This panoramic painting, which depicts the Liverpool Waterfront, was completed in a couple of sessions today following a prolonged hiatus post-inception. It was painted from photographs taken on a late winter/early spring day in 2013 at a vantage point somewhere between New Brighton and Birkenhead, looking over the Mersey. I had a couple of sessions…
Category: Oils
Leaving it to Memory
This landscape study was made today in Daler-Rowney Georgian oils on 10” x 12” canvas. It was painted from photographs taken on Sunday on a Wirral Walking Festival event – Storeton Village History Walk – and took a little over an hour to complete. According to our Wirral Archaeology walking guide, who I’ve no reason…
Saying Happy Birthday with Alstroemeria
It’s been difficult to fit in much painting of late for one reason and another (workshops, admin, art group shenanigans), but I was determined to fit in one today in order to dedicate it to my wife’s Oma, whose birthday it is. Something told me last week when I bought these flowers that I should…
In Praise of Alkyds
These days I like to vary the media with which I paint, in turn embracing the unique qualities of oils, acrylics and alkyds respectively. I’ve been working with Winsor & Newton alkyd paints for over 20 years; most of my pre-2010 work (and around half subsequently) labelled ‘oils on canvas’ on my website (www.birtall.co.uk) was…
All Teeth and No Trousers
I have recently been doing some research into the working methods of John Constable in preparation for a forthcoming painting workshop, Big Skies, paying particular attention to his oil studies on paper and board. Inspired to give working in oils on paper a go, this oil sketch, made yesterday, is the first result. The paper…
Drawing Upon Life 