Following on from the watercolour painting I did a couple of weeks ago of the Staffordshire trees and bridge over a stream, it reminded me of ANOTHER bridge, stream and trees that I have always wanted to paint since I first saw it five years ago… Except in this case it wasn’t actually a bridge……………………… […]
For ages I have been wanting to do a painting of a lone wolf hunting on a winters night by moonlight and this week I finally got around to it… I also wanted to do it in watercolour, with the basis of pour on paint as the background as it adds more interest to the […]
I was contacted by a guy in October who wanted to buy a painting of mine I did some time ago. Its of a place called “Mow Cop” which is a wonderful folly high on the hills on the Cheshire/Staffordshire border overlooking the surrounding countryside. Its painted in watercolours and measures 14.5 x 10.5 inches. […]
I’ve had a frame for some years that I love, for the teal and gold colour scheme but also the distressed wood effect of it. When I had more time and life had settled down a bit I knew that I would paint a picture for it. I didn’t necessarily want an overly complicated image […]
Of course I was delighted that the person who wanted to buy one of my “Happy Gardens” collection of paintings had chosen the one I liked the best – “Echoes of white” – its the one that I get the best feedback from and most people, and certainly me included find the most peaceful and […]
The last three days have been spent joyously working on the watercolour painting commission. Its a large painting being 26 x 18 inches so all the painting is done area by area. Watercolours are usually painted like that, rather than all in one go, and since I am copying the clients photo, the picture has to […]
Sometimes its nice to play with light and shade, exploring shapes and negative shapes, and this painting is one of those. I wanted to capture the way that lily pads on a pond catch the late afternoon low sunlight, and float on the surface of dark waters below, so I masked off the areas that I wanted […]
My friend K called to see me this week, and as always it was really good to see him, to have a catch up chat, our usual shared laughter over mugs of hot sweet tea and to hear his interesting and informative latest news. We’d got so much to say to each other and it was good to […]
The chance to paint some one’s memories is always a pleasure. When that someone is my friend Stuart Haywood, and it involves a day out in his company, it makes it even more of one. It also involved a lot of walking, a history lesson, a botanical lesson, a bull, a herd of sheep and some cheekiness! […]
The week started with a burst of painting from me. That in itself isn’t that unusual, I have bursts of painting sessions quite often. This one was prompted by the fact that I had to get the paperwork completed and returned this week for an exhibition that is taking place at the end of August, […]
Since I’ve got back from my holiday I’ve not stopped being on the go, which is great, and I’m really pleased about. Some holidays it takes a while to get going again with the work momentum after the relaxing break (or maybe that’s just the jet lag when you feel like shit because you’re wide […]
When I had a chat with erotic author Lucy Felthouse the other week about her latest book “Seducing the myth” I was fascinated by the idea of the erotic stories featuring mythological creatures within it, and absolutely delighted to be asked to design the cover for it. Its definitely my sort of book! She had let me […]
There is something I have in the past struggled to paint, a subject that should be easy, and is certainly one that a lot of people enjoy painting. It is a subject that is probably as far away from figure painting that you can get. Which is probably why I have struggled on some occasions […]
Eating cake with friends is a nice occupation. But it adds a frisson of amusement to all concerned when you know that you’ve seen them in the nude before. It amuses them too, to know that that is the case. And I suppose it’s twice the fun when you introduce them to each other, clothed, […]
One of the things I love about being an artist is the people I meet through it. Like this weekend, for instance. On Saturday I attended an art workshop run by a fascinating Japanese woman. She was born at the end of the second world war but she’s lived in England for thirty years or […]
