I feel like I’ve increasingly frequently been receiving drenchings from some pretty impressive autumnal downpours of late. These merciless soakings have put me in mind of this painting, which I made ten years ago, in 2015. The painting, made in oils on canvas board and measuring around 40 x 50 cm, was based on a…
Author: simonbirtall
I am an artist and art tutor based in Merseyside, UK. I paint in an Impressionist-influenced technique in oils or acrylics on canvas and make drawings in pencil, pen, pastels and more.
Health benefits of fresh air and egrets
Feeling a bit under the weather lately (oh, poor me), I determined to take some air and partake of a brief constitutional along the Meols/Hoylake promenade on the Wirral coast, along which perambulation I passed this painting, which I made about 4 years ago. It’s one of several paintings made by Wirral artists – mainly…
Van Gogh in a Day
A simple, easy-to-follow guide to (vaguely) re-creating one of Van Gogh’s self portraits. I made this painting about 10 years ago to demonstrate to some workshop students an approximation of Van Gogh’s working method. I made my painting before the workshop, photographing it at each stage, then supplying students with printed, illustrated step-by-step guides for…
Potter Joy
Dedicated Harry Potter fans both, my boys couldn’t wait to get their hands on a couple of Kinder Joys recently, to enjoy the yummy chocolate, and to (probably more importantly) discover the Potter figure secreted inside. Emerging from their chocolate egg encasement were 3.5 cm figures of Dumbledore himself and Severus Snape. I wanted to…
Finding Comfort in Painting
This painting, which I made in acrylics on A4 paper last year, depicts a comforter belonging to one of my children. I find recording in paint this stuff of childhood, comforting. Painting itself – which I don’t get much time for these days what with the more important demands of parenting, and a ‘proper job’…
Drawing Upon Life 