London painting

Apologies for blurred photography!

I had a great visit to London today! I was lucky to be able to paint with the supremely talented Adebanji Alade, and it was so much fun painting side by side and chatting! Makes a lovely change from painting alone singing along to the limited number of songs on my iPhone!

When we started the sky was clear and blue, the shadows crisp. As usual I thought I would get a few done but didn't! I worked on this little 8" x 10" for maybe three hours. Adebanji was working at the same size, but he was taking a further view than me and looking all the way up the road to Pall Mall at the top. (That was going to be my second painting!)

By the time we finished I was looking at a totally different scene! The sky was black, the front of the big building was darker than the side - you name it! All change!

Here's Adebanji hard at work with his ever-appreciative audience! 

I had my back to an enormous column so people had to be fairly cheeky to come and see mine!

I will get a better photo of my painting to show you, and I feel I'd like to do a studio piece based on it. I also have a sketch and a couple of photos to support it.

Hope you have a good weekend :-)

Galley hill allotments

Work in progress

Stage 1 - I started with a painted line, then on to large masses

Blocking in masses and getting darker

Building up the darks

It was very dark and grey and cold, very windy and at times raining, but was I happy? Oh yes! I have discovered some local allotments and I am thrilled as I've always loved painting allotments. In fact I did a magazine article for the Artists and Illustrators magazine in about 1995 all about painting allotments in oils! In recent years I have found it difficult to gain access to allotments as they have become locked and gated to reduce crime. It's a shame that it's been necessary for councils to do that. 

So I was extremely happy to be here today and can't wait to go back. I didn't quite get finished as I was too desperate to get to a bathroom eventually! I'm also sorry the photos are so poor - I guess it's because there wasn't any light!

Tomorrow is my 'Finding your style' workshop in Fulbeck which will be very interesting - let's hope we can get into the village hall this time!

Sunset in Douarnenez

Sunset 1, Douarnenez
Oils on canvas board 6" x 8"

Sunset 2, Douarnenez
Oils on canvas board 8" x 6"

Here I am, back from the trip but rather exhausted and full of cold! I used Rover at last, my mini pochade box, for these two small paintings of the sunset looking towards the island of Le Tristan from the edge of the hotel garden.
I'm starting to enjoy using Rover although I do find it difficult working so small. I forgot to bring my extra 6" x 8" boards with me but I was able to buy some from my new American friend Bobbi Heath, a fellow blogger!
These two paintings will be available for sale in my exhibition in Nottingham which is happening very soon, from the 16th to the 23rd July. Please visit if you can!
I'd like to put all of the paintings in the exhibition online with prices, does anybody have any ideas on the best way to do this?

Here's a picture of Rover in use when I got up really early on Sunday morning in Port en Bessin...