Secluded walk.

Back Track near the River   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches

I often walk along this track with whippet.

  The light and colour on this autumn day proved irresistible.

Studio Musings...

This was an old image in my studio waiting for an upgrade.

Now it is finished I like the colourful aspect and abstracted brush strokes.

Here is the first painting...quite dull.

By the Cricket Till

Haven of peace.

Lakeside at Benniworth Haven   Oils on canvas 5 x 6.5 inches

Remembering the peaceful day beside the lakes in this lovely place.

Studio Musings...

It is some years since my visit but the memory is still with me. 

 I wanted to give a sense of wild and abstracting the image seems right.

It is easy to tighten up with a subject like this...trying to be too realist and photographic wouldn't give me the same feeling.  The colours are muted for the same reason.

The study is quite bold and I like the brushwork.  

Strong, brave strokes set down and left alone.

Atmosphere.

Autumn on the River Till, Broxholme 

  Oils on 140lb paper   13 x 10 inches

In a hand-painted wood frame.

An abstract view of the river near my home.

Studio musings...

This painting has a double life...and a happy ending to what could have been rejection.

I found the painting at the back of my studio cupboard and decided to give it a second chance.  Using a large brush I abstracted the image a little, added some bold strokes, light in the sky and reflections on the water.  It has a relaxed feeling, winding down after summer.

The reverse has another painting...the beach at Sheringham, Norfolk.

This has been left untouched and can still be seen.

The Beach

Atmospheric.

Cragside, Northumberland   Oils on box canvas  8 x 8 inches

A memory of an enjoyable weekend up north many years ago.

Cragside is set in forest and is a magical place.

This lake is at the entrance to the house.

Studio Musings...

In my continuing forage amongst my studio treasures I came across this little canvas.

There was an existing picture but I loaded my brush with leftover paint and began to scrub. 

  I added a soft yellow top corner and a smudge of pale blue at the bottom.

It seemed to be 'morphing' into a landscape with a lake.

 A white highlight was brushed quickly across what appeared to be water.

I stepped back to view, then placed a final small dab of sky colour on the lake.

It reminds me of Cragside.  Enough said.  

Striking.

Whatever the Weather   Oils on board  12 x 12 inches

Dunes and weather, scrub and sand.  An overhead storm adds punch.

Studio Musings...

This painting began life last year and has been sitting in my studio.

  I decided to give a new look to the piece by adding some scrub and shrub, a sandy track and transparent washes to the foreground.  It is in a flat 1.5 inch frame.

Whatever the Weather, framed

Here is the previous image before I added the present detail.

Flashpoint...

Summer walk.

West Field Corner   Oils on canvas board  5 x 7 inches

Walking down to the river I pass this field, tree sheltered from the west winds.

Studio Musings...

I am continuing my upgrade of dull pieces and this little study

 has more life and atmosphere with some attention.  

All it takes is a larger brush and some bold attitude.

There is nothing to lose and plenty to gain by trying.

A long view.

Ebb and Flow   Oils on board   16 x 8 inches

Marsh and sandbank, ebb tide and creek.

Studio Musings...

A very happy accident...in 'painting speak'.

This little painting was the remains of a landscape cropping.

I was so excited when I looked at the 'unwanted' part after the chosen piece was fitted into the frame.  It is quite powerful and I keep getting drawn to the composition.

The vertical format is fascinating.  In my opinion.

In the corner.

Last of the Wheat   Oils on canvas board   6 x 6 inches  

The field near the river and not long to harvest.

There is peace today and the air is still.

In a few days the harvest machines will come but the corner of this field is under-ripe.  Patches of green mingle with the crop where there is shade from the trees.

Out in the open the sun shines on the golden wheat.

Studio Musings...

This little study was an exercise in colour and shapes.

I used thick brush strokes to give an impression of the patches in the crop.

There are some tractor wheelings too which add variety.

This is the first image... 

I thought the painting was finished but leaving it overnight

 I decided to add more colour and change a few things.

Last of the Wheat...stage 1

Gentle times.

Tide's Out   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches

Marshland walking.  Along the coast near Cleethorpes.

Studio Musings...

I never tire of visiting our East Coast.  Whether in person or in paint.

A gentle day with a warm breeze and the tide is low. 

 There is sun on the sandbank and the creek catches the light.

This part of coast is at the mouth of the River Humber and the water is not really as blue. 

There is a lot of sand and silt in the tide giving it more of a grey-brown appearance.

Not today...I am in charge of the colours.

Rushing down.

Fast Flow   Oils on board   5 x 7 inches

The rushing waters of a stream near Betys y Coed in North Wales. 

We visited this mossy place named 'Fairy Glen' in autumn after rainfall. 

Studio Musings...

The image below was painted some time ago and I never felt happy with the result.

I re-worked it to add more life.  I think it gives a sense of the fast flow now.

Fast Flow...  first painting.

Cooling down.

Mossy Glen   Oils on canvas board   7 x 5 inches

A cool run for this fast flowing stream in North Wales.

We sat on the rocks after climbing down the hillside.

Studio Musings...

I found this little painting in my box during my 'up-grade' search.

It reminds me of the autumn holiday we had with our son many years ago.

Mind how you go.

Tread Gently   Oils on stretched canvas   9 x 12 inches

Saltwater marsh on the East Coast of England.

Pools at ebb tide act as nature's mirrors.

Studio Musings...

This is the third painting from my 'put aside' box.

It is offered for a time at a special price.

Now...back to my easel.

Going west.

West Field   Oils on board  8 x 10 inches

My view of summer fields...flax, borage and lupins.

Studio Musings...

A second painting on special offer price.

  This began life as a green field but soon 'morphed' into this colourful scene.

The perks of being a painter...I am in charge of the colour box.

All ablaze.

Poppy Field   Oils on board  5 x 5 inches

The fields above Benniworth, Lincolnshire.

Studio Musings...

For the next few days I shall re-post a few of my paintings

 from last year at a special offer price.

This little piece would prop up in a corner to bring a little colour.

(To buy...click on Daily Paintworks.com or email me for a bank transfer in UK.)

Rainbow colours.

Harvest Sun   Oils on board   4 x 6 inches  SOLD

Multi-coloured fields in high summer.

Studio Musings...

A great deal of fun can come from looking through past work.

Sometimes a painting may benefit from some more attention to give it a boost.

This little picture was in my box of 'rejects'.

  I decided to give it a colour boost using all the colours on my palette. 

  I abstracted the scene and included the same colours in the sky.  

Now it is pure fiction.

 A feast for the eye.

Here is the original image...

Contrasts.

Spring Storm   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches

Contrasting colours and a touch of drama over the oilseed rapefield.

Studio Musings...

A second re-work. 

This is another painting which lacked a little drama.

I am currently looking at some old paintings which never quite made the grade.

This is a Spring landscape about an approaching storm.

I darkened the sky and added some colour and highlights to the field.

Abstracted and gestural, I like it now.

Here is the previous image before the re-work...

Coming Storm 

It comes.

Storm over Corn   Oils on canvas board   6 x 6 inches

Colour is everywhere as the summer storm approaches.

Studio Musings...

I love the colours on a stormy day. 

 The farmer might not like it but it gives a painter pleasure.

This little painting is an example of a change of mood.

It was painted some time ago but I wasn't really happy with it.

I felt the scene lacked sparkle so I put it up on my easel again for a 're-work'.

A darker sky and some highlights on the field made it come to life.

Here is the previous image before the re-work...

Corn Corner

Layers of colour.

Dune   Oils on board   8 x 8 inches

Multi-coloured layers of the coastal dunes.

Studio Musings...

The last demonstration painting in my recent show.

I scrubbed the undercoat onto the board with a brush using transparent colours.

  This gave me a vigorous, textured look to represent the grass and shrubs.  

Opaque colours were added to block out parts of the composition

 with sweeps of thicker paint suggesting sand and drift. 

 Some blue was placed in the lower part balancing the blues in the sky.  

 Expressive and abstracted...my view of the coast. 

Remains of the day...

After Sun   Oils on canvas board   8 x 8 inches

After another painting in my show...somewhere along the Yorkshire coast.

I like the terracotta colours with grey blue.

Studio Musings...

I have been using my paintings as a reference for a new piece of work.  

This is quite a useful exercise when wondering what to paint.

Not trying to copy but using the first picture as a guide.

The colours...Phthalo blue, Burnt Sienna, Indian Yellow, Light red, and Titanium White.

It was fun blending the colours to get what I wanted.

Proof that a restricted palette can make painting easier.

Evensong.

Vespers   Oils on board   21 x 27 cms

Dips in the fields hold the snow after the thaw.  A fictional scene of rolling Wolds.

Studio Musings...

Just before dusk there is a moment when the light becomes ethereal.

Gentle colours are in this abstracted picture to suggest the quietness of the time. 

Skylights.

Coastal Adventures   Oils on canvas board   6 x 6 inches

A childhood playground in the sand dunes.  Warm summer days.

Studio Musings...

Memories of childhood days in the school holidays exploring the coast near my home.

Armed with a bottle of orange squash and a sandwich I would cycle down the cinder track to the Fitties beach and dunes.  The marram grass was sharp and scratchy but the sand warmed by the sun made a soft place to sit with my picnic.