As 2020 comes to an end and having redesigned my website, I realise I have neglected my blog this year. It’s been a hard, stressful year for many so I hope I will not offend you by saying that I have found some positive things to look back on which I would like to share.
In the past few years I have enjoyed joining events and classes hoping to broaden my experience and enrich myself as an artist. Sometimes I take a class, sometimes I attend an event such as a plain air competition or a painting trip. This October I joined an online class given by the artist Duane Keiser. It was well organised, over 100 people attended but remarkably, we still all got some help and advice. The main focus was a 30/30 challenge. 30 paintings done in 30 days au premier coup or in one session. It was supposed to be a couple of hours a day but inevitably it took up quite a lot of time and I got very behind with everything else I needed to do. It was a very worthwhile experience and I will certainly try to do another 30/30 challenge. I may even organise something on my site.
Many of these painting will go to the shop page on this site where they are being offered at extremely competitive prices
You will find the shop here
One thing that was lost to the pandemic was The Chalke Valley History Festival which was cancelled. For a few years now I have done drawings of speakers at the festival and I was sad to miss out this year. I love drawing during the talks as I also get to listen to some of the greatest experts and historians the world has to offer. It helps to fill some of the vast void in my knowledge of history. Something that is sorely needed in my life. Let’s hope that the 2021 can go ahead unhindered. This is a link to their site if you would like to see what they do;
The few gaps in lockdown provided enough time to paint some commissions of interior views of people’s houses. This first is in watercolour and is part of a series of paintings I am doing at Ferne House in Wiltshire. Ii is very fine neo classical built in the last 10 years but which is hard to distinguish from something built about 250 years ago.
And these two interiors are in oil on canvas
The first is a Christmas dinning scene
And the second is a London house which has now been sold, so I was asked to paint this as a memento
Let me know if you are interested in commissioning and interior. I have more on display on the Interiors page.
The highlight of our year was possibly the trip we took to the South of France where I painted a few watercolours in the vineyards and the environs of Chateau Leoube. The vines there produce some of the world’s greatest rosé as well as other high quality wines. I painted mostly watercolours, partly for the lower risk of getting paint over everything at our hosts house, partly because I'm back in love with watercolour.
I hope we will all be allowed to travel again soon but what ever happens we must paint on.
I wish you the very best for 2021
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