New Business In a few weeks time, I will be celebrating my 40th Anniversary in business as an artist. In 1984 I went self employed as an artist/illustrator using the Enterprise Allowance Scheme. It was an initiative that came out during Margaret Thatcher’s Government. To qualify you had to be unemployed and have a business […]
Paintings and Prints of Italy. There’s a certain magic in Italy’s landscapes, architecture, and rich cultural heritage that has mesmerised travellers and artists for centuries. In the realm of capturing this beauty, Alan Reed’s beautiful prints of Italy including two Italian gems. ‘San Gimignano‘ and ‘Siena,’ has emerged as a true reflection of Italy’s allure. […]
On Friday 19th May I’ll be having my first solo exhibition outside of our Gallery in Ponteland since before COVID. The venue is Ponteland Memorial Hall. Ponteland Memorial and Ex-Serviceman’s Hall first opened in 1922 as a memorial for the fallen soldiers of WW1. Today the hall operates as a registered charitable Incorporated Organisation and […]
My Easter Exhibition is on Saturday 8th April at our Studio & Gallery in Ponteland. There will be some new local scenes on display including Grey Street and scenes of the Tyne Bridge. We will be open from 9:30am until 5pm. Prison Art Over the last 12 months I’ve been busy teaching prisoners to draw […]
Susan and I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Turin to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. As we were wandering about I noticed a poster for an exhibition of paintings by Monet and Picasso at Palazzo Barolo Turin. I decided to pay a visit and was not disappointed. Although there was only one […]
Painting Holiday It seems like a long time since we’ve been to Italy. We’re still unable to make plans for our next painting holiday because of the uncertainty surrounding COVID 19. Despite our current lockdown, I’m grateful that I do have a rich supply of sketchbook watercolours painted on location to draw inspiration from. Venetian […]
Norfolk Two of my most memorable and productive painting trips have been to Norfolk. I have really felt as though I have been following in the footsteps of one of my painting heroes, Edward Seago. On the last trip which was 10 years ago, we stayed at Burnham Every Staithe. I would usually rise early to […]
Artist Support Pledge Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been selling specially selected paintings as part of the Artist Support Pledge. Today’s is a Painting of Tuscany. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many artists have found themselves without work, teaching, technical support and gallery work. Exhibitions and sales have disappeared. In an attempt to […]
Covid 19 It’s with great sadness that we’ve had to cancel our Painting Holiday in Umbria this year due to COVID 19. Of course, the sadness is completely eclipsed by the news of thousands of deaths, not just in Italy but around the world. So many of us are at risk and have been told […]
Handmade Cards It was recently our 27th wedding anniversary. For most of our wedding anniversaries, birthdays and for Christmas, I will paint an original watercolour as a Handmade Card for my wife Susan. She now has quite a collection of Handmade Cards that capture different occasions and places that hold special memories for us both. […]