High and mighty.

                    Roach Walk    Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches  


Remembering my walking holiday on the Roaches, I wanted to create an impression of this magical place.  High up and mighty rocks, moss and heather with a sandy path.

     Painted with a brush the strokes are broad and bold to depict the rock formations.

On the rocks.

                          Lud's Church    Oils on board   5 x 8 inches 



            Rock walls rising on all sides.  Cool and mossy.  Pools of sunlight on the floor.

Lud's Church is a cleft in the rocks near Gradbach in the Peak District and is said to have been used as a place of worship and a hiding place in the 15th Century. 

Passing showers.

                     Purple Rain    Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   


Multi-coloured reflections and calm before nightfall.  A setting sun after a rainy day can be seen in puddles and tractor wheelings in the fields.   Bold colours, some texture and a little painter's licence created this little study.  

Jewels of winter.

                    Flooded Fields    Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   SOLD



Winter colours and nature's jewels.  My interest has turned to expressing my idea of the landscape.  I have always shied away from painting reality in a photographic sense preferring to put my own painter's hand in the frame and this little painting is an example of my current work.

Gestural marks and bold, confident brush strokes are in this little study of Lincolnshire's arable landscape.  

Designer stubble.

                  Storm over Stubble    Oils on board   8.5 x 10 inches   ON HOLD



Lincolnshire arable fields after harvest.  A turbulent sky threatens stormy weather and this large dark cloud was a delight to paint.  

Pushing the oils around with a brush I created a textural impression of the atmosphere in this farming landscape.   I like the effect of light and shadow with bold streaks of sun on the empty field.

Whippet's walk.

                        Early Summer    Oils on board   8.5 x 5.5 inches   SOLD



         Humberston Fitties.  Childhood memories and a breezy day for whippet's walk.

A simple study using a limited palette of phthalo blue, burnt sienna, naples yellow, and winsor yellow with titanium white for mixes of hues.  All painted with a brush.

Shocking.

                  Kaleidoscope   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   


Shaken but not stirred...a shocking flavour of nature's evening drink.   Far-fetched it might be but it certainly stirs up the imagination.  

Juicy and luscious oils are a joy to the senses.  I love moving them around to create an arrangement of shapes.   Drink and be merry.

Lingering taste.

                        Bitter Sweet   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   


Like it or not...winter will come to the Lincolnshire Wolds.  Depending on the individual vewpoint the taste of the season may be bitter or sweet. 

Here is a blend of ingredients.  Shapes of the fields like a tapestry in blue...with mixtures of pink and orange as the sun leaves the stage.

Supper is served. 

Winter coat.

                        Muffled   Oils on canvas board  5 x 7 inches   


Winter coats at the ready...scarves and gloves.  Not all bad about the coming season as there is beauty in the landscape when it snows.

A vertical format gives a view up the hill in the Lincolnshire Wolds.  Lone pine tree and shrubs are shelter for livestock in the wind.  

A small study quickly painted with no fussing to give an idea of winter colours.

Picture this...

                 Coast of Colours   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   


Shallow water, evening and a painter.   A colourful combination.  This gestural study makes the most of what is on offer.  Heady stuff.

Textures of Lincolnshire.

                          Under a Cloud    Oils on board   8 x 4 inches   SOLD


Tastes and textures of a wide landscape.  This little study is a gestural impression of the weather in all its glory.  Brush strokes and a final touch of the knife created a spontaneous sense of place.

Cloudbreak.

                         After the Rain    Oils on board   8 x 4 inches   SOLD



A vertical format to give an impression of space between land and sky.  The clouds are breaking after the rain to let the sun warm the sandbanks and marsh.  

High Dive.

                    Pool on the Roaches   Oils on board   4 x 8 inches   



1500 feet up in the Peak District there is a pool.  It is said there is no bottom...and a mermaid lives here.

Sandy and rocky with scrubby heather this place is beautiful with scenic views in all directions.

Painted with a broad brush, the subject is abstracted to give a feelinng of relaxed pleasure.

Violet rinse.

                Whisby Walking    Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   


A walk with Whippet around the lakes at Whisby Nature Park.  Previously a working gravel pit, this lovely area was developed to make a wildlife reserve and opens to the public daily.

The limestone paths are blonde in the sunshine with violet and peach shadows.  Sunlight streams through the gaps in the trees and shrubs.  Butterflies and bees love the wild flowers at the side of the tracks.

Often a difficult scene to paint with many greens and nothing much to vary the interest, I focussed on the sunlight and shadows.  The curve of the path lends a sense of mystery to lead the viewer's eye.

Big view, small picture.

             

                               Dune Visit    Oils on board   4 x 4 inches   SOLD



I love painting our coastline.  Not for me the fancy seaside resorts with boats and bling but the vast lonely dunes and wide skies of the East Coast of England.

This little painting is a fragment of what is really on show in this area but I find it interesting to paint a tiny piece to see if I can capture the essence of the place.  Loosely painted and abstracted, I like the brush strokes and texture.

Highlights.

                        Low Light   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   

             Sunset at Snettisham.  The highlight of the scene is the lowlight of the sun.

                 An abstracted study of the colours with a little of my own imagination.

                  I really enjoyed adding the luscious pats of paint to make my point.  

Mermaids.

                     Doxy's Pool   Oils on canvas board   7 x 5 inches   SOLD


    As legends have it....there is a mermaid called Jenny Greenteeth living in this pool.


She must have been out when I called but I love the stories about her enticing people into a watery grave.  Some say it is a bottomless pool.   It is a beautiful place for her to live on top of the Roaches in the Peak District.

I was on a walking holiday when we climbed up this rock formation...about 1500 ft...I am informed.  The guide didn't mention this pool wanting it to be a surprise.  And it was.  So serene and in September the weather was colourful, fresh and breezy with the occasional rain squall.

I have abstracted the scene a little, well, a lot actually, to put my own stamp on it.  I liked making the shapes with little flourishes of Anne Wood for good measure.

Shadows and shapes.

                      Shifting Dunes   Oils on canvas board   7 x 5 inches   SOLD


I loved painting this little scene.  It is my birthday today so a trip to the seaside with bucket and spade will be a treat.  :)

The ever-changing dunes and coastline with sun and shdows.   Perfect.

The shape of this dip in the dune was in shadow and the lovely curved stripe of sunlight above made a great composition.

The painting came together quite quickly and seemed to express what I wanted so I have resisted the urge to fiddle.

Now...where is that ice-cream?

Paint source.

                    Ochre Stream   Oil study on canvas board   7 x 5 inches   


Near Gradbach in the Peak District there is a stream which gushes out from the ground on an old coal-mining site.  Ancient drying beds would allow the water to settle and the ochre was taken for the manufacture of paint.  

This view of the stream in full flow was too interesting to pass and I have aimed to capture a little of the feel for the place.

I liked the tangle of thin tree branches and the colours.  It was an ideal opportunity to lay the oil paint on thick and luscious.  Yummy.

Cutting a slice.

                   Cliff Watch   Oils on canvas board   7 x 5 inches   


A small slice of the Yorkshire coastal cliffs.  I once cycled to Flamborough head with my daughter to camp.   A journey of 80 miles in head wind.  It was worth the effort as the coastline is spectacular.  We had a good holiday.

Point the way.

                                Spurn Point    Oils on board  4 x 4 inches   SOLD


Another visit to Spurn Point in an abstract mood.  A gestural sketch about light on land and sea.  The dunes and marram grass ( Ammophila)  feature as well in a supporting role.

Keep it dark.

             Marsh Secrets    Oils on board   24 x 18 inches   ON HOLD



As a change from my daily small paintings I have posted this one of Morston Marsh in Norfolk.  Abstracted and colourful it was exciting to paint on a larger surface.  The sense of freedom is exhilarating as I can use my whole arm to paint.


It is one of a series I am painting for my solo show next March but if it finds a new home before then I am happy to let it go.  

It has a cream painted wood frame which could be shipped in the UK....please contact me for mail costs.  Painting framed is £ 500.

Splashing out.

               Looking West, from Wells   Oils on board   4 x 4 inches   


Splashing through the pools at low tide.   Looking west towards Holkham in Norfolk, the sunset is bold and bright.  Norfolk is known for large sandy beaches and huge, open skies.

A tiny sketch, no fussing...a few brush strokes say enough.

Dilly Dilly.

                      Norfolk Lavender    Oils on board   4 x 4 inches   SOLD


Loving lavender, a feast of blue and purple with a slash of yellow green grass at the edge of the field. 

A tiny sketch but big on personality.

Orange and Lemon.

                       Snettisham Beach   Oils on board   4 x 4 inches  SOLD


  Warm and bold, this tiny sketch is about capturing a sense of place.    Playing fast and loose with oils and a brush for a study of colour and texture.

Paradise.

                        Freiston Shore    Oils on board  4 x 4 inches   


Paradise for birds...Freiston nature reserve has salt-marsh and lagoons attracting many waders and other migratory birds.  

Abstracted and high on colour, this tiny sketch celebrates this wonderful playground.

Catching shadows.

                   Shadow Stripe    Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   



Light in the landscape...spotting shadows and capturing an idea for a painting.   This scene was across the field so I zoomed in with my lens and cropped the picture for my sketch.

The field is empty now...not long until the plough will make lovely furrows and another painting for me.

This work has been abstracted and the focus is on the little stripe, highlighted by the bright sunlight behind and in front.  The shadow was created by a small copse at the side of the field.  It is the site of the old community hut for the village.  Long gone but once popular for Whist Drives and other games.

Contrasts.

                       Rain Likely   Oil sketch on board   4 x 8 inches   ON HOLD



Sketched quickly on a gessoed board, this little painting has an abstracted sense of place.  Rain clouds gather and act as a background for the rich colours of the willows.  The grass is a gathering place for Canada geese to graze but they saw us coming and left in a hurry.

Winter in August.

                          Precipitation    Oils on board   4 x 8 inches   



This scene is really early March.  I found the reference photo recently and decided to re-visit on a smaller scale.  A larger painting of this scene found a new home last year.  

Abstracted and loosely rendered, the focus is on the wintery feel of the day. Sudden squally showers and a dusting of snow.  Not very 'spring is in the air' weather.

 The colours of this image are more blue than the painting.  The sky has a grey violet hue 'in the flesh'.  If I can improve on this I will replace the digital image.

Where are the ducks?

                        Weed for Ducks   Oils on board  4 x 6 inches   


I am getting preoccupied with this little stream.  This year there is a thick blanket of duck weed...or to give it the Latin name, Lemnoideae.  It is extremely difficult to eradicate and often hated by pond owners.

Like a flourescent lemon lime path, the stream stands out, almost shouting for attention.  I have painted it three times so far from different angles.  

If the ducks come by they will have a feast.