A change of medium by Fiona Phipps

Its very well painted and I love the colours you have used.

Thank you Mark, I don't do very many oil paintings and it's alway quite a long gap in between, so more than rusty. Only five colours used: Ultra marine, burnt umber, yellow ochre, a little crimson and white.

Lovely painting Fiona, I like your palette colours

love your grey colours, I can never seem to mix grey myself,

FIONA --- It caught my eye -- I like it very much----Painters like you Fiona { and that Ann Cook as well } make me very very envious, living in those remote places--- Just as a point of interest ----I am half Scottish my mothers name was McGuer

I like this one too Fiona - and actually PREFER the snow to what we are having at the moment!!!

Thank you Petra, Kevin, Charles and Ann. Charles, don't tell anyone but I'm only half Scottish as well.

Hi Fiona, I didn't know that you painted in oils as well ! Which medium do you prefer using.? I've never used oils. I think they might be too difficult ! This is lovely and good colour used. Agree with Ann, prefer snow to the miserable May weather we're having here. Hope summer's not over but it feels like it. How big is this, is it a new one and have you switched to using oils? I'm curious because I'm tempted to try them, but being stingy as well as scared I'd have to buy yet more paints!

I'll be up that way next month and though I really like your painting I'm hoping I won't be seeing any snow LOL

Thank you Louise and Val. Louise, I've only done a few in oils and acrylics but I much prefer watercolour, it's just that mastering them passes my by. I get frustrated at times so have a change......personally I think oils are more forgiving than watercolours, you can hide your mistakes easier.lol. This one is only A4-ish and I started and finished it yesterday...still sticky when I took the photo!! You should have a go Louise, if I can turn out a half decent one you certainly won't have any problems, it's a matter of getting use to them like anything else. If you don't want to go to too much expense try a starter pack of the water mixable oils first, there are about twelve colours, all you need really. Start small with a couple of cheap bristle brushes or any old watercolour brushes and as far as surfaces go, I started on the hardboard from a couple of old doors we took out of the house. As long as you prime them with something....even old emulsion just for a key. Or gesso cardboard, old off cuts of mount board. Go on, be a devil!! Val, you won't to hear this, but we had snow only last week on the hills!!!!

Thanks Fiona, I've got some old boards in the garage and emulsion so I'm tempted but not sure. I didn't know about water mixable oils. I imagined smelly tups and mess! and I do love watercolour :} You've been really helpful, I really didn't have a clue ! I'll mull it over. Snow on the hills ? AAgh... thought it was bad here!

I,ve been thinking of painting in oils myself but have always been put off buy the smell, thought about the water soluble ones but dont know if there is any advantage over acrylic, especially storage space if they take a while to dry

Oops, I meant smelly turps, not tups !

You're half way there Louise. Kevin, I paint in a room in the house and there is very little smell with these oils. With regard to drying time, depends how thick you intend to use them but generally they don't take as long as conventional oils. Personally oils take the edge over acrylics because of the advantage of blending.

This is really a beautiful oil painting, Fiona. Love the landscape composition too. Here in Belgium, yesterday evening and this night we had the first rain for weeks. There is a heathland fire east of Antwerp and they couldn't extinguish it because of the heavy wind. They even had help from Dutch helicopters. Lets hope the rain this night did the job!!

Really like your palette here Fiona. Well painted. You are versatile.

Thank you Mia and Carole, your very kind.

Lovely painting Fiona and a very interesting discussion about oils. I love oils and find them easier than acrylics but the drying time is too long. Lately I have used Fast Drying Oils and they are nearly as nice as traditionals. The inconvenience is that you have to clean the brushes with turps and the paint tubes seem to dry up quite fast on their own. The good thing is that the painting is touch dry the following day.

A lovely winter scene. The colors and the brushwork are beautiful.