Plein air painting 106

Houses (possibly schools) surrounding Salisbury Cathedral (Wiltshire) can be seen in this plein air landscape, done on the 22 June 2023. I believe this to be the intersection between Bishops walk and North Walk. It is painted in oils at 12" x 9.5" on mounting board. It was again a very hot day and I used a parasol for cover. Part of an earlier drawing can be seen in the top left which the paint did not cover up.

Plein air painting 85

A study of some gravestones catching the strong summer light one afternoon in 2022. The graves with nature claiming back the space, are to be found in Southampton 'Old' cemetery. Painted in oils on cardboard sized at 12" x 9.5, and unusually for me, painted in portrait format.

Plein air painting 66

A tree is shown, as seen on Southampton common, Hampshire, on an early summer morning in August. It was early enough to feel a little chilly! The tarmac path leads from the south up to the north of the common as a busy route for cyclists, joggers and others, including school children, to help get from one area of the city to the other avoiding the busy traffic that surrounds the common on each of the four sides.

The painting measures 12" x 9.5" and is painted in oils on shop reclaimed cardboard.

Plein air painting 53

The view standing in Mayflower park, Southampton and looking across the port was the subject of this plein air painting, done during the bank holiday afternoon of August 2022. It was still very hot at the time and the grass was a light tanned colour. In the distance can be seen the military port of Marchwood with a ship in dock and nearby cranes. The structure in the middle is the remains of the royal pier.
Oil on mounting board sized at 12" x 9.5"

 Plein air painting 50

Linking Northam with St Denys (Southampton UK) this wooden boardwalk was opened in 2010 and provides a welcome quick access for pedestrians and cyclists between the two areas set in the suburbs of the city. The path runs beside the river Itchen, an international area of wildlife conservation. 
The view looks toward the city from the downward gradient linking to the boardwalk. On the right-hand side is the main railway line to London, behind a fence. On the horizon can be seen the Northam gas holder, ocean village and Albion towers.
Painted in August 2022 on mounting board, sized at 12" x 9.5" in oils, one Saturday morning.

Plein air painting 51

Plein air painting 51(a) 

A number of paintings were done on a visit to Warsash, Hampshire, situated by the river Hamble as it runs into Southampton water. This spot shows the nature reserve at Hook during a sunny day in August. The water shown is situated in an overflow area for the high tide. The long horizontal structure is a jetty that travels into the river for some distance.

Painted on mounting board sized at 12" x 9.5" in oils, summer 2022.

Plein air painting 45

Painted in late summer 2021 this landscape 'plein air' painting shows a view of St Andrews park in central Southampton, Hampshire in the UK. The famous rose garden is coming to the end of the season and the afternoon shadows becoming longer. In the background on the left is the recently opened John Hansard Gallery.

Plein air painting 43

In this plein air artwork, done in the late summer of 2021, can be seen the 'Bellemoor' pub or tavern, Southampton. It is to be found on Hill Lane, and runs along a side of Southampton Common. The painting itself shows the entrance into the common, the road running across the scene. Painted on primed mounting board, sized at 12" x 9.5" using oil paints on a Saturday afternoon.

Plein air painting 42

Southampton common is shown in this summer 'plien air' painting, created on a sunny afternoon. A main tarmac path through the site is shown with the 'old' cemetery on the left and the duck pond, hidden behind the trees, on the right. A fence can be seen where the water comes close to the path.
The artwork is painted on mounting board sized at 12" x 9.5", and done in oils over a period of a few hours. It is always interesting how the shadows move across the scene, so one has the 'freeze' them to complete the landscape painting.

Plein air painting 37

Southampton 'old' cemetery is a large and mostly disused public site situated next to Southampton common. It is a very popular and peaceful place for people to visit and stroll around. It contains a few Victorian buildings now used for different purposes from there original use. A number of groups look after the site and record the history of the headstones, some gradeII listed, and perform clearing of the wild vegetation from time to time from this large and overwhelming site. The paintinfg shows a typical view with old, Victorian headstones standing a different angles and covered with ivy. This was painted during summer 2021 in oils on shop cardboard, sized at 12" x 9.5".

Two horses on Devon coastal path - WIP stages

Completed in June 2021 this painting features a pretty scene of two horses on a coastal path in Devon, UK. Three stages of the painting are shown above. In the first panel can be seen the drawing of the scene, done in brown acrylics on a board with a brown wash. Some tonally bright areas such as the sky have received a wash of white acrylic paint. Moving onwards to the next panel oil paint has been applied to the artwork. It is applied in a thin, diluted manner and mainly shows the dark, tonal 'cold' areas, and acts as an underpainting. This layer is not detailed and quite crude, but is enough to provide a base for the following layer. When this layer is dry after a few days then thinker paint is applied, mostly straight from the tube as shown in the final panel. This painting layer is the final one, with all the colours and tonal values indicated in the scene, applied. More care is taken at this stage with the painting as this layer is the one that is seen by the viewer so careful attention is taken with the details as well as the colour values. The finished work is sized at 20” x 16” and done on acid free mounting board.
This horse based artwork can be seen in greater detail on this link.

 Plein air painting 07

A pair of trees on Southampton common on a sunny day. Painted in the morning, dated 10th September 2020 and was a mostly sunny day. The oak tree had wonderful, twisting branches. It took about 90mins.

Ship and ice creams at Mayflower Park Southampton - oil painting

Ship and ice creams at Mayflower Park Southampton - oil painting

Finished art of the ship docked at Mayflower Park

Mayflower Park, in the city of Southampton is the subject of this painting, completed during early spring 2020. The park is on the waterside and it is here that the public and easily view cruse ships and other ships using and docking at the port. The ship shown is a Freedom-class cruise ship operated by the Royal Caribbean cruise line. She is named 'Independence of the Seas'. The landscape painting is based on a photograph taken during summer 2012. A popular attraction at the park is the 'Mr Whippy' ice cream van, a very colourful sight compared to the drab colours of the cruise ship. This Hampshire based marine painting is painted in oils on a section of mounting board, sized at 20” x 16”. Details of the painting can be seen on this link.

Lady with curly red hair in beach setting - oil painting

Lady with curly red hair in beach setting - oil painting

Finished oil painting of Julie Diaz

A woman called Julie Diaz kindly posed for this oil painting. It is based on a photograph taken at a car park on a sunny day. A made up 'seaside' background was introduced, based on her astrological sign (Aquarius), which was a better background than the car park too! It is sized at 33” x 23” and is on primed acid free mounting board. A glaze was used on the figure, but not the background, to add depth and richness to the colours. Julie is mixed race and enjoys wearing red, black and gold. She has many interests mainly based in the areas of spiritualism. Painted in September 2019, the finished artwork can be seen in detail on this link.

Group of trees in the New Forest - oil painting

Group of trees in the New Forest - oil painting

oil painting of a grouping of trees in the New Forest

This outdoor forest was painted during June 2019. It depicts a view within the New Forest, which is set in the county of Hampshire, of the south coast of the UK. It is a hot day but the densely packed trees offer shade from the hot summers day.

This landscape painting is created in oils on mounting board, sized at 20” x 16”, and can be examined in greater detail on this link.

Winchester Hill Area In Hampshire During Summer - WIP

Winchester Hill Area In Hampshire During Summer - WIP stages

WIP of 'Winchester Hill' oil painting

The panel above features stages of the creation of a painting showing a scene at Winchester Hill, located on the South Downs, Hampshire. It is located in Southern England. The landscape painting is done in oils, but the first stage (in the first panel) shows the drawing of the scene done in acrylics on a brown acrylic wash. It should be added that an inital application of oil paint had been added to the sky, when the photo was taken. The second panel shows an application of diluted oil paint, to act as the underpainting for the finished painting, much like a foundation using darker colours. The final panel now shows the finished painting, which the oil paint applied on top with a heavier body, basically using paint straight out of the tube.

The finished landscape painting can be seen on this link.

Winchester Hill Area In Hampshire During Summer - oil painting

Winchester Hill Area In Hampshire During Summer - oil painting

oil painting of "Winchester Hill Area In Hampshire During Summer"

This oil painting depicts a site within the Old Winchester Hill area, situated in the county on Hampshire, southern England. The area offers fantastic views of the surrounding area, including the Solent, and the cites of Portsmouth and Southampton, and is part of the South downs national park. The area features an iron age fort, most of which has not been excavated by archaeologists.The gate leads to an area which is cordoned off from being used as it was used for by the army for training during WW2, and possibly contains unexpolded bombs.

The painting is created on mounting board, sized at 20” x 16”, and was painted during autumn 2018. It can be viewed in greater detail here.

Dinosaur and son with a parasol - WIP stages

Dinosaur and son with a parasol - WIP stages

'Dinosaur and son with a parasol' in stages, based on the Monet painting.

'Dinosaur and son with a parasol' illustration was completed during October 2018. It is based on the famous impressionist painting by Monet - 'Woman with a parasol', painted in 1875 in oils. My version which has a Tyrannosaurs Rex as the mother, with her son beside was painted digitally using 'auto Sketchbook pro' software. 'Wet oils' were used to help create brush strokes that blended together almost like natural paint, and done could make the paint drier and heavier on some chosen strokes.
The first panel shows the drawing done using the software using a galaxy tablet with 'S' pen. This was then roughly painted to mimic the original painting. Then the file (in PSD format) was exported to a windows 10 machine running the same software, but the image was enlarged by about 6 times and repainted more carefully, with time taken to look at Monet's brush strokes and try to copy the general feel of the original. I did not actually sample the colours off the original, but just went by eye.
The final illustration can be seen here.

Village Of Axmouth On The River Axe - oil painting

Village Of Axmouth On The River Axe - oil painting

oil painting titled 'Village Of Axmouth On The River Axe'

The subject of this 20” x 16” painting is a peaceful and beautiful view of Axmouth, a small village to be found along the River Axe, in Devon, on the southern coast of the UK. 
The church tower, dating from the 15^th century, is the focal point within the composition and other building contained in the village can be seen dotted around. The river in this summer scene is tidal, so it can be seen that the tide is out revealing mudflats and marsh land. The view itself is from the Seaton Tramway, a preserved railway line that runs parallel along the river, and is named after the larger coastal town very close by.

The painting is done using oil paint on mounting board sized at 20” x 16”. It can be seen in greater detail here.

New Forest Path In Summer Evening - oil painting

New Forest Path In Summer Evening - oil painting

oil painted artwork - New Forest Path In Summer Evening

Created in June 2018 this landscape oil painting shows a path in woodland leading in to open countryside. The location is the 'New Forest', situated in Hampshire, on the south coast of the UK. It is based on a photograph taken during a late afternoon one summers day, so the long shadows play a role in the look of the picture. The painting is sized at 28” x 20” and is painted on primed mounting board. It can be seen in greater detail here.