Tiger portrait progress

Whilst I'm still heavily distracted with building work on my new studio I have managed to escape for a few hours respite at the easel.I'm now working up the second layer of oils on this tiger portrait,working out colours and playing with shadows and highlights to add a little drama to the piece.the eyes and nose area of the cat are still yet to have the second coat treatment but once completed i'll put aside to dry before adding some detail into the face and using a little glazing here and there to subtly shift tones.

major project underway

existing garage and outbuilding

existing Outbuilding

Outbuilding demolished

Asbestos garage roof removed

Concrete garage panels all removed

 

entire complex demolished

Its been a little while since I last posted and whilst I have been making slow progress on my recent paintings the majority of my time has been taken up with a new and exciting project.I hope you'll indulge me this post as I hope it will still be of interest to many of you.I have long yearned for a larger studio space apart from my house where I could work and teach more easily than at present and finally after many years of frustration my hopes are finally turning into a reality.The photos above document my progress so far in removing two large buildings from my garden to reveal a fantastic concrete slab perfect to use as a foundation for a new studio.Work on this project has not been without its problems,most notably the sheer quantity of cement-bonded asbestos used in the construction of the outbuilding and the garage roof.dismantling this required extreme care and was a slow process and once dismantled the asbestos has to be disposed of in an environmentally sound manner by professionals,which is not cheap!.So far ive filled three skips with timber and concrete from both buildings and will still require one more to finish the job of disposing of the remnants.i have been doing most of the work myself thus far,hence my lack of postings here,however from now on it will be a job for the professionals and the first job having cleared the space and now being able to see more clearly what I'm left with is to get plans drawn up for a bespoke building which will eventually house a studio/gallery and an office for my wifes alterations business.For now its back to the studio for me but I will post any developments as they happen,exciting times!