you want to paint at and you dare not forget anything, because otherwise you have to pack it all up and carry it back again. But then, I see Peter Brown for instance, who does it all the time and in every weather!

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

On Wilmington Square

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:03:00 +0000

I finally managed to get my act together and paint outside! And as my friend René predicted, it was a great experience. I had never done this in a city where people keep going by, looking at what you're doing and was a bit nervous about it. Mind you, I did choose a spot without too many passers by. I could concentrate well and am not unhappy with the result.
Btw, I decided not to post the other sketches I did a few days ago - just weren't good enough.

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
Buy it here

Liza Hirston

Concentration I

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:53:00 +0000

Sorry about my long "absenteeism" from here, but daily life has been too demanding. Actually not only time has been restricted but also space is a slight problem. We have moved to London again for a while, now living in a TINY apartment, where painting is a challenge, if not even impossible. I'm ok with painting in a small corner but I can't really expect anybody to bear the odours of balsamic terbentine and oil paints on a permanent basis. Thus my plan is to paint more en plein air. Today was the first day I was going to tackle it..... Today though was the first day with quite cold temperatures and I must admit, I didn't have the courage to do it. Instead I warmed up with a few sketches of my husband working on the computer - a very common sight for me. First, here's a quick one I did a few weeks ago of him.

pen on paper, Faserstift auf Papier, crayon à encre sur papier
14 cm x 18 cm, 5,5" x 7"

Liza Hirston

Waiting for you

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 07:50:00 +0000

One of the pleasures city life has to offer - beautiful places to hang out at.

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

Liza Hirston

Outside Oscar's

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:37:00 +0000

Even at the beginning of November it was still warm enough to sit outside in the evening - amazing! It's great entertainment to sit here and watch people walking by, coming and going, chatting, drinking, flirting....

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

Liza Hirston

Y

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 12:52:00 +0000

Lights, colours and atmosphere of wonderful Soho.

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

Liza Hirston

Islington Streetlamp II

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:41:00 +0000

Another one in the evening, just around the corner from where I will soon be living for a while. Love London!

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

Liza Hirston

Islington Streetlamp

noreply@blogger.com (Liza Hirst) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:11:00 +0000

I enjoy walking through the city in the evening. Whether in the very busy areas with thousands of lights and people or in quiet, peaceful residential streets like this one - both have their charm.

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
15 cm x 15 cm / 5,9" x 5,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu