Fishermens shelter and London workshop

Fishermens shelter
Oils 14" x 18"

I had the immense pleasure of spending a couple of days in the fishermens shelter in Portscatho last year, when I put on a little pop-up exhibition with The Harbour Gallery. I was really inspired by the large window overlooking the sea and the way the sunlight came into the room. I did paint this view while I was there but I always felt that I had another one in me. 

Now I've painted this larger version in the studio and I'm really happy with it. It's one of six paintings that I'm framing up at the moment to send for selection to the Mall Galleries for the annual Royal Society of Marine Artists exhibition. 

This August I'm going to be running a day workshop at the Mall Galleries in London about 'Capturing the essence', talking about the ways I use simplification in my work. What is important to include and what can be left out?

Find out more and book yourself a place here :-)

East view interior

Red sail at East view

Well of course... it's the first thing I noticed when I walked in to this beautiful fishermens cottage in Staithes... a big red sail in the window. What a beautiful cottage and a beautiful subject. I painted this in situ with my small antique pochade box but I'm keen to also paint a version in the studio at a later date. I love love love coastal cottages :-)

Dottys tearoom

Dottys tearooms
10" x 8"

If I lived in the area, Dottys tearoom vintage shop and boutique in Staithes would definitely be my regular haunt. I do recommend a visit if you're exploring the North Yorkshire coast.

I painted this especially for a magazine article I was writing for The Artist magazine, called 'How finished is finished?'

In it I discuss ways that might help to avoid overworking a painting - firstly you need to know what you want to say in the painting and then it is easier to know when you have said it. 

And yes, that is all easier said than done!

The article will be published in the September issue of the magazine I think, which will be in UK stores in August.

‘A fine suggestion, a sketch with great feeling, can be as expressive as the most finished project’ Eugene Delacroix

International subscriptions to the Artist magazine are available here - www.painters-online.co.uk

Little girl in an armchair

Little girl in an armchair
8" x 10"

The little girl in the armchair is actually Irene, the daughter of talented artist Michele del Campo. Maybe she will grow up to be an artist too. 

It's so hard to stop a painting when you've said enough, but it's what I'm always striving to do. Recognise when I've said enough. I find it especially hard where faces are involved. The face factor, as C.W Mundy would call it. He is quite right in saying that as viewers we are naturally drawn to any part of a painting that represents a human face. I might play around with that idea in future a lot. 

I'm really happy with the freshness of this, the vigorous nature of the brush marks. The thin paint, the underpaint still showing and the thick opaque paint. I find a lot to be excited about here.

In other news...

I've rebuilt my whole website! Yes it took a great many hours that I'd rather have spent at the easel but I am really happy now that it's done. I've learnt so much and I feel like my website reflects my personality better now. (One day I will tackle this blog but that's another story!)

There are still improvements that I need to make but keeping up a website does require regular maintenance anyway so I'll just continue to do bits here and there when I can.

Please do take a look around!

www.haideejo.com

Corelli antiques

Corelli antiques
Oil on canvas panel 12" x 10"

I finished the painting this morning. I'm quite pleased with how it works with the various light sources and shiny surfaces, and I really enjoyed doing it. Bon weekend everyone!

Hemswell antique centre

Work in progress at the antique centre

Today was different and fun! My friend Chris who sells antiques (Corelli antiques) in various venues invited me to paint in one of her units at Hemswell antiques centre. I love busy interior subjects! Quite a challenge with so many objects and the darkness of the room contrasted with the light of the window, so I started with a fairly accurate pen drawing about the same size that the painting would be. Then we went for coffee!
Then painted, then had lunch, then painted some more. I had to stand in the corridor outside looking into the room. I couldn't step back to check progress often as I had a wall and a fire extinguisher behind me!

Mabel in the corridor

Chris' other unit - another great painting!

And look what I came home with ... a vintage cash register! When you open the cash drawer a bell rings, and it is adorable! Paper feeds through a hole in the top so that receipts could be handwritten. I love it, and I'll be bringing it with me to Patchings festival next year!

Salle a manger

Salle a manger

This is the painting of the breakfast room I was working on yesterday afternoon. Isn't it a gorgeous room? That painting above the fireplace at the end is a hunting scene, except you wouldn't know because I haven't gone so far into it as to paint the hounds!
Today was mainly dry, although overcast and still lots of mist around. I went in search of boats (you don't have to go far to find boats here) and worked on a triptych the whole day! It's still not what you'd call finished but I think it's worth spending a bit more time on so hopefully I will show you that soon.
There are so many fabulous marine subjects here- I could easily fill a month if I had it!

Bonnie sur la chaise

Click to bid
Bonnie sur la chaise

Firstly I have now replaced the image for a better one!
Secondly, how sweet is Bonnie? She is my friend's dog and lives in the north of the island, right next door to the lighthouse! I've painted this from a couple of photos that I took on Tuesday. I'm going to take Maisie to meet Bonnie one day..... when I can summon up the nerve... but who will be top dog? There'll be fireworks....
This painting has ended up a little tight I feel, I don't know why I have such a tendency to 'dot all the i's and cross all the t's' when I'm working on such a small scale. This is going to be my next big challenge to focus on I think - how to make a very small painting with the same feel as my big paintings!
This oil painting is on a canvas panel, 20 x 15 cms and if you would like to see all of my current paintings at auction you can do so by clicking on the link below the image.