It’s mid-September and starting to feel distinctly chilly here. A fleece-lined shirt has been donned and the warm socks are out. The summer is fading to a vague memory, thoughts are turning to central heating and cocoa, and high street shops are trying to flog us Christmas. So… I thought it might be nice to…
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.
Beyond the Madness
I was asked last month to make a painting demonstration for a group of non-artists. Given a challenging time limit of not much over half an hour in which to complete the demonstration I unwisely chose too complex a subject – chrysanthemums in a glass vase. My approach to the early stages of painting can…
Painting Made Easy?
Earlier this month I started running weekly art classes at a local community centre on the Wirral peninsula. It was my intention to use these classes to put students on a personal creative ‘journey’. The experience garnered in my painting workshops, which I’ve run from home since summer 2014, is that the majority of students,…
Can you hear me at the back?
I was approached earlier this year to do a demonstration in acrylics for the Irby Artists group. The demo – Boat Painting in Acrylics – was held this Tuesday evening, and pictured is the result. It’s a little unnerving making a painting and muttering away in front of a virtually silent group of 50-60 people…
Drawing Upon Life 