Kimmeridge

Kimmeridge Bay in Purbeck, Dorset is all about the rocks. It lies on the Jurrassic Coast and is a favoured destination for fossil-hunters as well as rock-pool afficianados and snorkellers. It has clear, calm water and a folly on the headland - Clavell Tower, which in 2006-8 was moved away from the crumbling cliff. 

So, of course, my painting is all about the rocks. The flat rocks in the centre dominate the image. I spent most of my time on their colours, curves and cracks, their attendant pools and the wet reflections of the summer sun, but it was the seaweed that worried me most. It was a curious colour - a bright mix of yellow, green, red and orange - and it was underwater, right in the foreground. How could I indicate that with my knife, a blunt painting instrument if ever there was one? In the end, it was all a matter of observation and approximation, as is often the case, and allowing the viewer's visual cortex to fill in the gaps.

Kimmeridge 

Oil on linen canvas, 50 x 70 cm

£400

Arctic Corsair

The Arctic Corsair is the last of Kingston-Upon-Hull's side-winder trawlers, efectively the last remnant of the city's fishing fleet. She currently lies on the mud in the river Hull by the museum quarter and is a museum ship herself. She has been there since 1999 (after the time I lived in Hull) but there is talk of moving her to a dry dock in the near future.

The painting is based on a couple of sketches that I made in January 2016. There is a little artistic licence in a few places - the riverfront warehouse on the right, for example, is a complete fabrication! The jagged red brick edifice in the background, in front of the cream-coloured Shotwell building, on the other hand, was there and was in approximately that shape when I drew the Corsair and her surroundings. It was partially demolished and looked rather like a post-industrial castle.

Arctic Corsair

Oil on canvas, 55 x 46 cm

£200

Entrance (Chysauster)

I find prehistoric sites entrancing: open to the elements, often in (relatively) remote locations, they are refreshing in their wild freedom yet retain a palpable sense of history. I also rather like painting stones.

This is the entranceway to one of Chysauster's "courtyard" huts. Chysauster, in west Cornwall, is a remarkably well preserved iron age village managed by English Heritage.


My painting was made last week while my studio was open as part of Open Studios West Berkshire and North Hampshire. There's still just over a week of Open Studios left; you'll find my dates and details here.

Entrance (Chysauster)

Oil on canvas, 55 x 46 cm

£190

Bluebell Stump (Wolverton Blue 2) - SOLD

Wednesday's short painting session in Wolverton Wood gave me enough material (on the canvas and in my head) to refine the image in the studio yesterday.

Bluebell Stump (Wolverton Blue 2)

Oil on natural linen canvas, 30 x 40 cm

£120 SOLD

Curve - SOLD

The starting point for this was a photograph taken from the beach at Porthtowan when I was there to look at the view from East Cliff.

Trees and Seeds

This is a drawing made from a photograph that I took last Wednesday as I headed out on a longish walk on the downs. The trees may look familiar; they are the "Skyline" trees on Plantation Hill, featured in several of my paintings and drawings.

Blueberry Muffin

This cake needed to be disturbed for a more interesting picture. It was still delicious, even after a couple of hours of sitting in its broken state.

Palette: Pyrrole Red, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Phthalo Blue and two flavours of Titanium (White and Buff).

Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 20 cm

Doughnut

There were five doughnuts in the packet. One each, and one to paint. "But who is going to eat the last doughnut?" asked my daughter. Good question...

Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 20 cm

Profiteroles - SOLD

Yesterday's pudding... with a little exagerration.

Profiteroles
Acrylic on box canvas, 30 x 30 cm.

SOLD

Swan House

This painting was painted inside its subject.

Five Knives

Having painted some brushes and some pencils, it seemed only right that I should give my painting knives the same treatment.

In Poole Harbour

Poole has a very large harbour, within which nestles the spiritual home of Scouting. Brownsea Island - along with a number of smaller islands - not to mention the marinas, ferry ports and cargo depots that make up the functional port.

Carnations

Carnations are pretty, inexpensive, and rather difficult to paint! I've had a go in several media in the past, but rarely been happy with the results. Oddly, I don't think I have tried acrylics before.

Carnation Back

Acrylic on canvas, 7 x 7 cm

£10  

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Carnation Close Up 

Acrylic on canvas, 7 x 7 cm

SOLD

Cherry Pop

If these fruit look familiar, it may be that you recognise them from my small painting, "Tailor".

Avebury Sheep

This is a "housekeeping" post intended to simplify navigation. It is not a new painting. 

Avebury Sheep is available as a fine art print and as a high quality greetings card.

The painting was made in 2012 from a monchrome photograph taken in 2007.
Click here for the original post

Avebury Sheep
Oil on canvas, 46 x 55 cm
27 December 2012

£350

Cross Path

I had a busy day yesterday, but I had promised myself a walk and a plein air paint.

Vegetable Chilli (2014)

I'm still looking forward to cooking and eating this meal - sadly, one fresh tomato isn't enough to make a sauce for the rest of the ingredients, and we were unexpectedly all out of tinned tomatoes.

It'll taste just as good tomorrow.

Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 cm
£180

I've painted a very similiar subject before; click here to view the 2001 version.

Gold and Silver Birch (Snelsmore Common)

Snelsmore Common is a little oasis of nature between Newbury and the M4. It has fascinating wildlife and geology - and its silver birch seem to have turned orange. I wondered if it was some sort of lichen, but it's too fine for that. Tristam Belstaff, from Reading (around 20 miles from Snelsmore) suggests on his blog that it is an alga called Trentepohlia sp. I'm happy to go with that, even if he was talking about a tree in Reading.

Godrevy Dunes

Based on a grey December photograph, this is my rather more colourful interpretaion of Godrevy Light seen from the path over the dunes at Gwithian.

The Hurlers, left and right

This is a "housekeeping" post intended to simplify navigation. It is not a new painting.

The Hurlers is a complex of stone circles on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall.