Paintings of Venice | Alan Reed Art Dolomites This is a studio painting that I painted after a memorable trip to the Dolomites and Venice in 2006. I often find that our overseas travels continue to bear fruit decades later. This was one of those trips. Not only did I produce new Paintings of Venice, […]
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 […]
Greys Monument The Great North Exhibition 2018 started at Newcastle’s spectacular quayside on the evening of Friday 22nd June. It heralded the start of 80 days of brilliant events, activities, performances and exhibitions celebrating art, design and innovation. I was unable to attend the launch however when I turned up to the Junction 42 offices […]
I’ve been painting “en plein air” in Italy since 1991 when Susan took me to Venice. I fell in love with its architecture, the light, atmosphere and culture. However, it was not until our first visit to Umbria in March 2002 that I started to make sketchbook studies of olive trees. We were staying in […]
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 […]
I’m often asked “which is my own favourite painting?” It’s a question which I find so difficult to answer. Over the years I’ve painted many different scenes which I’m really pleased with and on so many different levels. In more recent years I’ve been painting portraits of people, which again, I’ve become attached to. However, […]
Drawing Portraits in Charcoal can be a very rewarding experience, especially when you are working from life. When I have a portrait commission, especially if it’s a child, I find it helpful to do a quick study in one of my moleskine sketchbooks. Usually children these days don’t like to sit still for even just […]
The Network Artists North East annual Art Tour begins this weekend. This ever popular event, now in its 19th year, gives you the opportunity to meet artists from around the North East who are opening up their studios for The Art Tour. This year I’ve decided to display many of my sketchbooks which contain numerous […]
You may recall a blog post several weeks ago about a painting competition through Cox and Kings. I had been chosen as one of six artists to enter a painting the competition to win a holiday in Morocco. Cox & Kings are the oldest travel company in the world, established in 1758. This is the finished […]
I recently heard from one of my clients that a North East artist has been spreading false rumours that I never paint on location. Here is a blog post to put that nonsense to rest.