Painting on Sunday Morning 21. 1. 10

This 12" x 16" Oil on Panel was completed in the morning in the company of Matthew and Mike. The day before was appalling and I got soaked ! So when I woke to find the sun shining I had to get out and paint. Both Matthew and Mike were keen to paint and we set up on Broadstairs Harbour. This place is steeped in history from Smugglers to Charles Dickens. We decided to paint the old wooden building out on the harbour, with its charactoristic leaning toward the sea. The long early morning shadows served to enhance the composition and together with the lamps add depth to the painting.

Matthew painting.

Our reward after a long hard mornings work in the studio of out doors.

Second landscape of the new year

Well I could not stop with the Preston image. I have been passing the church on the hill for many years and for the last 8 months I have thought about how nice it might look as a painting. Several times I have pulled up and got out of my car to look at the scene of this old church perched up on the side of a hill in the little village of Peene near Folkestone.

When I saw it in snow I had to get some reference, I was going to do it as a plein study but the day I went the sun shone in the snow everywhere except on my church, utter frustration! I took a couple of shots in case I could not get the sun on it whilst the snow was around, in which case I would had no choice but create my own sunlight whilst painting the image.

As luck would have it I was off to join a friend painting the next day, and as I past by the church so the sun shone upon it, showing it off in all its majesty,.I took a few shots just as the sun went behind a huge cloud, how lucky was that, or was it devine intervention, I'll let you decide that issue.

Anyway the image is for sale and details can be found on my web gallery. I have as the last painting shown it in its new frame, being  hand made and 23ct gilded .

 

Best wishes Paul

First landscape of 2010

After a cold session painting plein air, I was off again this time to East Kent meeting up with my artist friend Matthew Alexander for more of the same. This painting is from a photo taken of the road into Preston Village. There was no time to paint this pretty scene at the time, so I painted it in the comfort of my studio the next day whilst the image of the light was still firmly fixed in my mind.

I particularly like the old cottage centre stage showing a warm fire burning against the bleak winter weather outside.The sun is bursting through the rapidly approaching snow clouds, threatening to lay down a further blanket of snow.

The oil is for sale and presented in a hand made  23ct gilded frame shown below, details can be seen on my web gallery.

 

I hope that you like the image

best wishes Paul

What more proof is needed!!

    This is proof positive that I have been out there painting during the big freeze.

  So there you have it, I am either a passionate plein air painter or complete nutter!!

    It depends how well you know me as to which side of the fence you fall in this regard.

As for the paintings, well I my post the efforts as I was not so happy with the results. I might have been due to the extreme cold or the good whisky I was taking, medicinal only of course!

I was painting with Mathew Alexander who was equally as cold as we painted at Monkton.

Demo piece

My annual visit to the members of Hythe Art Society took place on Wednesday 6th January. I was delighted with the number of people who braved the snow, ice and extreme cold to come along and listen to my demonstation.

The welcome as always was warm and cheery, despite the weather.

The image I chose to paint was a black Laborador on a retrival exercise in a lake during the late summer. It was a demonstration in oil and lasted for two hours. After teas and introductions I actually ended up painting this image in one and a half hours. At the beginning I announced that I hoped it would go well as I had left my glasses at home, so there was no telling how it would end up!

Anyway everyone agreed that it went well, with most of the paint going onto the canvas instead of me, which is usually what happens. So maybe next time I will leave my glasses at home once more, saves on clothing.

The image is a full sketch and working study for a new painting that I will be starting in the next few days. That is once this snow has gone as I am out painting whenever the weather allows.

I do hope that you like the demonstration image.

Happy New Year to all my clients and friends.

Well 2010 is off to a great start, lots of snow to paint and to collect great refernce for new paintings, both landscapes and sporting images during this coming year.

I hope everyone enjoyed a trouble free and Happy Christmas and New Year. Not too many hangovers I hope, they can be a drag.

I was not idle over the holiday time,  I was out in the ice and snow taking shots and sketching for new images.

I also painted a nude from older reference taken a few years ago . I rediscovered the reference and decided to paint the current image. The painting is called 'Bathed in Morning Light' and is oil on canvas 12" x 16".

It is the first painting not only of the new year, but also the first to carry my new signature. I have thought for a long time that I wanted it to be less conspicuous in the painting, so as of this year all my paintings will show just Apps and the date with the copyright mark as I have always done.

Well, as always I invite your thoughts and comments about my work, they are welcome.

I hope that you like this painting. I  hope to paint more nudes as soon as I find a new model that I am able to work with.