Over There, from Over Here

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…

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…

Peanuts!

My wife Judith and I have been making the most of some lovely spring weather of late, and putting in some dedicated work on the garden. The local wildlife seems to be appreciating our handy work, and amongst our regular visitors at the moment are some blue tits. These shy little birds wait in a…

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…