Showing posts with label wiltshire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wiltshire. Show all posts

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Wheat Stacks (Stooks)


 Quick study of sheaves, stacked in groups of eight.
10" x 12" (oil on Panel)

 


 

Friday, February 01, 2013

JANUARY SNOW Cows, and willow trees


The painting below had a tricky beginning. I'd forgotten my double-dipper so had to paint with pure white spirit and no oil medium - the cold and fine snow seemed to affect the texture of the paint so it felt quite dry despite liberally using the wet spirits. 
 Cows at the watertank in snow, and Willow Trees


The following day, going back to do a little more to the above, the cows proved a problem. They came right up to the  two-strand electric fence, gazing curiously at me and bellowing frequently. A bull with a ring in his nose and steaming nostrils joined them and when he bellowed he had a destinct tenor tembre to his, whereas the cows and full blown bass voices. Odd that!

Looking towards Little Cheverell

All this was unerving and I couldn't really concentrate standing two feet from the fence, with 20 ton of cattle steaming so close to my elbow, so I did the painting above, moving off about 20 ft (observing the  1ft per 1ton, safety rule:) and standing with my back to them  - still unerving and checking  behind me every now and then!! This time mislaid my rigger, an essential  brush, for lines and detail, so the painting hasn't reached  a successful conclusion.

Then I was facinated, watching a small flock of starlings flying back and forth, like they weren't sure where best to settle. It looked a primal landscape, more like from a Bruegel painting, hardly like England.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Apple Blossom at Great Chalfield

I was asked to paint an apple tree at Great Chalfield Manor  


There was quite a delay before I could get there but I think I made it just in time and found the trees with flowering blossom. This little tree caught my eye and appropriately it is seen against a backdrop of the Apple Store, building on the left, and some of the cottages on the Estate. Amazingly it was a beautiful fresh day after the dire wet cold month we've been  having ( yes I know the rain is much needed) so I really enjoyed the sun on my back, getting quite hot at times.

 Bach's Chaconne for solo Violin played Hilary Hahn.1/2
(good music to paint to) 

Joshua Bell playing the Chaconne in Washington Metro subway

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Painting the Rapeseed, near Marden.

It's odd how subjects select you. I was going to paint an adjacent row of trees, see in the video,  but this field in bloom insisted I painted it; so,  how to use a half a tube of yellow without really trying.(I got a dose of nasty spring hayfever too!:(

Learning some basic editing ....  three takes in a 3min video, at a 'blocking in' stage: quickly working at blank areas, of the painting. It can be interesting watching other painters at work but  actually quite alarming to see oneself painting - normally the brain is in freeflow and one is oblivious of much else and  has little sense of time.   


Captured without looking through the viewfinder, so not seeing the framing hence dipping to the mixing palette, camera in my right hand. This is  in real time though I did discard a few seconds of  mixing on the palette and another short clip in the sequence which was badly framed. Also I should have set camera to a wider image format.

Music: Var. no.2 of The Goldberg Variations, JS Bach courtesy of  a great facility I discovered recently-  www.musopen.com - I thought that better than adding dialogue here.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Hooray! I just sold three of these late evening sky paintings, they'll be framed together and hung one above the other.
Just looking at this batch of 8 I did almost a year ago. I'm trying to devise  a catalog system, an inventory to  keep track of my paintings so each is numbered and  named. i.e. these are "Lavington skies with Jet Trails" (no's 1- 8) but 81-88 in the  main list. Does anyone recommend a good system of cataloging?

And it was whilst doing this series , some differ slightly in size, that I realized I had to make a better effort at standardizing sizes so bought  a big batch of ready cut board, all primed now and ready to go.

Friday, April 06, 2012

Plein Air Painting at Urchfont Manor

I'm doing a Plein Air teaching day on Saturday 14th April  at Urchfont Manor, in Wiltshire.

 Some experience with oils is helpful but not essential. Starting with a short introduction and discussion on methods, the idea is to work outside in the garden, painting en plein air, where spontaneity often produces surprising and rewarding results.  Hopefully the weather will be kind.


 Emphasis will be on working quickly to produce several pieces.  A short equipment list will be available to applicants, but bring any of your own equipment as well.


  Limited places left (last time I checked) so  book soon so not to be disappointed. If they are fully booked you can contact me via my website as I'll be organizing more painting days in the summer .




Wednesday, January 04, 2012

UK Plein Air Society meet in Salisbury

WE were blessed with a fantastic sunny day when the UK Plein Air Society met in Salisbury  on 27th Nov. The group is the brain-child of Anthony Bridge, the idea being we meet up on the last Sunday of the Month in a prearranged town/city. If anyone would like to know future venues and dates don't hesitate to ask.
Moonlighting ---- instead of settling down to paint like everyone else, for a while I was captivated by the river in Salisbury meadows behind the Cathedral, shallow clear running water; so took a few snippets of video of  leaves coursing along in the current. Eventually I did a quick painting of a tree reflecting in the river.

 Video: The secret Lives of Leaves

Friday, August 05, 2011

Top of Lavington Hill - in progress


Oil on canvas 20" x 16" Working on  a larger format, 'en plein air'.
The edge of Salisbury plain, looking West, with strange light/colour effects in the sky ..... There's  a also a compositional challenge here ... I wanted to convey something of the richness of a roadside verge, some sunlight  hitting  a patch of brambles etc.. Below shows the progression of the work.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Sunday, May 15, 2011

STEEPLE ASHTON CHURCH, WILTSHIRE

All Saints Church, Steeple Ashton, over a new wheat field. (telephone lines now been added!). An impressive and ornate building for such a rural setting. I was aiming to catch something of the weather and light  this April 2011. We have had amazing weather, warmer and drier than any recorded previously since records began. "This good  weather  has lasted longer than any summer I can remember!" says my son. He can't be far wrong as far as UK sunshine goes.
You can see the unisual geological folds in the hills to the right above Westbury, and to the left these are the heights above Edington where King Alfred fought and beat the danes in 878 AD, in a final battle before making  peace.

Monday, May 09, 2011

VIEW OVER THE LAVINGTONS, WILTSHIRE

View over the Lavingtons from Strawberry Hill. Capturing something of the unprescedented warm weather this April. A three week gap between starting and finishing this one. In the meantime all the foliage and rape seed had grown so had to update with a lot of colour. You  can see the two church towers of both villages

 Painting in progress. It was completed in two sessions.
Below the start of the painting two weeks earlier

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Roundway Hills, Devizes

View of ROUNDWAY HILL
View of Roundway Hill above Devizes, Where the Battle of Roundway took place in the Civil War.
A very recognisable landmark from all directions. The wide open aspect of this hill and colour somehow remind me of Africa particularly when nearer to it. The clouds were changing light patterns  by the minute so it was a challenge to paint and set the light/shadow areas.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

APRIL EVENING SKY OVER GT CHEVERALL,
A warm evening at last

Saturday, March 06, 2010

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Westbury from White Horse Hill


WESTBURY TOWARDS BRADFORD, From White Horse Hill. Spent longer than usual on this this morning. Just over 2 hours, Initially there were just those distant clouds. More clouds rolled in and covered most of the sky - shadows kept changing dramatically over the landscape.
I added the near clouds at the end The main quality of the view was the gradating sky so I thought that's a mistake, but now it seems to work and gives a 3D effect, leading one into the painting.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Edington


SNOW AT EDINGTON
Very heavy snowfall and freeze this year.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Farm at bromham wiltshire.
Oiil on panel 24cm x 30cm

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Salisbury Plain


Late afternoon in oil. A quick study, over fields towards Cheverall.
12cm x 25cm approx.