Northern Counties Club The Derelict featured in a watercolour demonstration and talk about Junction 42 at the Northern Counties Club. The event was titled “Art in Prisons”. I shared many of my experiences working with ex-offenders. I also spoke about those who are serving custodial sentences in prison. One of the paintings that I started […]
In 2017 I received a commission to do a very large oil painting of the Angel of the North which you can read about in an earlier blog post. The Angel’s wings were coated with 22 carat gold leaf. My client loves his painting of the Gateshead Angel. Once I’d hung it for him we discussed […]
Watercolour Paints I’ve been fortunate to paint on location in Venice many times since my first visit in 1991. A small box of watercolour paints, travelling brush and a hand made sketchbook is all you need to capture its wonderful light, mood and atmosphere. Many of my studio Paintings of Venice started off as either […]
Reedart Painting Holidays When producing Paintings of Umbria I always try to articulate in paint the distinctive characteristics of this fascinating region. My wife and I have been visiting Umbria since 2002. We’ve grown to love and appreciate this regions wonderful hilltop towns, its food and wine. Through our reedartholidays we’ve been able to share our […]
Sur When we first visited Oman in 2007 we were fortunate to go on a day trip to the coastal town Sur. It’s famous for its building of Arabian Dhows. I recall doing a couple of sketchbook watercolours in the heat of the day, the high sun catching the top of the clouds. These studies of Arabian […]
Umbria On our painting holidays in Italy we take our guests to the various hilltop towns that are a feature of Umbria. This sketchbook watercolour was painted on location in a picturesque town called Todi. We have been there on a number of occasions over the years. Using a combination of the sketchbook watercolour, this […]
Sketchbook Watercolour Earlier this summer I painted a small sketchbook watercolour Painting of Seaton Sluice on location. As well as being a family day out, it was a typical summers day in the north east. Patches of blue sky with sunlight bursting through dark threatening clouds. I decided to work the sketch up into a larger […]
In 2016 I was working on a number of painting projects in London. I was walking along Piccadilly, enjoying the late afternoon sunlight. I was struck by the wonderful contrast between the warm rays of sunlight catching the opposite side of the street. Also the cool shadows and the way the two were being connected by […]
Earlier this year I received a request to do an oil Painting of the Angel of the North. Although I have painted several paintings of the Angel since it was first erected in April 1998 the client had very specific ideas about the size, colours and view point which were completely different from my […]
Portrait Drawing There are no short cuts to achieving sound drawing skills. Regular practise at drawing from observation will pay off in most visual disciplines in art, whether it’s painting, sculpture, graphic design or even photography. Before working on a commission or a painting for exhibition I will often warm up for 10 to 20 minutes […]