Up Swan Street

This is the companion piece to Down Swan Street and was painted just outside of the studio door on Sunday, the final day of Open Studios West Berkshire and North Hampshire, with a few minor adjustments made today.

The sky was ominous for most of Sunday, and, by the time I took the decision to stop, thunder was rolling through the valley. The red kite had been calling most of the afternoon, and made an appearance in the sky at just the right time for it to also appear in the painting.

Oil on canvas, 40 x 60 cm

Violinists and Piano

This was based on a couple of line sketches made of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra rehearsing in St. Nicolas' Church, Newbury - part of the Open Studios / Newbury Spring Festival collaboration. It was a far more complicated subject than my usual fare, but I enjoyed the challenge.

Oil on canvas, 40 x 80 cm

UPDATE: I wasn't entirely happy with how I had painted the pianist; here is the revised version (slightly wonky photograph):

Violinists and Piano - Detail of unfinished painting

Tomorrow is the penultimate day of Open Studios West Berkshire and North Hampshire - I'll be working on my Violinists and Piano painting. There's not a lot to do on it, so you won't be preventing me from finishing it if you do come and see me!

Swan House (24 Swan Street) Kingsclere 
11am to 5pm

Colouring Books on sale...

The Artikinesis Art Colouring Book is currently on sale in three Open Studios, including my own.
This is the final week of the West Berkshire and North Hampshire Open Studios, and the dates are as follows:

Wednesday 18 May: Rosemary 11-5; Amanda 11-3
Thursday 19 May: Amanda 11-3
Friday 20 May: (all closed)
Saturday 21 May: Rosemary 11-5, 6-8; Amanda 11-5; Adeliza and Elinor 11-5, 6-8
Sunday 22 May: Rosemary 11-5; Amanda 11-5; Adeliza and Elinor 11-5

Rosemary is in Newbury, I am in Kingsclere, Adeliza and Elinor are in Tadley.

If you can't make it to any of the studios, we can post it to you. Post and packing is £3, and the following link allows you to pay by Paypal:

Buy a colouring book for £12 + £3 p&p

Work in Progress: Violinists and Piano

Sketch made at the rehearsal

As noted in my sketch blog, I attended a rehearsal of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra at St. Nicolas' Church in Newbury in my capacity as Open Studio artist. Open Studios West Berkshire and North Hampshire are collaborating with Newbury Spring Festival.

The sketch blog currently features a series of sketches made of the cello section. I also drew other parts of the orchestra, and decided to paint the violins (and the pianist), in oils.

It's quite a complicated image, all done from line sketches. I haven't finished it yet - and I have two days out of the studio before I Open again on the 18th May; this will be the final week. So I thought that I would share what I've done so far.

It's all looking a bit murky at the moment. I'll be brightening up a few areas on Wednesday and clarifying some of the details.

Watch this space...

Down Swan Street

This was painted outside of my Open Studio, yesterday. Just outside the open door of my Open Studio, to be precise.

Oil on box canvas, 40 x 60 cm

Danebury - SOLD

Hill forts are rather difficult to depict as a whole, and sometimes rather unsatisfying or unrepresentantive as little bits. Dannebury hill fort, near Andover in Hampshire, is a large and fairly complex hillfort, but it does have some satisfyingly significant ramparts, and some very lovely trees.

Here s one of the latter upon one of the former.

From a photograph, painted in the Open Studio last week.

Oil on linen canvas, 50 x 70 cm
SOLD

Pictures are for looking at

Fun with Whiteboards

This year's first whiteboard featuring whiteboard drawings of a selection of my own paintings

A sketch of the street outside the studio

It was raining.
This one stayed inside, got wiped, and redrawn on a piece of A4 paper...

Most recent, inspired by woodcut and several other things lying around the studio.

Two Finished Paintings

St Paul's Churchyard (Ashford Hill)

Oil on box canvas, 20 x 30 inches

Exmoors on Greenham Common

Oil on standard width canvas, 60 x 50 cm

Two days off!

I'm not Open today or tomorrow, but the Studio doors will be opened again on Sunday at 11 am...

... and this is what I'll be working on:

Boxed Woodcuts: Knotted and Kneel

Day off

The church and the foreground gravestone kept me busy yesterday, and I'm still not finished...

... but I am closed today. For part of the day, I'll be stewarding at the INSIGHT exhibition (note that the pictures in that link are last year's). Back in the studio tomorrow...

Looking forward to tomorrow's Bank Holiday...

... when I might finish this local church. If you're in the area, why don't you pop in to ssee how far I've got? I'm open 11am to 5pm.

Gold and Grey - SOLD

Yesterday's in-studio painting, a local landscape. The trees on the ridge may be familiar if you recall Ridge or any of the Skyline paintings.

Oil on canvas, 100 x 65 cm
SOLD