Thursday 30 April 2015


Favourite Things.




       Thursday on the Till   Oils on Bockingford Paper/on Board   25 x 34 cms   


Loose and free abstracted brush strokes created this study of the river near my home.  I had to post it quickly before it dries so I am not tempted to 'tidy it up'.  I shall leave it alone.

Ps...it has an acrylic sketch of Sheringham beach on the reverse.  Two for one.

Wednesday 29 April 2015


Lyrical.






                  Blue Passage   Oils on stretched canvas   20 x 8 inches  


An imaginary sea/landscape with sculpted shapes representing coves, creeks, sand and sea.

Tuesday 28 April 2015


Multi-coloured





                           Dawn Watch   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   



Colours are certainly part of this experience on the East Coast at Mablethorpe.  Our huge, open skies are often multi-coloured at dawn.  A lyrical study to give a sense of time and place.

Monday 27 April 2015


Getting Abstracted.





            Amethyst Ocean   Oils on stretched box canvas   12 x 12 inches  SOLD


As a change from my tiny pictures I selected a stretched box canvas which was part painted and put aside for further work.  Abstraction was the name of the game as I played with the paint.  Here is the result.  I like the 'push and pull' of the images to play with the eye.

Sunday 26 April 2015


Favourite Places.





                          August on the Till   Acrylic on board  25 x 31 cms   SOLD



A loose expressive landscape of the river near my home.  Late summer is good for warm colours and seed heads on the docks and grasses.

Saturday 25 April 2015


Quiet Place.





                        Benniworth Haven    Acrylic on board  9 x 7 inches   SOLD



Haven is the right word for this lovely place.  We were taken there by friends who lived nearby.  It was a spring day and the bright yellow of the gorse bushes shone brightly as a contrast against the dark pines on the bank in the background.




Friday 24 April 2015


Success from Failure





             Several Shades of Grey    Oils on hardboard panel  10 x 12 inches   SOLD



This is how one painting morphed into another after a disastrous day.  I was aiming for a seascape of sun on sandbanks but it nearly became a 'wiper'.   Using up paint on my palette I decided to push the greyed down oils around and these luscious, textural brush marks make the image seem like mud flats at low tide.  Really???    A little imagination goes a long way.  

Thursday 23 April 2015


Abstraction. 







                           Suspended Land   Oils on cardboard   10 x 10 inches   



Evolving shapes and colours sculpted with my brush portray an imaginary image suggestive of land, sea and sky.  Resisting the temptation to overwork the painting I stopped just short of destruction. 

Wednesday 22 April 2015



Suspended Motion.





                      Inertia   Oils on board   8 x 8 inches    ( black, flat frame ).


Like a spinning wheel, this image gives a sense of motion but is stopped for the viewer to catch a glimpse of shapes and colours from an imaginary land.  There is plenty of activity but also calm places for the eye to rest.

Tuesday 21 April 2015


Solitude.





                               Huttoft Bank     Oils on board   10 x 12 inches  


A favourite place for my whippet Brodie to stretch his legs.  Often quiet, this open beach gives a sense of solitude.  Sea, sand and grass are framed by a wide open sky.


Monday 20 April 2015


Partners.






                  Dialogue   Oils on stretched box canvas   12 x 12 inches  



  These differing shapes resemble organic sculptures sharing the same orange/red colours and texture.  They have been separated by the neutral space but appear to be in earnest conversation.  

Sunday 19 April 2015


Space.





               Colour and Space   Oils on stretched box canvas   12 x 12 inches  



There is a sense of space in this small painting.  Resisting the temptation to fill the canvas with detail, this is restricted to the lower part of the work with some dark shapes at the top to act as a balance.  

Saturday 18 April 2015


Calm Day.





                              Solitude   Oils on canvas board   8 x 8 inches   SOLD


Water lapping gently over stones and mud.  Early morning on the estuary at low tide.

Friday 17 April 2015



Inner vision.






                          Rift   Oils on board   8 x 8 inches    ( black, flat frame )


One of my favourite paintings, Rift is almost an exercise in tonal values.  Resembling a valley or deep ravine, this became the inspiration for the title.  I sculpted the under-painting with a stiff brush to make the shapes.  A mixed black was chosen for the lower part of the image to contrast with the golden orange colours. The small white oval gives a mysterious element. 

Thursday 16 April 2015


Diagonals.




                Off the Level   Oils on board   8 x 8 inches   ( black, flat frame ).


I like the many 'vignettes' in this work...diagonals separate the abstracted mini landscapes.  Images of reality amongst the imaginary places.  



Wednesday 15 April 2015


Images.





                          Creek   Oils on board   8 x 8 inches ( in black flat frame )



Composition interests me when looking for subjects to paint.  This painting is not an actual place but the under-painting of sienna and umber scrubbed about on the board gave me some shapes and ideas for a composition to resemble creeks and pools.  The bold swirl of creamy-white is echoed by the pale blue-green curve giving a depth to the work whilst the darker lines add a textural feel.  

Tuesday 14 April 2015


East Coast abstractions.





               Bleak Prospect   Oils on board   8 x 8 inches    ( in flat, black frame ).


Salt marsh, sea and sand are in this abstracted image.  An imaginary painting inspired by the wild feeling of the East Lincolnshire coast.

Monday 13 April 2015


Shapes.




              Tidal Inlet   Oils on board  8 x 8 inches     ( in flat, black frame ).



                                    Abstracted shapes and colours of a tidal inlet



Sunday 12 April 2015


Texture.





                        Mud Flats, Low Tide   Oils on canvas board   7 x 5 inches   SOLD



Sea weed, mud and pools.  Low tide glistens in the light above a tapestry of textured exposed estuary banks.

Saturday 11 April 2015


Autumn Carpet.






                          Fallen Leaves   Oils on canvas board  8 x 8 inches   £ 35



Sunlight filtering through the copse of Silver Birch trees highlights the copper glow on the carpet of fallen leaves.  

Friday 10 April 2015


Fantasy.






                           Quarry Walk   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   SOLD




Belsay Quarry Gardens is a magical place.  The stone was quarried in the early 19th century and used to build Belsay Hall.  The remaining stone 'walls' and open spaces were planted with ferns, rhododendrons and exotic plants to create a 'fantasy' garden.  There are surprises around every corner.  This painting shows one of the paths and flowering shrubs.  I like the sunlight on the large chunks of stone.

Thursday 9 April 2015


Illusions.







           Point the Way    Oils on stretched box canvas   16 x 16 inches   £ 150


Abstract shapes and gentle, mellow colours creating an illusion of a highway and rock formations.   

Wednesday 8 April 2015


Wet day.







                     Open for Business   Oils on canvas board  8 x 8 inches  £ 40


On a wet day I visited a village in the Lincolnshire Wolds.  Driving up the winding streets I saw the sun briefly shining on the white wall of a little shop.  At the side was a shady alleyway which gave the scene a sense of mystery.  The subject gave me several examples of counter-change...the dark wall against the white shop and the sky against the roof.  I also liked the golden end wall of the adjoining house which added warmth to the painting.

Tuesday 7 April 2015


Impression.





                 Sunrise over the Estuary   Oils on canvas board  8 x 8 inches   SOLD



Abstracted patterns give an impression of dawn reflecting its presence in pools and mud.

Monday 6 April 2015


A bucketful of colour.




              Red Marker, Cleethorpes   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   £ 30


Like an upturned bucket this red marker is a cheerful sentry on the beach.  As a signal at the end of the Groyne it acts as a reminder for boats nearing the shore.

Friday 3 April 2015



Light.




                    Dune bank and shore  Oils on canvas board  7 x 5 inches   £ 30.



I am attracted to painting light in the landscape and on water.  Using a vertical format, my aim was to capture a sense of dune above the shore.  I like the effect of triangles in the composition.

Thursday 2 April 2015


Flower Jumble.





                 Midsummer Meadows 2    Oils on canvas board  6 x 6 inches   SOLD



Another study of summer flowers jumbled together in a meadow.  The thistles like to proclaim their presence as if to keep the others in control.   

Wednesday 1 April 2015



Spring Willows.





       Water Meadows in Spring   Oils on canvas board, unframed  4 x 4 inches  



After visiting a friend I walked around her village in Laneham, Nottinghamshire.  This view is from a bridge over a small stream with pollarded willows on the banks.  The meadows are next to the River Trent and are sometimes flooded.  Today they are ready for the cattle to enjoy the spring grass and the willows are sporting their new growth.