Exciting exhibition news!

Snow on beach, Sutton-on-sea

I am absolutely thrilled because I've had all three of my entries for this year's Patchings art centre and The Artist magazine's open competition accepted for the exhibition!

The exhibition will take place at Patchings Art Centre from June 6th to July 21st. Of course I am very excited about seeing it!
All three were painted plein air, two snowy ones from a few months ago and one from Morocco last month.

Chicken huts in the snow

Le Médina, Essaouira

I am so happy about it you wouldn't believe :-)

I think I'll have a cup of coffee and pain au chocolat to celebrate, and then it's on with the LIST...

 

Fresh fried fish, Essaouira

Fresh fried fish, Essaouira
Oils 30 x 40 cms

'Tis finished! I am over the moon with this because I now have another studio painting which actually beats it's plein-air brother, in my opinion, hands down!

This is exciting progress as, for a long time now, I have believed that all my best work is painted plein air. If I can now take plein air paintings and make a studio version based on them which changes and improves on my original vision this is a huge step for me!

I am now looking forward to doing the same thing with some of the plein air paintings I will bring back from Florida in a little over a fortnight's time.

Here's the original plein air painting so you can compare which was done in less than an hour to be fair...

And here is a detail from the studio version...

I absolutely love the depiction of the guy on the right and especially his cigarette! He became really friendly with me during the week as I was often painting in the area and he always called out to me as I passed. I wish I'd asked his name now! His job is looking after the toilets and he is sitting next to the entrance which is just around the corner.

I had to be so careful to keep the brushwork loose but descriptive, and when you are painting figures in a setting you must treat them just the same as you would any other part of the painting if you want them to look as though they belong there.

Going to Florida!

I am so excited because in eight days time I will be travelling to Florida, as one of the 23 invited artists to take part in Florida's Forgotten Coast plein air paint out - my first ever plein air event in the USA!

I've got quite a lot on my plate at the moment trying to organise everything in preparation for my time away. Today I've been thinking about frames, art materials and panels that I will need to prepare for the trip!

Recently I was interviewed by Wes Locher for the Star newspaper and you can read the article by clicking here.

Also you can read here all the information about the event so that you can see where I'm going to be painting and who with, and as usual I will do my best to bring you daily reports while I'm away!

Sledging at Belmont tower

Sledgers at Belmont tower, Grantham
Oil on canvas 14" x 18"

Here's the studio version of 'Sledgers', starring my own son in the foreground! I hope you like it, it really pleased me to do it. I loved painting the original at the time, but I feel this is a better painting. I hope I have managed to keep the freshness of the plein air piece, I think I have. I was careful to keep the sketchy treatment of the figures. The nice thing about painting this version in the studio is that I could better consider where to place the figures.

The original version painted en plein air
Oil on panel 10" x 12" 

In case you missed it back then, this is the fun video of the painting day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GH5vzEqp8I

Wheeeee !!

Detail from 'Sledgers at Belmont tower'

Just time for a very quick post! If you're worrying about my big list... I'm plodding through it gradually (but you know how lists go.. things keep getting added on to the end!) but/and more importantly I'm putting in the time for painting and I'm very pleased about that. I'm still very excited painting in the studio - what's going on? Maybe I'm just having a good week or have I turned a corner?

Thanks SO much to everyone who has commented and emailed, it really is great to get a fresh perspective.

This is my son Oscar on the sledge... remember when I painted all the people sledging back in January? I've been working on a version in the studio - 'en studio air', I'll be able to show you tomorrow if I can take a good enough photo...

By the way somebody at my workshop yesterday left a lilac gilet behind, if you think it may be you I have it so let me know!

Fried fresh fish

Painting a fish stall in Morocco 

Fresh fried fish

Fish fresh fried

Fried fresh fish

Fish fried fresh

I painted this little 8" x 10" in Essaouira on my recent trip to Morocco and now I am working on a studio painting based on it, since getting back from France in the wee small hours yesterday morning. I will post progress shots soon.

I also wrote a new 'to do' list when I got back, it's three pages long and fairly terrifying. Mostly it is work or work related but doesn't involve painting, so I have had to make time for two hours painting a day despite the big list. Those hours are keeping me sane and calm.

I also feel as if I've made a big breakthrough or a new discovery in my painting but I can't put it into words yet. Be assured you will be the first to know when I do manage to verbalise it!

What's coming next?!

Le dernier jour

Le dernier jour

For my last afternoon of my last day the sun shone! Hooray!
I was able to get out with my easel and found this fantastic view looking down towards the Guerzido beach. Usually I can't paint this view as there is a high stone wall running alongside the path down to the beach, but as luck would have it a large wooden gate is broken and lying flat on the ground.
I knew I had to paint from this spot as it could well be fixed again by summer, making this view private once again.
I'm not sure what to call this painting, maybe something about the private view? Or 'le dernier jour' to remind me of the week it rained and rained until the last day when the sun came out.

Early doors!

Day one at Brunel's old station Bristol - a very busy one! I'm here with the SAA at their 'It's all about Art' event. Here's a photo I took right at the beginning of the day- getting ready to rumble!
After that, I didn't have time to take photos (of course!). I have painted that scene with the beach huts seven times today, to give lots of lovely people the chance to have a try with Winsor & Newton Artist's acrylics.
By the way, the people from Bristol have wonderful accents! I didn't know that before, and it's a pleasure hearing them speak. Although mostly it was the sound of my own voice coming through the speaker behind me that I could hear I'm afraid.
It was especially nice to see you there Joy and thank you for the Friday cake- so sweet of you!
Bit tired but I enjoyed the day, and am looking forward to a lovely dinner tonight :-)

Gulls at Essaouira

Gulls at Essaouira 10" x 14"

Here's another one painted plein air in Morocco. I really wanted this one to be about the gulls, there are so many here! The fish sellers throw their scraps on this wall and these are the fattest, fittest looking gulls you've ever seen! Of course it's difficult to paint moving birds. I did also take photos and have started looking at those and sketching some of the shapes of the birds in flight in my sketchbook, which will hopefully be of help next time I am in the same situation.

There are lots of cats living all around the harbour area too, and I'm pleased that one jumped up onto the wall so that I could get it in the painting. It actually rained for about three quarters of an hour while I was doing this one but I carried on, holding an umbrella in my left hand.

Are you free on Thursday June 6th or Sunday June 9th and would you like to come and paint with me at the Patchings festival? We will be painting a still life with cupcakes in acrylics. It's a three hour workshop and the cost is £50. For that you receive over £65 worth of Daler Rowney materials to take away with you, free entrance to the Patchings festival (which is a great day out!) and a cupcake (gift from me!). You can easily book a place online by following this link here - Patchings workshop 2013!