My latest painting is different from my other landscapes, an impression from memory rather than a studied representation. A rougher, more immediate painting style. The image started as an abstract, then became a sunset over a frozen broken land, then as paint layers built up, I realised I was painting Glaisdale. It feels good sometimes to start with just marks and colours and discover where the paint takes you.
Glaisdale Dale. Oil on thin edge stretched canvas, 50x70cm.
Westerdale, near Castleton, is a very special place for me, and I often return there. It inspired my first two paintings of the year. The first one is currently exhibited at “Inspired by… gallery”, in Danby Moors Centre.
I’ve been selected to take part in the North Yorkshire Open Studios 2023, and all selected artists have been asked to exhibit one artwork in Danby. This preview, which runs until mid May, may help you to decide which artists you will visit in June. With over 140 artists in our vast county, the two open studios weekends may not be long enough to visit them all!
I’ve been so lucky this year: a commission every month, from January to July!
I’ll be open to new commissions from September.
My latest commission, for a lovely couple, to celebrate her 75th birthday, and to have sunny days on their wall everyday:
Ebbing Tide Revisited, Robin Hood’s Bay.
oil on canvas, 50x70cm.
I love bluebells and in May, between commissions, I painted this sunset. My only painting of bluebells this year, it is rather dark and moody. Someone said his mother used to live in a cottage in these woods, and had to walk to school along those paths. It could feel a bit scary if you were a little girl and, with the Little Red Riding Hood story in your mind, you imagined that a wolf may be hiding amongst the trees…
Someone was very interested in this painting, so I told him I would reserve it for him for as long as he needed to decide (I really like it, so I was happy to keep it on my wall).
A couple of months later, he has decided that he definitely really likes it. (happy little dance).
The weeks do fly by, and especially in Summer. Between time in the garden, re-sourcing and re-grounding, I’ve been painting commissions, including the one above, to bring a bit of North Yorkshire to a charming couple’s southern garden room.
And for those interested in my local environment, here is the link to the commissions I was painting at the beginning of the year for the CPRE (the countryside charity). Click on the PDF to see the full report, including my watercolours: https://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/loftus-community-energy-vision/
The bluebells were stunning this year. In Loftus woods, some trees have been cleared and the flowers bloomed in the increased sunlight. In between commissions, while waiting for new blank canvases to arrive, I walked in the woods and was drawn to paint them again.
After a small delay, I now have calendars in stock, so I’m starting to post calendars to those who have reserved one (I’ll email or message to confirm when posted). If you would like to order one, please contact me. Thank you.
2022 wall calendar, A4, £12.50 each. Free UK delivery if you order in October!
I have spent a lot of time in my garden. It earths me. So when it’s warm and sunny, I am outside with the flowers. But of course I still find time to paint. I recently finished this commission. There is a wonderful couple, who love my artwork, and also love where they live. They bought their house because of the view. A few years ago, they commissioned a painting of the view from their house, and this year they commissioned the view from an upstairs window. It was a delight to immerse myself into such a peaceful landscape.
Danby. A view across to Danby Castle, above the village. This landscape was just about dry enough to travel when it was put in the passenger seat of an open-top Lotus yesterday, on its way to its new home. My paintings are usually transported in a tricycle, this was so much more stylish! I needed a new laptop, so I had asked on Facebook if someone had a spare laptop in exchange for a painting… So I now have a brand new and very nice laptop, and this is the painting my patron chose in exchange. I am exceedingly grateful, for I have exceedingly kind patrons.
Danby Sunset is another painting started earlier this year and recently finished.
There may be postal strikes in November and December… If you would like one (or more) of my calendars posted to you, it might be a good idea to order now. The 2020 A4 calendar features my recent paintings of river and sea, from Whitby to Skinningrove. Printed in Yorkshire on 250gsm paper, it has 12 pages (plus front and back covers) and it measures 21 x29.7cm. I hope that you like it and that it will remind you of our wonderful North Yorkshire all year long.
Please message me if you’d like one. You can leave a message by clicking “Leave a Reply” below, email clo@clothylde.com, or phone 01287 643030.
Price including postage within the UK:
1 calendar= £12.50
2 calendars=£22.50
3 calendars=£33.50
In February, wanting to hibernate, I have been sitting quietly with watercolours and my smallest brushes. And then setting these paintings in pendants. Yes, an original painting you can wear! Sizes from 25mm to 30mm. The first few are now in Wold Pottery gallery, Loftus.
in Wold Pottery, Loftus.