Thursday, January 19, 2012

Winterly Warmth

Winterly Warmth by Liza Hirst

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

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

At Camden Passage

At Camden Passage by Liza Hirst

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

Sunday, January 15, 2012

On Guilford Street

On Guilford Street by Liza Hirst

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

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Looking Down

Looking Down by Liza Hirst

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

Friday, January 06, 2012

Queuing for Leonardo









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"

Thursday, January 05, 2012

St.Paul's V

St.Paul's V by Liza Hirst

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

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

St.Paul's IV

St.Paul's IV by Liza Hirst

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

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

St.Paul's III

St.Paul's III by Liza Hirst

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

Monday, December 26, 2011

St.Paul's II

St.Paul's II by Liza Hirst

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

Friday, December 23, 2011

St Paul's I

St Paul's I by Liza Hirst

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

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Three Graces

Three Graces by Liza Hirst

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

Friday, December 16, 2011

Streetfood

Streetfood by Liza Hirst

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

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Winter Sun on Exmouth Market

Winter Sun on Exmouth Market-by-Liza-Hirst

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

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Paola's Patio

Paola's Patio by Liza Hirst

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

Friday, December 09, 2011

On Wilmington Square

On Wilmington Square by Liza Hirst

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

Monday, December 05, 2011

Concentration I

Concentration I by Liza Hirst

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

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Waiting for you

Waiting for you by Liza Hirst

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

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Outside Oscar's

Outside Oscar's by Liza Hirst

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

Friday, November 11, 2011

Y

Y by Liza Hirst

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

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Islington Streetlamp II

Islington Streetlamp II by Liza Hirst

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

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Islington Streetlamp

Islington Streetlamp

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

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Lights in Bedford Square

Lights in Bedford Square by Liza Hirst

As the days get shorter, lights are switched on earlier - allowing a look into flats and offices with vast rooms and sparkling chandeliers hanging from high ceilings. Such beautiful, warm light!I think, nowadays most of the houses on Bedford Square unfortunately are only offices. But how great must it have been for the people who lived there before the centre of London was taken over by business mainly!

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

Monday, November 07, 2011

Houses on Bedford Square

Houses on Bedford Square by Liza Hirst


Its been nearly three weeks since I posted the last time - seems like ages.
We have been in London again, organizing our move there, which will take place in the next weeks. There was no time nor space to do any painting, so I hope to get some done while I am back in France, but that won't be for long. I took lots of reference photos in London and the coming pictures will be impressions from there. Enjoy....

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

Monday, October 17, 2011

In Jane's Garden

In Jane's Garden by Liza Hirst

Spent a very enjoyable afternoon painting with friends in a friend's garden, in fantastic late summer weather. Thank you Jane, especially for the delicious lunch!

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

Friday, October 14, 2011

The Friend

The Friend by Liza Hirst

oil on hardboard panel - Öl auf Holz - huile sur bois
22,5 cm x 17 cm / 6,7" x 8.8"
sold - verkauft - vendu

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Dreaming

Dreaming by Liza Hirst

It's the big hat that attracted my attention and I wish it was more "à la mode" to wear hats nowadays, too.

oil on Daler Board - Öl auf Daler Karton - huile sur carton Daler
20 cm x 20 cm / 7,9" x 7,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

In Blue

In Blue by Liza Hirst

oil on Daler Board - Öl auf Daler Karton - huile sur carton Daler
20 cm x 20 cm / 7,9" x 7,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu

Monday, October 10, 2011

Of Course

Of Course by Liza Hirst

I like the fairly loose style of this one. The figures definitely have me back for a while!

oil on wood panel - Öl auf Holzplatte - huile sur plaque de bois
24 cm x 18 cm / 9,5" x 7"
sold - verkauft - vendu

Friday, October 07, 2011

Whether or Not

Whether or Not by Liza Hirst

After the exuberant and self confident woman from yesterday, here a pensive, doubting, and minimalist one.

oil on Daler Board - Öl auf Daler Karton - huile sur carton Daler
20 cm x 20 cm / 7,9" x 7,9"
sold - verkauft - vendu