This Painting Life

2011-10-20T19:18:00.000+01:00

Una porta, Montisi, Tuscany
20 x 15 cm
Mixed media
unframed

2011-10-20T19:14:00.000+01:00

La vecchia finestra, Montisi, Tuscany
20 x 15 cm
Mixed media
unframed

2011-10-20T18:56:00.001+01:00

Flower Shop, Montisi, Tuscany

15 x 18 cm

Mixed media

SOLD Private Collection

Summer Exhibition at Plas Newydd, Anglesey July 2nd - 27th, 2011

2011-06-23T19:03:00.010+01:00

Plas Newydd, breezy afternoon

42 x 59 cm

Acrylic on paper

This is a beautiful National Trust property on the banks of the Menai Straits, overlooking the mountains of Snowdonia. I've been invited to show a selection of paintings this summer in the house's exhibition room. As Plas Newydd has such a strong connection with Rex Whistler I have themed some works around both him and the house itself. I will also be showing a group of paintings which depict both National Trust houses and other stately homes throughout England. Please visit the NT website for opening information. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-plasnewydd

2011-06-23T18:59:00.004+01:00

Rex Whistler c.1936
24 x 18 cm
Acrylic on canvas

SOLD Private collection

2011-06-23T18:54:00.004+01:00

Rex in his studio, 20 Fitzroy Street

18 x 24 cm

Mixed media

SOLD Private Collection

2011-06-23T18:43:00.008+01:00

Plas Newydd, Winter afternoon

13 x 18 cm

Acrylic on prepared card

SOLD Private Collection

2011-06-23T18:16:00.005+01:00

Plas Newydd II

13 x 18 cm

Acrylic on prepared card

Unframed

New Paintings

2011-06-23T09:06:00.004+01:00

The Seven Stars, Falmouth

40 x 50 cm

Acrylic on board

SOLD Private Collection

Limited edition print available

2011-06-23T09:03:00.004+01:00

Trafalgar Square Evening, January 2010

41 x 43 cm

Acrylic on board

2010-12-23T16:09:00.002Z

Louise's Chair V

18 x 12.5 cm

Mixed media

(unframed)

2010-12-23T16:07:00.003Z

Louise's Chair IV

18 x 12.5 cm

Mixed media

New Paintings

2010-12-02T11:24:00.005Z

Louise's Chair III

18 x 12.5 cms

Acrylic on card

(unframed)

These three paintings are part of a series I'm currently working on. They are quite petite, just above postcard size. Two more nearing completion...

2010-12-02T11:23:00.005Z

Louise's Chair II

18 x 12.5 cm

Acrylic on card

2010-12-02T11:15:00.009Z

Christmas Chair

18 x 12.5 cm

acrylic on card

Sold Private Collection

'Night & Day' - Exhibition at the Alverton Gallery, Penzance 1- 29 July

2010-06-28T11:42:00.005+01:00

Across St Martin's Lane, January 2010

43 x 45 cm

Acrylic on board

Winter light, Falmouth II

2010-06-13T19:38:00.001+01:00

70 x 100 cm

Acrylic on canvas

This is not only the largest of the 'Nightscape' series, but also the largest painting to come out of my studio. Working on this scale was a challenge, both in terms of composition and technique, and I have some more 'big' ideas to paint later this year.

Latest News!

2010-03-19T08:23:00.010Z

I am currently showing the six 'Nightscape' paintings at The Alverton Gallery in Penzance:

The Alverton Gallery

5 Alverton Street

Penzance

TR18 2QW

01736 351668

Email info@thealvertongallery.co.uk

www.thealvertongallery.co.uk

'Gallery with a difference for the discerning art lover in the heart of Penzance, Cornwall.

A working studio gallery with an unusual blend of contemporary fine art, gold jewellery and small antiques. A short walk between The Exchange and the Penlee Art Galleries.'

Do come and visit the gallery, you'll be sure of a warm welcome from Tim and Diana and good tea and coffee are available too!

Later in the summer I will be having a larger exhibition at the Alverton, so watch this space...

Winter light II

2009-12-21T09:07:00.004Z

13 x 18 cms

Mixed media on card

Winter light, Falmouth

2009-12-13T18:39:00.002Z

13 x 18 cms
Mixed media on card

Blue nightscape

2009-12-13T18:35:00.002Z

18 x 13cm
Mixed media on card

Winter nightscape with trees

2009-12-13T18:03:00.004Z

18 x 13 cm
Mixed media on card

Autumn Nightscape

2009-11-15T17:34:00.010Z

Acrylic on prepared card

24 x 30 cm

Falmouth Nightscape

2009-10-25T15:39:00.013Z

Acrylic on prepared card
24 x 30 cms

SOLD Private Collection

And here is the finished painting. I've enjoyed doing it so much that I can feel a series coming on...

Falmouth night - a work in progress

2009-10-08T18:24:00.006+01:00

Acrylic on prepared card

24 x 30 cms

I have long been fascinated by the sight of the docks as night falls, especially if the evening is misty. As an experiment I took some photos and this painting is the result. I wasn't sure how to get the effects I wanted and this is still being worked on. Not using a brush seemed to help...

Gun Street, Spitalfields

2009-10-08T18:15:00.018+01:00

Acrylic on canvas

35 x 45cms
Sold Private Collection

Christ Church Spitalfields has featured in two previous paintings. Churches are amongst my favourite architectural subjects and this beautiful Hawksmoor building has a majestic quality. The streets of Spitalfields are steeped in history and with a very different feeling to the rest of the city. This shop and cafe immediately appealed to me as a subject for a painting, particularly with the church just visible in the background.

In the Orangery II

2009-10-08T18:07:00.004+01:00

Mixed media on prepared card
31 x 25 cm approx
Sold Private Collection

Exhibition at Over the Moon Gallery St Agnes, Cornwall. 15th May to 20th June 2009. Open Tues-Sat 10 - 4.30 & Bank Holiday weekend

2009-05-08T17:08:00.007+01:00

South Bank evening III
Acrylic on canvas
70 x 6o cm
Sold - Private collection

This is the final painting in the South Bank series. Night has fallen and the city has taken on a golden glow. Meanwhile the lights of the city reflect off the clouds with a strange ethereal greeny tinge . I loved the reflections on the water; it was such a still night that there looked to be two of all the buildings, one above and one below the Thames.

Archway, St. Ives

2009-05-08T16:53:00.006+01:00

Acrylic on board
29 x 20 cm
£

Covent Garden sunset

2009-04-21T08:21:00.005+01:00

Acrylic on paper
18 x 13 cm
Sold - Private Collection

In the Gardens, Port Eliot

2009-04-21T08:07:00.011+01:00

Acrylic on board

40 x 50 cm

Sold Private Collection

Port Eliot is the seat of the Earl of St Germans, currently Peregrine Eliot, whose family have occupied the house since the 1540s. The house occupies a beautiful setting on the banks of the Lynher estuary, near Plymouth. The walled gardens are a favourite part of the estate and the Orangery offers intriguing views through these romantic spaces. I visited the estate on the most perfect summer's day and it has provided inspiration for many paintings, some inside and some outside the Orangery.

South Bank evening II

2009-04-21T08:01:00.005+01:00

Acrylic on paper

34 x 29 cm
Sold Private Collection

Covent Garden Evening

2009-03-30T11:34:00.004+01:00

18 x 13 cm
Acrylic on paper
Sold - Private collection

St Martin-in-the-fields from the National Gallery

2008-12-21T19:03:00.005Z

18 x 13 cm
Acrylic on paper
Sold Private Collection

This is looking at one of my favourite buildings in London from another favourite. I like standing on the steps of the National Gallery, either looking out over Trafalgar Square and down to the Houses of Parliament or across at St Martin's. On this day the church was brilliantly white against the blue of the sky and the shadows across the columns were constantly changing with the light.

South Bank evening

2008-12-21T18:33:00.004Z

18cm x 13cm
Acrylic on paper
Sold - Private Collection

As I walked along the South Bank the daylight faded and the lights of the city came on, sparkling in the distance. Lots of others were strolling along, admiring the view and a beautiful evening. London, to me, looks at its best in this dusky pink twilight.

St Paul's Church, Covent Garden

2008-12-21T18:25:00.004Z

18 x 13 cm
Acrylic on paper
Sold Private collection

This is also known as the Actor's Church because of its many associations with the theatrical community. The lights and energy of the London theatres are all around but this is an oasis of peace. I particularly like the monumentality of this facade which looks on to the Piazza. This isn't the front, that is round the back!

Covent Garden, evening in the Piazza

2008-12-21T18:16:00.005Z

18 x 13 cm
Acrylic on paper
(unframed)
sold - Private collection

I love cities at night. This was inspired by a trip to London in September and evenings spent wandering around Covent Garden. The weather was balmy and crowds of people were enjoying their drinks and dinner outside.

In the Orangery, Port Eliot

2008-12-19T18:15:00.005Z

40 x 40 cms
Acrylic on canvas
Sold - Private Collection

Exhibition at Morvah Schoolhouse Gallery, near Penzance 13 - 25 July

2008-07-06T16:38:00.009+01:00

Image is:
Cellist in St Catherine's Chapel
36 x 30 cm
Acrylic on board
sold - Private collection

All Souls Church, Regent Street, rainy evening

2008-07-06T16:19:00.007+01:00

70 x 60 cm
Acrylic on canvas
sold - Private collection

View to the Belvedere, Sans Souci Palace, Potsdam

2008-07-06T16:15:00.002+01:00

50 x 60 cm
Acrylic on canvas
£400

The Orangery, Port Eliot

2008-07-06T15:29:00.003+01:00

19 x 21 cm
Acrylic & ink on paper
sold - Private collection

Kaiser Willhelm Church, Berlin

2008-07-06T15:09:00.004+01:00

70 x 50 cm
Acrylic on canvas
£425

Bach, en la Noche

2008-07-06T15:04:00.002+01:00

39.5 x 28.5 cm
Acrylic on board
£350

Bach in Cathedral ruins, St Andrews

2008-07-06T15:01:00.002+01:00

40 x 36 cm
Acrylic on board
sold - Private collection

Trewithen on a Spring Day

2008-07-06T14:53:00.002+01:00

29 x 29 cm
Acrylic on board
£275

British Museum, in the Great Court

2008-07-06T14:44:00.007+01:00

30 x 30 cm
Acrylic on canvas
£230

Old Custom House, Falmouth

2008-07-06T14:28:00.005+01:00

24 x 29 cm
Acrylic on board
£230

Montacute II

2008-07-06T14:24:00.004+01:00

30 x 35 cm
Acrylic on board
£250

St Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury

2008-07-06T14:15:00.004+01:00

36 x 31 cm

Acrylic on board
£250

Statue in Hinton Ampner Gardens I

2007-12-18T18:45:00.005Z

7 x 5 ins/17 x 13 cms
mixed media on paper
£150

Hinton Ampner is an 18th century house and garden in the depths of the Hampshire countryside. The garden was completely redesigned in the 1930s, but in the 18 C tradition, and is thus still a developing project. It is an intriguing mixture of formal parterres, long walks that end in vistas over the open fields and woodland, and wilderness areas as contrast to the more organised planting. I love any kind of structure against this kind of backdrop, be it a building or ruin or statue, so these two stone figures were irresistible subjects.

Statue in Hinton Ampner Gardens II

2007-12-18T18:34:00.007Z

7 x 5 ins/17 x 13 cms
mixed media on paper
sold - Private collection

This statue of Diana, the huntress, is at the end of a grassy walk, hedged with yew trees. There is apparently a little classical temple along the walk, which I missed on this occasion but would also be a very tempting subject. In contrast to the statue above, this one is much more formally attired and posed which made her very challenging to paint. In the end I was happier with the background than the figure, which is not unusual.

Prelude, December

2007-12-18T18:29:00.004Z

7 x 5 inches/ 17 x 13 cms
mixed media on paper
Sold - Private Collection

In this painting the cellist has moved indoors, and I loved the way she was silhouetted against the brightness of the window. It was the second painting of this subject in which I have kept to a monochrome palette, which proved a very effective technique to accentuate the effects of light and shadow. Although it's not an obviously festive subject, I chose it as this year's Christmas card...

Sarabande at Ferriola

2007-12-18T18:03:00.002Z

7 x 5 inches/17 x 13 cms
mixed media on paper
Sold - Private Collection

This is another view of the cellist playing on her balcony at Ferriola. It is now evening and she is illuminated by lamplight, the square beneath her house is in darkness, and the music is wafting across it in the night air. The Sarabande forms one of the six movements that comprise each of Bach's six Cello Suites. A Sarabande is literally a slow dance, originally from Spain, which makes it an entirely appropriate accompaniment to this painting.

Violinist at Pampaneira

2007-12-18T17:52:00.004Z

7 x 5 inches
17 x 13 cms
mixed media on paper
Sold - Private Collection

Pampaneira is a whitewashed village high in the Alpujarras. Life centres on the square, full of cafes, and a few stalls selling local crafts - particularly hand woven rugs in fantastically vivid colours. I was sitting sketching there when this young chap appeared, almost out of nowhere, and started playing. He was silhouetted against the large church which dominates the square. Violinists move pretty quickly so I had to rely on photos as well as a speedy sketch. The village is a popular place with tourists, especially the Spanish, so I expect his summer earnings are fairly respectable.

Bach, Allemande

2007-11-18T17:23:00.003Z

17.5 x 13.5 cms
Mixed media on paper
Sold - Private Collection

This is the latest in the 'Cellist' series. I'm experimenting with technique and medium to find different ways of expressing the subject. It is also part of a collection of Cabinet Paintings that I am preparing to submit to an exhibition. Cabinet paintings originated in the 17th century, as a more portable alternative to full size works. They are not mini versions but works in their own right. I like the restrictions of working on such a small scale and find it liberating, which seems illogical.

Evening in the Gardens

2007-11-18T16:55:00.007Z

16 x 20 cms
Acrylic on board
Sold - Private collection

This revisits the gardens by the sea at nightfall, a time of day that I find incredibly appealing. My imagination is at work here; it was too dark to sketch or take a good photograph. I was aware of a slightly unearthly feeling as I painted, as though there were secrets in the shadows...

Summer Daydream I

2007-11-18T15:35:00.004Z

29.5 x 20.5 cms

mixed media on paper
£225 sold

This is the smaller version of the Daydream below. I don't often work in watercolour but this was done as an experiment for a competition. The medium proved to be a challenge and it didn't win but the experience was invaluable. The idea of being in a room and looking outward intrigues me; as does the reverse, which is what I'm seeing as I sit here now, a winter's dusk with golden lit windows glowing against the darkness.

The Gardens by the Sea

2007-09-16T16:11:00.007+01:00

20 x 16 inches/50 x 40 cms
Acrylic on block canvas
£375 Sold

This is one of the first subjects I painted in Cornwall and I have revisited it often. Beautiful sub-tropical gardens surround an Edwardian bandstand and a path leads down to a darker, mysterious, sunken area with shell grottoes, a lovely camellia tree, masses of ferns and a tunnel. This used to lead to the seafront but nowadays one walks overground, coming out near a tiny chapel that overlooks the wide expanse of Gyllyngvase beach and a spectacular ocean view.

The Folly at Wilton

2007-08-12T18:18:00.003+01:00

12 x 14 inches/36 x 30 cm
Acrylic on board
£250

Wilton House is an impressive stately pile. My visit was on a perfect summer's day and the grounds were much more enticing than the house itself which felt too stuffy and elaborate. This folly was visible on the wilder part of the garden, across the river. I longed to walk over the Palladian bridge and climb up to it, but it was forbidden to mere visitors that day. My sketchbook and camera had to cope long distance, but in the end I liked the view of it partially hidden amongst the greenery.

The Evening Kick-off, Chelsea

2007-08-06T13:08:00.002+01:00

20 x 28 inches/50 x 70 cms
Acrylic on canvas
Sold Private Collection

This painting came about at the suggestion of a Chelsea fan who gave me some images of the ground as it was in the 1970s. It was a fascinating project, involving a lot of research into the original stadium buildings and even what the fans would be wearing. I also wanted to create the more dramatic atmosphere of an evening match, and that sense of anticipation in the crowd.

Summer Daydream II

2007-08-03T17:17:00.002+01:00

12 x 16 inches/40 x 30 cms
Acrylic on board
Sold - Private Collection

I have been painting this during our lack-lustre summer - hence the title. It is loosely based on a beautiful walled garden in Salisbury that has a charming cafe at one end. I often start from a sketch or photograph but, as the work develops, imagination takes over and the end result may be quite different. There are two other smaller versions of this, one a preparatory painting (which I got so involved in it nearly became a finished one!) and one in watercolour, which is has been entered for a national competition. Fingers crossed...

The Cellist, Andalucia

2007-08-03T16:04:00.005+01:00

12 x 16 inches/40 x 30 cms

Mixed media
Sold Private Collection

This painting was inspired by a recent visit to the Alpujarras in Spain. One evening our group of painters were invited to sketch a cellist as she rehearsed for a concert. We sat in the small village square, looked up and she appeared on the balcony of her whitewashed house. The strains of a Bach cello suite drifted over us as we endeavoured to capture her in our sketchbooks. The painting is something of a departure for me as I have not included a figure in any of my previous work. I've been really excited by this and am now working on a series based on this intriguing musician.