Landmarks

"Also notable are [Amanda Bates'] trio of small works, hung as a vertical panel: Thatcham's Bluecoat School, Donnigton Caste and Newbury Corn Exchange. The subjects are tightly cropped within the frame, with little context, giving them a palpable presence."
Newbury Weeky News: Lin Wilkinson

Three wooden panels, each 15  x 15 cm, painted over clear gesso so that the wood peeps through the thick oil paint. These three pictures were painted for, and are currently on display as part of, the Artikinesis Springtime exhibition at the West Berkshire Museum, The Wharf, Newbury - but only until Sunday 23 April.

The exhibition also features work by Rosemary Lawrey, Elinor Cooper, Adeliza Mole and Brian R. Marchant.

Thatcham Bluecoats / Newbury Corn Exchange / Donnington Castle

Oil on wooden panel

£50 each

T

Outside The English Barn - SOLD

This is based on a monochrome photograph that I took over a decade ago.

Winsor Violet on the Kennet and Avon

painted on 300gsm cold pressed cotton rag
(24 x 18 cm)

I have a metal watercolour sketcher's box, made by Winsor and Newton. It's an earlier version of this one. I've had it around 30 years, but I've never actually replaced one of the half-pans until today (watercolour pans last a long while, especially if you don't use watercolour very much).

I bought a number of replacement half-pans more than a decade ago. I had evidently mislaid the card that listed the colours, because there was a whole lot of guessing going on. Some of the "replacements" don't seem to tie in with the originals, and there is at least one duplication.

Original colour card, with my paint swatches

Thatcham English Barn

This barn - a grade 2 listed building - is right in the centre of the town of Thatcham. It's still there, but now there is hoarding around it and a residential home behind it; this is from a black and white photograph that I took around 10 years ago.

Acrylic on canvas, 5 x 7"

Thatcham Bluecoats School, A4 side

When I lived in Thatcham, I grew rather fond of the old Bluecoats school building. Back then, it had a sign proclaiming "Antique Pine" (although it never seemed to be open) and all views of it were partially obscured by street furniture - roadsigns, pedestrian crossing controls, barriers...