Crisp and uneven.

             Frosty Wolds   Oils on gessoed watercolour paper   8 x 11 inches   ON HOLD


A drop in temperature and the scene takes on a new dress.   Young crops and fallow earth are crisp with frost and there is a blue/green hue.  

I continued the colours into the sky as it seemed a shame to make a dramatic change.  As the painter I call the shots.  

Feel the heat.

Long Hot Summer   Oils on gessoed watercolour paper  11 x 8 inches  On Hold

This painting buzzes with heat and the glow of ripening corn.  I piled on the paint to give a sense of intensity.  Wheat fields in Lincolnshire ready for the harvester.

Uphill climb.

                      Hill Fields   Oils on gessoed paper   6.5 x 9 inches  SOLD

Scrumptious, luscious oils are at the fore in this study.  A typical field corner in the Wolds.  A lone Ash tree stands like a sentry at the top with a puddle at the bottom as a mirror.  

Summertime.

              Wolds in Summer   Oils on gessoed paper   11 x 8 inches   


The wide open fields of the Wolds are ripening fast.  Back to oils on paper for this landscape.  The surface, once gessoed is very forgiving and tolerates my scraping and sculpting.  

Lush.

                     Lakes and Light   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   SOLD



Jumbled undergrowth and the lush surroundings of a lake with milky light on the surface.

Plenty of sculpted paint and free expression.  Time to wade in and see what happens.

Two of us.

                Around Horncastle   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   


A different impression of the hills around Horncastle with warmth in the foreground and the cool feeling of lingering mist in the distance.  A day of contrasts, two in one.

On a roll.

                     Cuxwold Country  oils on canvas board  5 x 7 inches  



Rolling farmland towards the north of Lincolnshire.   A tapestry of shapes, texture and colours with tracks and hedgerows. Clusters of trees add variety to the scene. 

Freely painted with brush and knifework to add sweeps of impasto for rough grass and plants.

Rolling on.

                 Wold View   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   


The narrow road twists and turns as it meanders through the Wolds.  Little villages here and there...crops and sheep in the fields.   Hedgerows mark the route and dried grasses adorn the verges.

                             Loose brushwork and a gestural style in this small study.

Chalkland.

Red Hill in the Wolds    Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   

This little study is abstracted and loosely painted to give an impression

 of the wildlife area up in the Lincolnshire Wolds.

 Red Hill is a reserve managed by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

 An ancient chalk escarpment, it contains chalk-loving plants, scrub and grass

 which attracts birds,butterflies, moths and bees.  

  There is a portion of Red Chalk which gives the reserve its name. 

Sparks.

 

              Sunset on Frozen Lakes   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   SOLD


A great deal of painterly licence has been employed in this little study.   And why not?  This is what paint is for.  To enable the painter to put a personal stamp on the work.

I love sculpting the oil paint with brush and knife.  A flourish here and a scrape there.  

It sounds so easy...however, this can be far from the truth as scraping in a different sense happens more times than I care to mention.  It would be tempting to abandon the work but I am known for my determination.  This painting went through three lots of remedial work...tonking, scraping, wiping and finally......something went right and I called it a day. 
                                                            
                                                           Time for supper.

                                                          

Many colours.

                     Winter Morning at Spurn Point   Oils on canvas board 



Another day for painterly licence.  This little scene is an 'amalgam' of views at Spurn Point.  Why use one view when you can have several to add to the composition?  

Snow along the beach and dune, sun on the sand and a sky of violet blue.  A little cool for a picnic but just right for a brisk walk.

Breezy day.

                  Horseshoe Pool  Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   SOLD


Pools left by the outgoing tide on the east coast are an interesting subject for me to paint.  This little study is abstracted and given a textured surface to show something of the different colours, sand and grasses. 

I used a knife to finish the painting...sculpting the oils with quick flourishes on the surface.  If done lightly,  the underneath paint doesn't get damaged.

Exaggerate.

                    Next Door    Oil sketch on canvas board   5 x 7 inches


The mist is clearing in the morning sun and there are autumn colours in the trees and on top of the hedgerow as it runs down the roadside.   The blue green hue of the damp oilseed rape leaves makes an interesting colour change in this small sketch.  

           Plenty of licence here to pull out all the stops and exaggerate things a little.

Imminent.

              Coming Storm   Oil sketch on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   


Heady perfume and the bright yellow of oilseed rape covers large fields in the Lincolnshire Wolds.    The colour only lasts for a short time before petals fall and the seed pods form.

                                    A simple composition and contrasting colours.

All puddled up.

               Puddled Pathway   Oil sketch on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   SOLD


Just right for painting, these puddles are the highlight of the walk.  Falling leaves add some colour to this little sketch of the green lane near the river.   

A curving pathway makes an interesting composition especially when it goes out of sight.                                                              
                                                       What is beyond?

Shining.

          Silver Shore   Oils on board, silver painted frame.  13 x 12 inches



I love a desolate beach at ebb tide.  Just right for painting.  The silvery light on the standing water gives an ethereal feel to the scene.  The gilt frame is overpainted with silver to continue the theme.

Also available unframed...  10 x 8 inches    

I am happy to ship this painting unframed if the buyer prefers to choose their own.

Wading in.

Sand and Saltwater   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   

A bright and breezy day at Cleethorpes.  Quickly painted with loose brush strokes, I wanted to capture the cheerful scene.  Shallow water stands in the little creek and I liked the S shape as it tracks towards the sandbank.

A final flourish with a loaded knife across the bank gives a sense of sparkle.

Make an entrance.

                Lud's Door   Oils on watercolour paper   6.5 x 9 inches   



Another visit to the grandeur of rock formation in the Peak District.   A way into 'Lud's Church' with moss covered walls and mystery.

The watercolour paper has a beautiful texture for making rocks...gentle greens and a touch of pink give a softness to this very solid place.

Rolling on.

            Binbrook Fields    Oils on watercolour paper  6.5 x 9 inches   


Rolling hills in North Lincolnshire.  Wide arable fields like a carpet of green with an interesting pale strip near the hedgerow.  

Using green for a whole painting might be different but I like the directional lines of edges, hedges and tractor wheelings.  

On shore.

                         Wilder Shore   Oils on board  6.5 x 10 inches   SOLD


A deserted beach can seem a lonely, wild place.  For me as a painter I like the absence of people and boats so I can focus on the place itself without distraction.

There is a sense of water covering the beach but a lot of this is shallow, left behind by the out-going tide.  The colours are gentle and there is a feeling of calm.  Tiptoe quietly...and no splashing. 

On stony ground.

              Limestone Ridge   Oils on watercolour paper   5 x 7 inches   


Fields with limestone interest me when the plough has left ruts and wheelings with the up-turned lime stones visible on the surface.  When the crops grow the stone is hidden. So before or after is the best time to look. 

Sunlight shows this stone at its best with a creamy texture on the ground.  I began the piece with a large brush blocking in the shapes and approximate colours.  This stage was done with the paper upside down. 

Next, I turned it round and used an angled brush to scoop and scrub the thicker paint into the shape of the tractor wheelings.  Then I used a flat knife to scrape the paper for the pebbled effect taking advantage of the paper's own dimpled surface.

The sky was given a cloud effect with the knife which blended with the blues and violets.
A quick, light gestural scrape down with a loaded knife suggested more soil or stone on the ridge of the field.

                                                               Job done.

Up and down.

                    Step Down   Oils on watercolour paper   7 x 5 inches   



A gap in the rocks and a path down to the mossy, cool 'Lud's Church' in the Peak District National Park.   An abstracted piece with a hint of mystery.  What was at the top and what is at the bottom?  

I liked the ladder shape of the steps with sun shining on the stone and wanted to keep the painting simple.  An exercise in tonal change and texture.

As it happens...

                  Unfolding    Oils on watercolour paper   6 x 9 inches   


As the tide ebbs it makes space for an unfolding drama.  Water stands in pools and hollows on the shore.  Light is reflected on the wet ground and in the still puddles. 

The colours for this piece give an overall sense of peace.  Nothing too dramatic and yet there is the feeling of a stage show.  Tomorrow it may be different with new cast and audience.

Last call.

     Last Lights and Lakes    Oil study on watercolour paper  6.5 x 9 inches   ON HOLD


I love the colours reflected on the lakes.  This study was painted quickly and is an expressive use of brush and knife.  Lots of licence applied here.  The scene is part of a wildlife reserve in Lincolnshire.

Brief encounter

          Stubble at Sunset    Oil study on watercolour paper   6.5 x 9 inches  



The lights at sunset are fleeting and if encountered are a delight across the open fields. This painting is an expressive study to remind me of the changing skies.  It might be somewhere in Lincolnshire.  

All lit up.

Lincolnshire Winter   Oils on board  9 x 12 inches   ON HOLD

Nightfall... and glowing from the setting sun, the snowbound fields 

have a softness in the rolling Lincolnshire Wolds. 

  This painting is on board which is a change from my recent studies on watercolour paper.  The way the paint moves on the support is very different.  

I used brushes and left the knife alone as it seemed to scratch the hard paint surface.

  My aim was the gentle muffled sense of fresh snow.

Mingling.

          Lincolnshire Stream    Oils on watercolour paper   7 x 11 inches   ON HOLD


Overgrowth around a Lincolnshire stream almost hides the water.  Soon the leaves will be gone from the trees and shrubs,  but for now there is a golden rusty glow.  A glimpse of fields beyond is a fragment of calm in this frenzy of foliage.

Scenes like this are not easy to paint and there can be a desire to tighten up depicting all the detail.  I wanted to portray a sense of jumble and the only way was to push the oils into submission!   Speed and finishing before the painting became a mush was my aim.

Bay watch.

                 Yorkshire Bay   Oils on watercolour paper  7 x 11 inches   


                    Light leads the way down to this little bay along the Yorkshire coast. 
                                            A loose sketch of shapes and textures.

Viewers may question the absence of people in my paintings. I like people but I generally prefer to create my work alone and savour the peace of my studio.  Likewise, I mostly walk alone with just my whippet for company. 

I find I can concentrate on the colours and shapes of my surroundings, entering a 'world of my own' as I am inspired by the moment.   If I add figures to my work it has a strange way of taking over as the focus of the painting.   For me, the focus is the place itself, the sense of place and how I see it.

Slowing down.

Autumn Fields   Oils on watercolour paper  5 x 7 inches   SOLD

Goodbye to the spring sown crops and the fields lie relaxing briefly before the tractor moves in to prepare for next year.   The stormy sky adds colour to the scene .

A change of support for this study...last time I painted on a 4 x 6 inch board.  Increasingly I am painting on gessoed watercolour paper as I like its texture.   Until recently I painted oils on board or canvas but I needed to paint on paper for a forthcoming art show.

Now I am hooked and enjoying the process.  I will continue to use the other supports but now have another alternative.  I was a little concerned about framing work on paper as oils need to be exposed to air for drying out over a period of time and glass would prevent this.

 There is a solution.

The paper was gessoed on both sides before painting.  When the oils are dry I apply a coat of re-touch varnish which adds some protection to the surface.  Then the painting can be framed adding an acid free backing board behind it to give added support.  

No spooks.

All is Quiet   Oils on watercolour paper   6 x 9 inches   ON HOLD

A celebration of light and calm in this sunscape.

  The fields may be icy but the sun is setting the sky on fire to warm hearts.  

This kind of subject is a favourite for me and I love

 pushing the oils around blending the colours on the paper.