The Notan principle

After the rain
Acrylics 10" x 12"

I just wanted to let you know of a new article that I've written for The Artist magazine. It's all about designing your paintings using the notan principle or quite simply, shapes of dark and light. This isn't necessarily a tonal value study, but a way of creating a pleasing composition or backbone for your painting and then keeping that all the way through the painting process so that the work ends up with a clear strong design.

If you'd like to get a copy for yourself it's in the March issue of the magazine which is out in UK stores now, and is full of lots of other interesting features as always.

I've been getting some very nice feedback from people who have found the article helpful.

My 2014 review April to June

Early summer at Porthcurnick beach
Oils 14" x 18" £995

Welcome to the second part of my 2014 annual review. This blog post begins with lots of colour and sunshine, and ends in a flurry of prizes and exclamation marks! I'm going to be showing you some of my favourite paintings from this second quarter of the year. Now the weather was by and large spectacular throughout this whole time.

In April it was back to Cornwall and this time the weather was like summer, so plenty of plein air painting was achieved, and galleries re-stocked! Then it was a week in France with the family for Easter, where the sun continued to shine.

Here I am painting at St Mawes - what a place and what dazzling light on the water.

Sparkling light at St Mawes
Private Collection

On the slipway, Sennen
Oils 12" x 16" £850

St Michael's Mount
Private Collection

In May I discovered the gorgeous gardens at National Trust property Gunby Hall in Lincolnshire, and fell in love with the pond there. I must get back there this year in May, and perhaps take a model or two with me. (Would a parasol or a bonnet be out of order?)

This favourite below made it to the cover of my 2014 calendar. It was a new enterprise for me and I'm very pleased that the calendars have been so popular. I had 100 printed and I've sold every one apart from the one I kept for myself! So I'll be keeping my eye open for new images for my 2016 calendar next.

Carp pond at Gunby Hall
Oils 12" x 16" £850

Reverie
Private Collection

Crabbing at Brancaster Staithe

St Clements Studio
Private Collection

In June things became even busier because June always starts with the big Patchings Festival. Including the setting up day it's a pretty tiring but busy and fun five days! It's always great to see so many friends there, from all over the country. This year as well as exhibiting in the painters marquee where I painted a portrait demo and painting plein air demos in the courtyard I also did a still life demo in the big St Cuthbert's marquee. 

I went down to London for a day to see the Society of Women Artists exhibition in June, where I had two paintings selected and exhibited.

Flaming June
Private Collection

Demo at Patchings

At the end of June it was up to North Yorkshire to teach a long weekend at the Staithes art school, staying in beautiful cottages by the sea, painting in the day and feasting in the evening with fantastic like minded company. 

By the way we're back on for next year too so if you might like to join us have a look at Staithes Art Gallery and better be quick to book as it's a very popular weekend!

View from Cowbar
Private Collection

And now for a painting you will definitely recognise if you've been following my blog for a while or read The Artist magazine...

Sails up in harbour
24" x 30"
Collection of The Artist Publishing Company

ONE painting with a generously sized red sail and a dash of magic...

FOUR prizes in a matter of days!!!!

First this painting won the Pro Arte Award at The Artist magazine's annual selected exhibition, which was a generous £250 worth of Pro Arte brushes.

Secondly it was selected for The Artist exhibition award which means I am one of ten winning artists to take part in a group exhibition at Patchings art centre in 2015.

Thirdly... drum roll... Ken Howard RA OBE selected it as his favourite piece in the whole exhibition therefore I won The Artist Purchase Prize of £1800 and my painting now goes to hang in the offices at The Artist and Leisure Painter magazines alongside previous winners of this prestigious prize.

Fourthly it then won the 'best water' category in the summer Plein Air Salon, an online painting competition run by the brilliant US Plein Air magazine. Another big surprise!

Think I need to go and lie down in a darkened room after reliving all that excitement again... be back soon with the third instalment, July to September...

Pep talk!

September issue The Artist magazine

I forgot to tell you about a little article I'd written for The Artist magazine about 'Staying motivated'. I think we all need a little pep talk from time to time don't we? Sometimes you might get despondent about not being selected for an exhibition or disappointing sales or turnout but I urge you not to stay in that frame of mind for long, but believe in yourself and let it spur you on to achieve greater things! These things are just a test of your determination and strength so you know what the song says ... when the going gets tough the tough get going!

This is in the September issue which is also the magazine that features my 'Sails up' on the cover - woohoo! It's pretty much impossible to find in shops now because they've sold out, but you can still buy a copy if you'd like one by clicking here.

In the October issue (which magazine subscribers will be receiving any day now and will be in UK shops soon) I have an article giving a little advice about working from photographs. It talks about pitfalls to look out for, planning for success and my methods for combing the use of photographs together with plein air studies to produce new work in the studio.

October issue The Artist magazine

Painting from photographs

OH MY GOODNESS

With my prize winning painting!

Everything got more and more amazing today... my red sail painting really wanted to go out with a bang!

It's now received three prizes in as many days... I know! You're thinking 'how'?! Well today Ken Howard RA came to Patchings to help choose ten exhibitors in The Artist exhibition for the 'exhibitors award' which means they will have a group exhibition at Patchings at some point next year... and I'm one of them!

Then Ken has to choose his favourite piece in the exhibition for The Artist purchase award and... yes!! Indeed I was as surprised as you are believe me! This means that The Artist magazine will purchase my painting and it will hang in their gallery with all the previous winners of this award. For ever. :-)

So yes, I have been a bit giddy and excited today!

Festival day one, a portrait and a prize!

What a grand day! Wow, I don't have much energy left to talk but here's a quick run down... saw about 300 people on my stand (no I wasn't counting but it sure seemed like a lot of people) and I think I have demos booked for the next 22 years!

A lovely artist and Facebook friend Dana Mallon offered to pose for me this afternoon and we had a great time with lots of stopping to chat to people. Somehow I managed to get something done, and Dana is really pleased with it! 

And... I found out I won a prize! My painting 'Sails up in harbour' which you all know well right back from the original sketches in France last summer has won the Pro Arte award in The Artist/Patchings competition exhibition which opened today in the Barn gallery. Very happy!

See all the prizewinners here...

Remember to go and visit the exhibition if you come to the festival! 

Painting Dana

Dana Mallon

Sails up in harbour wins a prize!

Putting figures in your paintings

The Artist May 2014

The new (May) issue of The Artist magazine is available in shops in the UK right now.  My latest article to be published is about putting figures into your paintings - why I think it's worthwhile, some things to think about when you're including figures in your work and exercises to try. I hope you enjoy it :-)

As always there is lots more inspiration packed between the pages featuring artists such as Lucy Willis, Geoff Hunt, Ian Sidaway, Ian Cryer, Chris Forsey, Ann Blockley, and Hashim Akib amongst others.

I have been told that in the US you can also buy this inspirational magazine in Barnes and Noble stores. If you can't easily get hold of a copy where you live did you know that you can subscribe and have every issue posted out to you? Read more about that here.

Smooth, creamy and delicious

The Artist March 2014

Smooth, creamy and delicious but not chocolate, whatever could it be? Oh yes, it's my thoughts on painting with gouache paints, gathered together in this month's The Artist magazine which is available to buy in shops in the UK now. Apparently you can also find it in the USA in Barnes book stores, that's groovy!

There are so many reasons to love gouache and here's a few -

No using solvents or mediums, just good old water.

You can re-use dried up paint on the palette, by wetting it again.

You can add highlights later, no need to plan ahead in the same way you have to with watercolours.

You can easily combine with other media, for example watercolours and drawing media.

They dry with that soft matt finish.

They make ideal, forgiving, paints for beginners.

You don't need much in the way of equipment.

They don't kill your brushes.*

Here's another gouache painting exploiting the gouache at a fluid creamy consistency and laying down adjacent areas of flat colour. This one sold at my exhibition last month. It was one of only two glazed (framed under glass) pieces in the whole exhibition!

Crab hut at Brancaster Staithe
SOLD

* Never killed any of mine with gouache anyway, you may know different!

Lively still life article

The January issue of The Artist magazine should be out and about in shops in the UK anytime now. In it I have this article about painting vibrant still lifes using acrylics as an underpainting and oils to finish off. Both of these paintings will be framed up for my exhibition in Nottingham in January. 

It's going to be a busy and fun week this week, I have two days in London at the Mall Galleries for the Royal Institute of Oil painters exhibition. Tuesday is the private view and on Wednesday I'm taking part in a figure painting workshop there which will be fun!

I can't wait to see my three paintings hanging, I wonder if they will be next to each other. It's especially exciting that one of them has already sold so I shall see a red dot there! I will also meet up with so many artist friends and it will be great to see everyone. I'll have a better chance to see the paintings in the exhibition when I go back again next week, because on private view day the gallery will be packed.

Peonies and hen

Fast, loose and alla prima!

The Artist August issue

The August issue of The Artist magazine (in the UK) is now out in shops, and in it I have an article on painting faster and looser with oils - alla prima or all in one sitting. Actually I say 'sitting' as a figure of speech, because I strongly recommend standing to paint!

You may recognise some of those paintings in the feature! Did you know that you can subscribe to this brilliant magazine even if you live outside of the UK and can't buy it in your shops? I have another article in the September issue on painting seascapes and plenty of others in the pipeline but of course it's not just me, the magazine is packed with artistic inspiration every month.

Take a look at the website for subscriber info by clicking here :-)

One of the other articles I did this year was on 'Finding your own style' and if you didn't have a chance to see it before you can read the whole thing online right here!

That's all for now, I'll be back to you soon to talk about studio paintings, and my part in a huge London event this week. Have a great day :-)