The Dance of Creation an oil painting.

The Dance of Creation.

In this painting I wanted it to look as though the dancer was creating the galaxies herself. She is standing in the Orion Nebula and the Whirlpool Galaxy. The other two galaxies are M81 and M101 from the constellation of the Great Bear. The planet Saturn is an ancient symbol of perfection and is a type of halo above her head, the painting is 16" by 20".

Drawing of a girl with pearl earing

Pencil drawing of a 1665 oil painting by Johannes Vermeer, painted in the Golden Age of Dutch painting.

The drawing was created by covering the whole picture with pencil and then lifting off the highlights with a rubber.

Pencil drawing of a girl from Afghanistan.

Copied from a very famous photograph.

Portraits of Audrey Hepburn in oil paint.

I painted this portrait from a famous black and white photograph. I used bright colours to make the picture look as dramatic as possible. I have tried to capture a look of sadness that was not in the photograph.

In this painting I have used the complementary colours green and red.

I have also used the contrast between the roughness of the tree bark and the smoothness of her face to try and bring out an innocent childlike beauty.

I created this painting out of several photographs. The paint on the eyes is very thick and stands out. The idea is that if you look at the picture from different angles the light will reflect off the eyes differently. This will give the impression that the eyes have moved. The paint on the earrings also stands out and cast its own shadow. I painted the queen on the chess board to echo Audrey Hepburn giving them both the same hair style. The painting is 16" by 20" and is signed with a star in the top right hand corner.

Oil Painting of Patrick Moore and the Moon

Patrick Moore's face is full of character and determination and is perfect for a portrait. I painted his monocle and eyes in gloss so that they would catch the light. One eye is slightly magnified and is larger than the other.

I know that he loves the Moon and people say you resemble whatever you love, so I used the same colours on the Moon as I used on his face and hair. I then rounded off is shoulders to resemble the shape of the Moon.

The Orion Nebula in charcoal.

Portrait of the Mona Lisa in pencil

The Mona Lisa is by far my favourite portrait painting.

There is a great sense of truth and oneness in the painting.

Notice how the horizon is lower on the left, it is as though Leonardo was trying to paint more than just reality as we see it.

Leonardo used a technique called the Leading Eye Technique. The head is slightly off centre and one eye is in the centre of the canvas.

This is a technique I try and use in my own portraits.

Her hands are rather large and manlike I believe this is because Leonardo used a mirror and copied his own hands. But I have never read that he did this and she might have just been born with big fat hands.

In this drawing I have tried to achieve an exact copy. But this is always impossible, she is scratching her wrist with her finger, the drawing is 10" by 15"

Drawing of a girl in pencil

by Nick Harvey.

Drawings of pets in pencil

I create my pencil drawings using a technique called the grid system.

This system was used by the Old Masters and I believe it is the best way to get a likeness.

The trick is to use a photograph you really like. The background can be changed or faded out. Two pets from different photographs can even be put in the same drawing.

Wecome to my Art blog.

My Art is created using the techniques of the Old Masters. I admire the artwork of Leonardo, Raphael, Titian, Renoir and the Victorian artist Albert Moore. I am inspired by the classical Art of ancient Greece and by nature itself, I have tried to achieve a sense of truth and oneness in my paintings.

If anyone would like a portrait of a person or pet please contact me at nickharvey2@tiscali.co.uk or phone 01258472313. I like to work from photographs and it is important that I have a photograph that you really like.

I hope to build this blog into an art gallery of my favourite paintings and drawings I hope you enjoy look at them as much as I enjoyed painting them, feel free to leave commence if you like.

In my Art and Poetry blog Quantum Art and Poetry I have linked my paintings and drawings to short childlike rhymes because I believe there is a link between poetry and painting.