Alex by Yvonne Chapman Brooks

Yvonne’s Artwork

0466 467 153
0466 467 153

Blog

Happy New Year

Happy new year to you all, I hope 2026 is a great year for you. This last year has been very productive, with commissions  and artwork for Art prizes, I have been kept busy. I am currently working on a textile piece for the Cossack Art Awards this year, I have painted in Watercolour and Acrylic  in the past for this  Art Award, and decided this year to try something a little different. When it is finished I will publish the steps and finished work for you.  Meanwhile, let’s take a look back at some of the work I have produced in the last 12 months.  “I have your back” was a large Acrylic and Oil on Canvas for the Pinjarra  Rotary Art Award, depicting 2 of my friends horses, Llewella and Persia. The owner of these horses bought the painting which hangs beautifully in their home.   the Incognito Art sale was a wonderful exhibition and sale to be part of, and all in a good cause, with thousands of art works on sale. Over $200,000 was raised for programs that support artists working with disabilities.  I painted 3 paintings in watercolour, all three sold in the first week.   I painted some gorgeous Greyhounds in 2025 too, including Griffin,  Nouri, Leo, Chickey and Bandit,  Mike,  Morrison, CJ, Herb and Charlotte. The final one for the year was Daisy as Santa’s little helper, for this years Christmas card design.    “Peaceful slumber” was my portrait of Shadow and Charlotte,  in one of their usual poses.  They are a huge presence at my feet while I paint.  There is definitely no missing them.  “White horse“ was a painting for Vineyard 28 Cellar door. A lovely boutique winery in Harvey WA, where my work can be seen on their cellar walls. I have also designed their logo and a couple of wine labels for them.  If you like award winning Italian variety wine, Vineyard 28 is definitely worth a visit. Mishka was a stunning white Samoyed with the request for a bright pink background. Charlotte, “Butter wouldn’t melt”. A study for a Paint your pet workshop, I try to demonstrate with a white subject and a black subject to show how the watercolours work, and what colours can be used.  “The Old Swan Brewery, Perth WA” was a different commission, Acrylic on canvas  for an Anniversary present,  a memory of where they were married.  The client wanted bright colours, something I could definitely offer, and this painting was certainly colourful.   “Stand alone” was another colourful Acrylic for the Kondinin Art Award. I had fun working with the bright colours in the Acrylic medium. Usually with Acrylic works I tend to go natural colours.  “Griffin“ was a small portrait in water based oils on canvas. I love the background colouring on this one, it sets off Griffin’s colouring perfectly “Luna” an Acrylic commission of a well loved girl Luna.  Four Greyhounds Summer, Blake, Sox and Ravens from a regular client of mine, wo is building up quite an impressive collection of my work.  Finally,  one cat, Chook,  made it to my easelAll have been an absolute pleasure to paint.  So I wonder what 2026 will bring?  And finally, in memory of “My Little Bird, Daisy”  always in my heart. 

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“Paint your pet” workshop August 2025

What a great way to spend a weekend 5 ladies attended my latest workshop, in my studio in Pinjarra WA. The workshop runs from 9.30 am to 4pm both days. The first day was warm and sunny but the second day the weather turned wet and windy.  Our first day was supposed to cover stretching paper to use for the weekend, but as the forecast wasn’t looking great, I pre stretched some Archers 300gm paper onto MDF boards for the ladies to use. One lady used a Langton Watercolour block in a 12 x 16 size, I use these blocks too, being gummed on all sides with just a 2 inch gap for separating the paper after use, they are convenient to use without having to stretch the paper. , Day 1: Drawing and background Day 1 starts with the drawing using a grid to enlarge an A4 photograph up to and A3/ A2 size painting.  The grid is a very useful tool for this purpose creating an accurate image, that is proportionally correct to the photograph.   All the backgrounds on these images are fantastic. This is a challenging workshop, the artist has to work with a completely different technique than they are used to, plus use colours in a very bold and bright way.  They have to think about which colours will work together side by side, as some colours do not mix well with others,  plus learning how the warm and cool colours will affect the finished painting.  Day 2: painting the subject Now the fun starts. Day 2 is very full on with a lot of work to do. Using my warm and cool colour technique to create highlights and shadows, they begin to paint the subject. I do not expect them to go home having mastered this way of painting, it has taken me years to develop my style, and it is constantly being tweaked and adapted as my paintings are created. At first they are nervous to make a start, but with plenty of guidance they all create such wonderful images. Suddenly the bold and bright backgrounds are no longer the main focus as the subject emerges.  Another workshop completed and 5 very happy students have taken away paintings they can all be very proud of. My aim in these workshops is to give the student the opportunity to play with colour and to learn that there are so many colours you can use to create the  finished painting, even if they never use these colours like this again, just learning that black dogs, for example, are not just black, but blue, purple, green even pink, that white can also have pale tones of blue and purple in its shadows.  If you are interested in attending a workshop or if you have a group that wish to attend,  let me know via my contact commission form.

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