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…
Tag: alkyds
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….
Dreaming of Amaryllis
I’ll be taking part in the Oxton Art Fair at the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum in Birkenhead in late November, which is a splendid chance to exhibit my paintings in an august venue. My work has previously been exhibited at the Williamson, in Wirral Society of Arts shows and the like (and my cards…
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…
Before the Flowers Fall…
A Black Eyed Susan plant, alongside Mr Bailey the cat, keeps me company in my home studio/conservatory. It’s been doing well in the conservatory environment and I finally got around to painting it yesterday after being encouraged to by my wife for several months. The Black Eyed Susan is a delicate thing – the merest…
Drawing Upon Life 