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 […]
Tag: sketchbook
Celebrate our 40th Anniversary in Business
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 […]
Roseberry Topping
Junction 42 Over the last few years I have been developing creative art projects for many of the UK prisons. This has been for the North East Charity Junction 42. I’ve been working for the charity part time for the last six years as an outreach worker in the community with ex-offenders. However I’ve also […]
Review of 2023
Watercolour Demonstration As the year draws to a close I know that I will be taking my usual time out to review the year. Like most of us, it’s a combination of being grateful, and thinking of those less fortunate. Spending time working in one of the north east’s prisons does give you a greater […]
Pollenca
I’ve recently been commissioned to paint a client’s holiday home in Mallorca, a very attractive Mediterranean island. To be able to paint the property with greater insight, we felt it would be best to stay for several days to enable me to do some sketchbook watercolours, not just of the property, but also the small […]
May Exhibition
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 […]
Easter Exhibition
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 […]
Newcastle Bridges, Summer Evening
In an earlier blog post I wrote about a new painting of the Sandhill, Newcastle which features the Tyne Bridge. I spoke about another painting I’d started of Newcastle Bridges on a Summer Evening. It’s a scene I’ve painted before, however on this occasion it’s a much larger watercolour painting. It’s one of my favourite […]
Norfolk Paintings of Burnham Overy Mill in Watercolour
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. […]
Valletta, Malta
Malta In November this year I will be 60 years old. We decided to celebrate this landmark birthday early, with our first trip abroad since COVID. Jet2 are doing direct flights to Valletta, Malta from Newcastle Airport. Susan thought that this would be a chance to enjoy some late Mediterranean sun and for me to […]