Southampton Bursledon brickworks open day april 2011

Southampton Bursledon brickworks open day oil paintings

Southampton Bursledon brickworks open day 01

Southampton Bursledon brickworks open day 02

These images are based on a number of photographs taken at the April 2011 open day at Bursledon brickworks, Southampton, UK. The brickworks is a heritage center celebrating the industrial past of the area. They are both painted july/ august 2011 in oils on a canvas 20"x16". The two paintings were then displayed at the open day in september and proved popular with the public and organisers. The engine featured in the bottom posting is a Aveling and Porter traction engine, built 1899, registration TA 1063. The tall chimney in the top image is a local landmark but was taller originally.

from the website...
Southampton Bursledon brickworks open day 01
This is a painting of an open day at Bursledon Brickworks, Southampton UK during the early morning startup of vintage traction engines. It is a heritage museum site, based in a old brickworks. This display of traction engines takes place during the spring each year, and this artwork depicts the line up during April 2011. The engine in front is called 'Little Lucy', and is a Wallis Traction Engine. The tall brick chimney seen in the background is a local landmark, although it is shorter than it used to be when the brickworks was in operation. It was fun painting the shining brass, copper and the paintwork on the engines. The woman polishing part of an axle adds extra interest and scale to the scene. Getting the perspective correct in a scene like this is very important. It helps to sell the viewer of the painting the scale and weight of the machinery. Mechanical objects can not be cheated on when trying to ignore perpective, it has to be done right. The ariel perspective (colour fading in the distance) helps to sell the scene and create a smoky atmosphere. The painting is done in oils on a 16" x 20" canvas.  


Southampton Bursledon brickworks open day 02
This is a 2nd painting of an open day at Bursledon Brickworks, Southampton UK . It is a heritage museum site, based in a old brickworks. This is a display of traction engines put on during April 2011. The engine featured is a Aveling and Porter traction engine (TA 1063). It was fun painting the shining brass, copper and the paintwork on the engines. The woman on the right photographing the engine was added later to add extra interest and scale to the scene, as was the boy in the trailer on the left. Getting the perspective correct in a scene like this is very important. It helps to sell the viewer of the painting the scale and weight of the machinery. Mechanical objects can not be cheated on when trying to ignore perspective, it has to be done right. Getting the ellipses right within a painting like this is very important.
The painting is done in oils on a 16" x 20" canvas.

 

swans and boats at Christchurch harbour,UK

Swans and Boats at Christchurch harbour,UK.

This painting was based on a photograph taken back in the summer of 2010 at Christchurch Quay/harbour, in Dorset,UK. It actually took ages to paint, not because on any technical difficulty but because of having to prepare other work for exhibitions, print cards and do commercial computer imagery. So this painting was started back in late july 2011 and left unfinished until the early part of sept 2011. I did not latterly enjoy doing it and found it a battle to get it looking reasonably ok. Maybe it was the composition that was wrong? I have to say that when the painting was photographed it tends to look a lot better, and does seem very sunny. Painted in oils on canvas,16"x20".

from the website...
This artwork was painted in oils on a canvas measuring 16" x 20". The location is the pretty town of Christchurch, Dorset, in the UK, on the popular quay populated with many tourists, and swans and ducks, as it has been for centuries. It was based on a photograph taken back in the summer of 2009, though the actual swans are from other photos taken at the same time and repositioned in photoshop. From this final photoshop composition a drawing is produced and this then becomes the start of the painting. Normally such a painting would take about 4 days, spread over two or three weeks. But on this occassion I became very busy after starting, that it was several months before I finished it. I did not like doing it in the latter stages as my original interest had wained, but was determined to finish it, as I never like to have uncompleted pictures around. Overall it is quite pleasant and it does give the feeling of a sunny day. Other pictures of swans of Christchurch are top be found here on this site.

More railway locomotive paintings

Exbury Gardens Railway 10th anniversary

Leopold de Rothschild driving 'Mariloo'

Exbury Steam Railway 10th Anniversary

During August I was invited to attend the celebrations for the exbury gardens railway 10th anniversary. The above painting was a commissioned work for presentation to Leopold de Rothschild, owner of the garden and railway, and is pictured in the cab. The locomotive is named 'Mariloo' and is pictured in the gardens. The painting is based on a great photo taken by Nigel Philpott, a manager of the gardens. I added the headboard,front of engine and the lord himself.
The painting is done in acrylics on a canvas 20"x16". I usually paint in oils, but due to time constraints I had to use acrylics, but I feel the outcome is successful. 
  

steam engine bulleid merchant navy pacific 30005 study

During the Exbury event I set up my easel and did a small demonstration painting in acrylics,12"x10 on canvas board. It is a detail of a merchant navy pacific express locomotive (30005). The under drawing was done before the event, and the painting was sold during the event.

from the website...

Exbury steam Railway 10th Anniversary 

This is painted on a canvas measuring 16" x 20". It is painted in Acrylics which is very rare for me to use, and this was my first Acrylic painting for decades. Often in my paintings the work will be started in Acrylics and then finished on top in oils. The deadline was very tight for this painting, and there was no time for allowed to let (oil) layers dry. I was suprised at how well the acrylic colours came out, and in addition the image was sharper than usual, perhaps because of the medium or the sharpness of the reflections on the engine boiler. The painting took about 5 days to produce. The image was to celebrate ten years of the existence of the the Exbury narrow gauge steam railway, situated at the Exbury Gardens and steam railway, Hampshire, in the New Forset, UK. The Engine was built in 2008 at the Exmoor steam railway, Devon and is named Mariloo. The driver pictured is owner, of the gardens and railway, Leopold de Rothschild. The railway opened in 2001 and this image is based on a modified photograph taken by Nigel Philpot.

steam engine Bulleid merchant navy pacific 30005 study

This small (10" x 12") acrylic painting was done as a demonstration painting in public at an Exbury Railway open day. It is of a section of a 'Merchant Navy Pacific' locomotive, built in the 1940s by the engineer Bulleid. This actual engine depicted was not at the location, but instead I used an old photograph taken years before. The painting was created in the engine shed at the garden railway, and probably contains a level of soot mixed in with the paint!

boat wreck with sea birds

boat wreck with sea birds oil painting

Boat wreck with sea birds

This was completed in mid July and is painted on a canvas 20" x16" in oils. The boat wreck was situated on the river Itchen, southampton. I was attracted to the textures on the boat, the flaking paint and the rotten wood and the reflection in the water. The birds were added to the composition, though are typical of the wildlife in the local area.

from the website...
This boat wreck is on the River Itchen, which starts in Southampton. I was drawn to the interesting textures on the boat, the pealing paint and the algae gradually taking over the surface of the hull when choosing this subject for a painting. It is based on a photograph and I added the birds in from other pictures I took in the same area on the same day, using photoshop to create a final master drawing/ layout. I think that the textures do come across well through the use of oil paint and the sea birds add interest to the scene, the water reflections finishing off the painting quite successfully. The artwork was completed in 2011. 
 

Bournemouth sea front july paintings

Bournemouth sea front july oil paintings

people on Bournemouth beach:beach groin
people on Bournemouth beach:kids and sand
people on Bournemouth beach:waves and sand

These three paints are painted in oil on canvases measuring 16"x20". They were painted during early June, one after another in a very economical style, taking about one and a half days each to do. They are based on photos but heavily rejigged to get a nice composition. Hengistbury head features in the top painting, a land mark in the local area of Bournemouth, Dorset, UK.
 

Christchurch Priory Dorset

Christchurch Priory Dorset, west view, oil painting

Christchurch priory, west view


This is a painting of Christchurch priory from the west aspect. I did a previous painting which depicted the northgate entrance, and is here.

Being a piece of complicated architecture naturally meant that some time would be spent drawing it out and getting the details correct. The figures help a great deal to give a sense of scale. The church is in the coastal town of Christchurch in Dorset, UK. The painting is on a 20" x16" canvas, and painted in oils.

from the website...
The town of Christchurch, Dorset, UK boasts a wonderful priory, painted and photographed many times over the centuries. Construction first started in 1094 AD as a norman church. It took several centuries to construct and is a landmark for several miles in all directions. This painting is in oils on a canvas measuring 20" x 16". The original photograph was taken in the summer of 2010. The late afternoon sun helps to pick out the details of the churches architecture. This is a very popular view of Christchurch Priory, photographed and painted countless times over the centuries, even though it never changes its appearance. Buildings are always a welcome challenge but the gravestones are in a way more interesting having many varied colours on the stone due to weathering over the centuries. The people were added later from similar photographs to add interest and scale.  
 

Bournemouth sea front june_set01

Bournemouth sea front, june 2011, oil paintings

People on Bournemouth beach : boys looking
People on Bournemouth beach : Pulling dingy

These were painted in late may one after another. They are on canvas in oil, sized 20"x 16" and painted in a more cruder,quicker method. Some times the brush strokes are quite large and the paint is only lightly applied. But over all they are appealing, particularly the water. There will be others of this type following soon.

from the website...
People on Bournemouth beach : boys looking
This painting is of Bournemouth Beach sea front, showing people on the sandy beach, and the pier, from the 1950s, in the background. The actual drawing for the painting was a composite from a number of photographs taken at the same time. One final image is created in photoshop and this is rescaled and transferred to a canvas for painting. The painting measures 20" x 16" and is painted in oils. More beach paintings of Bournemouth beach can be seen on this site.

People on Bournemouth beach : Pulling dingy
This is a painting of people on Bournemouth Beach, having fun in the sea. The view is looking down from the pier down on to the sandy beach below. Some of these people can be seen in other paintings of the beach. The wet sand, with the reflections bouncing off it was fun to paint, as was the large, green wave, just starting to break down. Painting the white foamy parts on the water is exciting as it fixes the action of the sea within the artwork.
It is based on a number of photographs and rearranged in photoshop to create a pleasing composition. From this a master drawing is created leading on to the final painting. It is painted in oils on a canvas sized at 20" x 16".