Planters On Steps

On a day visit to Taormina, Sicily I was inspired by the architecture, variety of items for sale and the vibrant energy in the main shopping street. Some large, painted, ceramic planters holding cacti and other plants placed on steps leading up from the footpath caught my eye. The photo I took that day was the inspiration for this still-life painting. I decided to use a ball and ink technique which had previously won me a prize for an abstract still-life painting of bottles and fruit. White is used for the negative space behind the planters and the rises of the steps. This is in contrast to the bold stripes of apricot, sky blue, lemon yellow and mauve. The texture which resulted from the rough black ink outlines for the pots and plants, helps to give life to the cacti and ferns, and the rounded effect to the planters. This painting won first prize in the still-life section of of the Big Art Competition conducted by the RQAS Gold Coast in September 2022.
I am pleased that I chose that painting technique again because it seems to be a winning style!

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Gayle Atkinson (born 1954 Brisbane) is inspired by the colours and design found in the natural and built environments to create mostly acrylic paintings. She also dabbles in pastel and watercolour sketching. Gayle has focused on improving her art techniques since retiring from teaching. Her interest in art started in high school and continued through her study to be a teacher at Kelvin Grove University in Brisbane, where she achieved a distinction in her art major. Gayle has attended various workshops over the years to vary and enhance her skills. Currently she attends weekly expressive art classes at RQAS Gold Coast and paints outdoors at varying locations on the GoldCoast on a monthly basis with the Escape Art group of artists. This group has also escaped to Boonah for a week of painting local scenes. Gayle sold a painting of the old creamery situated behind the Mt Alford Scenic Rim Brewery, when the artists held an exhibition at the Boonah Art Gallery in February, 2020.

Gayle visits art galleries and exhibitions whenever she can to gain inspiration and stimulation to improve her art expression. She aims to create colourful, expressive paintings that enhance the style of a space. In her still life work she uses a mixture of textures, line, shape and contrast to provide zing in her paintings. Her landscapes portray the beaches and hinterland of the Gold Coast. Gayle’s photographs during her overseas travel provide a lot of subject matter, especially crooked old, stone buildings which she loves to paint.

Gayle likes to experiment with bright underpainting colours which show through in parts to the top layer of colour. She feels that this use of contrasting colour adds depth and interest to the painting. She tries to move away from realism by using loose brushstrokes when it suits the subject. Her future goals are to paint on a larger scale and to improve her painting techniques including the application of paint and her colour palette choices, in order to create excellent quality, vibrant art that reflects her own style.