Plein air painting 92

Completed during mid November 2022, a view containing a muddy path running through part of Southampton's 'Old' cemetery is pictured here. Originally the painting had been started a few weeks previously, but rain forced me to stop at the time. I timed my return visit to complete it so that the weather/ light would be similar, including a wet ground. Fortunately it didn't rain the second time. It was interesting to note just over those few weeks how the foliage on the trees had changed or disappeared.
This oil painted scene was done on cardboard sized at 12" x 9.5.

Winter shopping season Southampton - oil painting

Winter shopping season Southampton - oil painting

Winter shopping season Southampton - 24" 36" oil painting

During very early 2018, the important Southampton City Art Gallery held an open exhibition where the theme was 'the seasons'. I created 3 oil paintings for this exhibition which were exhibited, and the one featuring in this post also won the competition beating over 500 other entries.

It shows a miserable, winters day in the middle of the shopping zone of Southampton City. It has been raining and members of the public have only the thoughts of shopping on their minds as they use the road crossing. One of the main features of the painting is the wet surfaces and puddles, that adds lots of visual interest to the scene in the form of reflections and damp surfaces.

The painting is done in oils on a canvas sized at 24” x 36”, and took approx 4 weeks to paint, during December 2017.
Details and pictures of the exhibition can be seen here.
The painting can be seen at a larger scale on this link.

Southampton open art competition 2018 winning ART

Southampton open art competition 2018 winning ART

Martin Davey with the 'Winter Shopping Season Southampton' oil painting on display at the gallery

During January 2018 I participated in the 'open art' competition held at the important Southampton City art gallery, UK. The subject was the 'seasons', and this subject could be interpreted in any way, not just the time of the year. I produced 3 paintings during the last few months of 2017, for handing in during January the following year, and was pleased to find that all three paintings were selected for the exhibition. One painting however actually won the exhibition (Winter Shopping Season Southampton), coming in to win the 1^st prize in the main category, beating over 500+ pieces of other artwork..

All three paintings are landscape in subject, and based on local places. One is of a location in the New Forest, very near to the city of Southampton. The other two show locations in the city, the first one being the Cenotaph in one of the main parks within Southampton. The remaining picture shows a pedestrian crossing along one of the main streets used by shoppers.

The prize giving was held on the 3^rd February at the gallery with many in attendance, with the Mayor of the city awarding the prizes. 

Picture label with judges comments

The painting with the other top winning entries

The three paintings at the gallery, submitted for the 'seasons' open art competition 2018.

 

Monster Octopus attacking building in storm

Monster Octopus attacking building in storm

A giant octopus is seen attached to the side of a tall building during a stormy evening, its tentacles weaved around the office block. Lightning is flashing across the sky and illuminating the creature allowing passers by on the street to look up and be shocked by the sight of the monster. It has many sharp teeth, and will pose a threat for some time...

Painted in Photoshop to A4 size during February 2014.

http://martin-davey.artistwebsites.com/featured/monster-octopus-attacking-building-in-storm-martin-davey.html

Monster Octopus attacking building in storm

Bus queue in the rain

BUS QUEUE IN THE RAIN

This is an older painting of mine, done in Photoshop during 2006. It is quite cartoony, with the characters having black spots for the eyes rather than fully painted ones. There is quite a lot of dark humour in this image, particually with the cat right in front of the bus wheel, about to be run over. Also in the fact that the woman is in difficulties and her plastic shopping bag has split, with some of the contents spilling out. A surreal touch is the monkey on the top deck. I did wonder about giving the bus a 'disapproving' face, but the headlights seem to work as eyes anyway!
I was thinking of 'Reg Varney', from TV's 'On the Buses' when drawing the bus driver.

from the website...

This was digitally painted in 2008 in photoshop at 10"x8" size. The scene depicts a rainy, depressing day in the UK with various accidents awaiting to happen, like the shopping bag about to break or the cat about to be run over. The bus driver is sitting smoking a cigarette, and could not care less. The monkey adds a bit of surrealism. The rain and the reflections were fun to explore and the red double decker bus is not a london bus but a made up one. It could be argued that the headlights on the bus are eyes! The crinkled destination blind and number in the wrong place are something that I am reminded of when I think of these old types of buses.