This painting, made in summer 2016, depicts a Humboldt penguin colony. It is based on reference photos taken on a trip to Gweek Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall on a beautiful summer’s day in May 2013. Three of the penguins occupy themselves on dry land whilst their friend takes a dip. The painting was made in…
Learning from the Old Masters
While normally strongly discouraging my students from copying directly from published copies of other artists’ work without purpose, I do encourage them to experiment with approaches to painting. Practical, directed learning is beneficial if it provides illumination into alternative ways of working. A study of the work of an Old Master painter offers this opportunity….
Baby on Board!
It’s been six months since the arrival of our baby boy Robin and the time has hazily flown by. With a baby around the house it’s unsurprisingly been difficult to find the time to paint, let alone blogging and the like. The foundations for this painting were laid last year, shortly after Judith and I…
Painting the Winter through a Parental Haze
A demonstration for Heswall Artists Association this Saturday provided my first opportunity for an extended painting session since the arrival of our baby Robin. Though feeling significantly rusty after a 2 month layoff, struggling to concentrate fully after several sleep-deprived weeks, and making by no means one of my finest paintings, it was hugely enjoyable…
Over-ambition and Over-expectation
Prior to painting workshops I endeavour to produce example paintings. Photographing such work throughout their production, I then compile step-by-step guides for students to help them through the reproduction of the painting. In doing so I hope to demonstrate a logical path from start to finish and hopefully introduce students to some new ways of…
Drawing Upon Life 