“Pump Room in the Snow” is a large studio watercolour based on studies I’ve made on location in Bath. Over the last two years I’ve entered the Bath Prize. It’s a painting competition held annually in Bath. The contestants are given a specific location in Bath to paint “plein air”. Once they have painted their allocated scene before the competition deadline, they can enter other paintings they may have done of Bath.
In 2010 I came runner up with my painting of the Royal Crescent. The following year I won first prize for the best painting of the Circus in Bath. In 2011 Kingsmeade Square was the place I was given to paint on location. On the day I went to Bath to paint there was heavy rain. However I was able to turn the elements to my advantage by using some of my studies of figures holding umbrellas in this painting of the Pump Room in the snow.
Over the years, I have often painted snow scenes. I drew on my experience to render the snow falling from the heavy clouds to create wet reflections in the pavements. By keeping the palette quite monochromatic, I was able to make the whole cityscape feel cold and moody. The little girl dressed in a bright red coat (my eldest granddaughter Emily) added an important focal point to the composition. The original watercolour can be seen at my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland.