Artist's Blog
Thoughts, inspirations, and behind-the-scenes moments
Easton in Gordano Cricket Club
Cricket is one of my loves. This is my team at our home ground, late September, during the last game of the season. We’re in the field and our ski...
Methuen Lake, Ontario
Just returned from a family holiday in Canada. Here are a selection of quickish watercolours done at Methuen Lake and nearby Beaver Lake. Beaver...
Norfolk Watercolours
Happisburgh Beach. Happisburgh Lighthouse. Crostwight Woods, Norfolk. A series of watercolours done during my stay with my sister in Norfolk....
Burnham Overy Staithe
Just returned from Norfolk where we were able to enjoy some beautiful weather on the coast. This is my daughter overlooking the mudflats and estuary a...
Anna
Just reworked this portrait of my daughter, Anna....
Shadow Blossoms
My daughter scattering cherry blossom petals beneath an ancient overhanging cherry tree, at a friend’s house near Wraxall, Bristol. The petals we...
After Snowdon
At the foot of the Llanberis Path is a very welcome pub, with open fire, tea and cider. This is my wife and daughter relaxing....
Beckspool
A fairly rapid watercolour sketch, about 1 hr. Tried to keep it relatively simple with colours pure. Trying to abbreviate…...
Bubbles
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The Rock
My son Will posed for this on a baking day in Algonquin Canada earlier this year. I tried to capture something of the contrasting warmth and coolnes...
Blue Beret
Rhyannan - This is a composite portrait, derived from drawings and photos, of one of our regular models. It started with an initial 15 min sketch of...
Elizabeth Farren
Sir Thomas Lawrence’s portrait of the actress Elizabeth Farren is a fabulous painting from the Regency period. It is unashamed in its dash and flair...
Madrazo
I have just completed this copy of a painting by Madrazo y Garreta of his model and muse Aline. I suspect from the shadow contrasts that he worked occ...
"Come on Will"
If I had painted this a few years ago it would have contained much more colour. This painting though is done with the same restricted palette used for...
Apryl
Even if I make things difficult for myself, I persevere with the principle of working from life and from sketches; especially with a portrait. Abov...
Sight-Size Method
I have sung the praises of people like Sargent on this site, as alla prima painters. I was unaware though, until recently coming across an excellent a...
Lake District, Keswick and the History of Pencils
Just returned from a week in the Lake District, where I had the chance to do a few sketches. Excuse my ignorance, but I had not appreciated that th...
Naomi
I have just finished this oil portrait of one of our models, Naomi. As with the others, derived from this 15 minute pencil sketch....
Liquitex
We were let loose with new “liquitex” pens in class last week. Some interesting results. These were 15 mins drawings in 5 colours. Some interes...
Steve in Oils
My last post was of Steve Tyrrell ahead of the 3 peaks challenge… We attempt this in 6 days time now. For posterity he has been committed to canvas...
Our Glorious Leader
I am doing the 3 peaks challenge next month, (climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon – the three highest mountains in Scotland, England...
Penny
This is an oil sketch of one of my fellow life drawing colleagues, Penny. Occasionally you get a boring back view and decide to sketch those around...
Gustavo Alla Prima
Study Hals, says Sargent, and only when you’ve learnt all you can from him, move on to Velazquez. Hals epitomises that “drawing with a brush” wh...
iPad therefore I Paint
I’m not sure about iPad painting. There are instantly a number of limitations with it, the main one being (with the sketchbook app I use at least) t...
Glazing Over
I have sung the praises of alla prima painting on this site, but this oil portrait, for a change, is an attempt to work up a painting using more tradi...
Midsummer
Although it is now early Autumn I have just finished this piece and called it Midsummer… (in memory of something we rarely see any more, with this p...
Alla Prima Sketch
One of our life class regulars, Chris Hibbard, was the source for the pencil sketch below and the alla prima sketch derived from it…...
The Prestige
Using the same palette as my previous painting, juxtaposing warm/cool complementaries, this is another large oil based on a 1 hour life drawing....
The Golden Gown
Haven’t posted for a while as I’ve been working on this one. Again, an oil painting based on a life drawing – an hour long study this time for...
Painting by Numbers
I have just completed a couple of oil studies based on photos for ease of reference. The purpose was to try and focus on building a painting in tonal...
Memory - Chris Hibbard
Ever tried doing a sketch of someone from memory. This is one I did of Bristol artist Chris Hibbard from memory. I had met him a couple of times wh...
"Smock on Tommy"
Look at this fabulous commissioned portrait by Anders Zorn: “The daughters of Ramon Subercasseaux” A Portrait Of The Daughters Of Ramon Suber...
Quick on the Draw
When I first started posting on this site I sang the virtues of short poses. I had begun life drawing doing 1 hr poses but quickly found that I could...
Hello World - Again!!!!
Oh no!!! Some gremlin corrupted my site and sadly, I've lost 8 months of comments, posts, media etc. ... Aaaarrrgghhh!!!!! But then again, I'm re...