Dunstanburgh Castle Last summer I decided to have another video taken of me painting on location. I asked a friend of mine, Gavin Dowd of Word Out Productions to film me painting Dunstanburgh Castle. I was hoping for a summer evening like the one captured in the painting which I reproduced as a limited edition […]
Burnham Overy Staithe One of the greatest thrills as an artist is to have a painting trip where one can paint a variety of subjects on location. My last two trips to Norfolk have been just that. When Painting in Norfolk the subjects range from the estuary at Burnham Overy Staithe to the lavender fields […]
Thomas Reed The two artists which influenced me the most as a child were my grandfather Thomas Reed and my dad Kenneth Reed. My grandfather died when I was only four years old but I still vividly remember the paintings which hung my grandparents home, and indeed the painting he did before he died […]
Watercolourist The first artist that I really began to study as a young, enthusiastic watercolourist was Rowland Hilder. My parents used to buy a calendar every year called Artists Britain. It would always contain several outstanding paintings by Rowland Hilder. I found myself captivated by his work. After a few disappointing attempts at using watercolour, […]
Venice The recent frosty mornings and beautiful bright sunny days we have been enjoying recently have reminded me of the times we have spent in Venice during Carnival time. I’ve often made studies around Rialto, Venezia, an area rich in subject matter. The weather in Venice has usually been even colder but characterised by crisp, […]
Since my first visit to Oman in 2007 I have always taken my hand made sketchbooks to paint on location. Whenever I’ve shown these studies to various folk, they have always commented on the tactile beauty of these small watercolour paintings that are held together as a mini art collection. The plan for several years […]
TIP 10 Study People In my first tip I talked about drawing from observation. Drawing people isn’t easy, particularly if they are not deliberately posing for you, but the results can be rewarding if you stick at it. A useful tip is to draw people walking about without actually looking at the paper. These can […]
My first exhibition over 30 years ago when I was an art student. I have regularly painted specific scenes for my clients. The subjects have varied considerably and have ranged from landscapes to cityscapes, sailing ships to aircraft, even red blood cells to pets! There have been many occassions when my clients have asked me […]
Sketchbook TIP 6 Receive instruction. I always take at least one Sketchbook on a painting holiday. Join a painting class or join us on one of our Painting Holidays You will be with like-minded people who will encourage you and offer constructive criticism. You will also have that regular weekly discipline that is so important to […]
Sketchbook TIP 5 If you want to start adding watercolour to any line work you are doing in your sketchbook, then you will need one with a decent quality paper. I enjoy using the “little black book” now branded by moleskine favoured by artists like Henri Matisse. You can get one with a stiff cartridge […]