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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
In September 2012 Susan and I travelled to Venice to work on a number of painting projects, one of which was this oil painting of Susan in the Basilica San Marco. On the 7th April 1985 Susan experienced a dramatic conversion to Christianity on her own as she cried out to God in the famous […]
This painting of Via di Spirito Santo includes many of the elements that are characteristic of Florence.
If one was to remove the figures from this watercolour of York, the scene would not only loose it’s sense of scale, it would also look lifeless. Cityscapes are meant to look alive with a life blood of their own, indeed people are the heart of a city. There are occasions when it is appropriate […]
Painting a sunrise on location like this Oman Watercolour Sketchbook is one of the hardest challenges as a watercolourist. The main problem is that the colours change so quickly. By the time you have laid your first wash and waited for it to dry. The rising sun will have brought a complete change to the […]
The Royal Mile in Edinburgh, known by the locals as the High Street, has to be one of the finest streets in Europe. Over the years I’ve painted it many times. I’ve captured some of its famous landmarks including St Giles Cathedral, The Tolbooth and of course John Knox House. Many of these watercolours have […]
The Dunstanburgh Castle Print “Dunstanburgh Castle, November Afternoon” takes it’s name from a day out for my birthday. In November 2009 my birthday fell on our day off, a Monday. So Susan and I decided to celebrate by driving up the Northumbrian coast. Dunstanburgh Castle Print We went to Newton by the Sea to […]
A simple composition like this titled “Dhow, Reflections” is actually one of the most difficult subjects to paint successfully in watercolour. Over the last five years I’ve made many sketchbook studies of Arabian dhows whilst painting on location in the Gulf and find them a delight to paint. This particular painting was inspired by a […]