Sala Comacina We’ve recently returned from a much needed break where we stayed for 6 days at Lake Como. It’s been a very busy year for us. Apart from the challenges of watching my father slowly deteriorate through Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, we’ve also moved house and business. Our daughter and family went to Lake Como […]
Painting in Norfolk In September 2009 my wife and I went to Norfolk with our daughter and her two children to Norfolk for the week. Although it was a family holiday, I turned it into a painting trip. Every morning I would get up early before everyone woke up and I would go off painting. […]
Umbria Our first visit to Umbria was March 2002. It was a much appreciated break away from running an art gallery in Newcastle’s city centre. It was also an opportunity to spend time reflecting on what had been anxious year in 2001. Susan and I had major surgery together when I donated one of my […]
Paintings of Italy One of the subjects I often get our guests on our Painting Holidays to have a go at is Painting an Olive Tree. The grounds of Chiesa del Carmine are full of them. They are not too difficult to draw compared to other subjects. It’s relatively easy for the guests to spend […]
This post is following on from my recent blog post about the benefits of regular life drawing. I’m aware that it’s not always easy or practical getting along to a life drawing class. However one simple thing that most of us can do is have a go at drawing hands. My “warming up” exercises vary […]
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 […]
Tiree 2017 has been a very busy year for Susan and I both with business and family. Our son was married 13th May. As a way to relax after the build up to the wedding we planned a painting trip to a Scottish Island called Tiree. Some friends of ours bought a holiday cottage there […]
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 […]
As I mentioned in my previous post, I will often start my painting days with a warming up exercise. My usual practise is one or two portrait sketches of John Singer Sargent portraits in my Moleskine sketchbook. Last year I did a few time lapse videos of these portrait sketches to show the process of […]