acrylics on paper

Staithes. inks on watercolour paper, 25x30cm.

My latest one, and yes, with all those houses, it took some time… Now exhibited in the Art of Gold Gallery, Horsforth, Leeds. RRP £480, framed.

This is the valley between Kempswithen (the hill on the left) and Commondale (the village is to the right of the picture), in August. I love that view. I pass it on the way back from Westerdale. I wasn’t quite sure what this area was called, until a friend of mine saw this painting, it turns out he grew up in that valley… My working title was “Loving Ling”.

Commondale, oil on canvas, 40x120cm. RRP £600. Reserved.

Whitby. oil on canvas, 20x50cm, on 1.7cm stretchers, RRP £290. Now sold, and in the private collection of Mrs D.G.

My latest painting. I spent a month painting Whitby for a commission, so I had a bit of a thing for Whitby Abbey…

I was commissioned to do a watercolour of St Joseph & St Cuthberts’ church. I did the one above, then finding the scale a bit too small to portray the statues, painted another one (below). He liked them both!

Harry Nicholson chose my painting of Roseberry Topping (Cleveland) as the cover of the 2nd edition of his book “Tom Fleck”, a historical novel based in Cleveland.

Roseberry Topping, oils on stretched canvas, 40x100x4cm.

You can see the book and a resume here:

https://www.createspace.com/3947804?ref=1147694&utm_id=6026

Here’s one I’ve been working on since the beginning of August. Yes, sometimes they don’t work out as I thought they would. Nearly gave up, then reworked all the colours. Now I’m happy with it. Robin Hood’s Bay. oil on canvas, 50x100cm.

Seagull Blues, Robin Hood’s Bay. oils on canvas, 50x100cm (20×40″). Currently in Trattles and Geall’s Gallery, £650.

Cod & Lobster, Staithes. 2012. acrylic inks and gouache on watercolour paper, 21x29cm.

Oil paintings take me about 3 or 4 weeks to complete, and sometimes longer. Therefore quite often, in between oil paintings, I use water-based media, which is so much quicker. From deciding on a composition to completing it takes me 2 or 3 days. At the moment I really like using acrylic pigmented inks. Contrary to “normal” inks, which can be fugitive, ie fade in daylight, these inks have a good lightfastness rating. I prefer transparent colours. Waterproof when dry, colours can be layered without disturbing previous coats. I loved Rotring Artist’s Colors, but they are discontinued. They were transparent and lightfast (I still have glass which I painted about 25 years ago, so I know the colours were lightfast for at least 25 years even when hanging in a window). Still, other reputable firms now make acrylic pigmented inks, so I’m sure they’ll withstand the test of time.

Bridlington, acrylic inks on watercolour paper, 15x29cm

Jean Illingworth, photographer, runs “Chasing the Light Gallery”, Wellington Road, Bridlington. She came to see me during the open studios, liked my work, and asked me to paint scenes around Bridlington to exhibit in her gallery. This is one of the results, and is now in her gallery. The gallery is taking part in the East Ridings Open Studios, and is open this weekend and the next (15/16 & 22/23 September 2012, 11am to 5pm). The gallery cafe will be open on the Saturdays, and she’s hoping to have live music on the Sundays.

Staithes. oil on canvas, 50x70cm.

Recently finished, this painting was commissioned by friends who want coastal views. Commissions are great, because I know where the painting is going, yet a bit daunting, as I never know how it will work out or whether patrons will like it (I don’t do the same thing twice, and although I decide on the composition before I start, I like to let things change during the painting process…). This painting was commissioned when they saw one of my small square oil paintings (Staithes Boats) and liked the subject and the colours, but wanted a larger one in a rectangular format.

Usually I just paint what I want to paint, with the hope that one day someone will like it, and will have space for it, and will have enough money to buy it… Usually it works out, but sometimes a painting need to go to many galleries before it is seen by the right person.

Staithes Boats, oil on canvas, 20x20cm