Colour change.

Looking Blue   Oils on canvas board 5 x 7 inches  £ 50

Blue light around the Estuary.

Studio Musings...

This vibrant colour came about by chance...

I had picked up the blue on my brush without noticing.

A bold gestural brush stroke later and I had a surprising look to the hills.

I decided to leave it and I like the finished piece.

Was it a 'happy accident'?

Maybe.

Contrasts.

Lincolnshire Storm  Oils on canvas board  5 x 7 inches  £ 50

Sudden showers and sunny intervals.

Gathering storm clouds over a Lincolnshire field.

Studio Musings...

I like a little drama in my work and the April weather gives me plenty.

The bright lemon yellow of oilseed rape is seen across the county.

When stormy purple skies oblige, a painter must paint.

Work in progress...

Soft Light  Oils on canvas board  16 x 20 inches

Here is a piece of work about light on the salt marshes.

Mostly about greens and blues I added other colours to lift the mood.

Touches of purple and sienna make the painting come to life.

Now the board is dry I think I will leave it apart from using a darker glaze 

  of transparent Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue in parts of the foreground. 

 This will strengthen the composition, add weight and a little warmth.

Looking back.

Passing by   Oils on stetched canvas  5 x 7 inches  £ 50

Landscape...loving the colour.

Studio Musings...

Yesterday I wrote about remembering the coastline and how it shows in my work.

Today, I return to landscape in Lincolnshire, my home county.

I live in a farming area and watch daily how weather affects the land and sky.

Occasionally I will take my 'plein air' trolley and paint outside

 but most of my work is made in the quiet of my studio.

This is a 're-work' of an existing piece.  

I kept the purple colours as an underpainting and worked on top.

Adding warm and cool greens to resemble trees and fields.

The purple adds a vibrant feel to the scene.

I shall leave it to dry.

Shining.

Coastal Pool   Oils on canvas board  5 x 7 inches  £ 50

Ebb tide brings life to the shore.

Pools sparkle in the sun.

Studio Musings...

The coast is a favourite subject for me to paint.

However, I don't stand in front of it with portable easel and umbrella.

I paint most of my pictures in the peace and calm of my studio.

This is a haven where my inner thoughts and memories are nurtured.

As I scrub the oils onto the board an image is formed.

My brush is like a pencil in a sketckbook making marks.

There is no need for photographs.  In fact, they would be a distraction for me.

These marks trigger memories, recollections and the delights of a place first seen.

I find it quite uncanny that as the painting comes together,

I am imagining myself right back in that moment.

Reflecting.

Passing by   Oils on stretched canvas   5 x 7 inches  £ 50

Landscape..passing by. 

 Fondly remembered.

Studio Musings...

Yesterday I wrote about remembering visits to the coast

 and how the memories remain.

Today's blog is about the landscape around my home county.

I paint about weather and how it affects the land and sky.

Occasionally I will take my plein air trolley and paint but most of my work

evolves in my studio.  I feel comfortable there.

This painting is a 're-work'...from a painting about lavender fields.

Using the image as an underpainting I kept the purple and scrubbed on marks to

resemble trees and grass.  I like the mix of purple and green.

I shall leave it to dry. 

Flat light.

Estuary 2   Oils on canvas board  5 x 7 inches  £ 50

Muted light over the estuary.

Studio Musings...

Lincolnshire's coast often has a 'flat light'...

Muted and moody the shore and coastline makes an ideal tonal study.

Another view

Whisby Lakes 2   Oils on canvas board  5 x 7 inches  £ 50

Another view of the lakes at Whisby Nature Park.

Studio Musings...

I have been busy this week preparing work for a show.

Today all the paintings have been hung in the gallery.

Here is the venue..

Harding House Gallery, 50 Steep Hill, Lincoln.

Opens on 10th June until 15th July 2017.