Sun Through Trees Study

6x8" oil on canvas board. $22. Available here

A plein air study. I love capturing the way light filters through trees, and the
shapes of shadows falling across the path. Shishkin was a master of this type of scene. Our local nature reserves and woods aren't quite as dramatic as the majestic pine forests he painted, but I try to make the most of them all the same!

Submitted to the Daily Paintworks "Forest Challenge"

Pine Trees Study

6x8" oil on canvas board. $45. Available here

This is a plein air study which I used to create a much larger (20x24") painting. The large version will be in the Brick Lane Gallery's "Landscape: Rural vs Urban" exhibition in London in August. It's the first time I've completed a painting of that size. It helped massively having this little one to work from- the photo flattened the scene and the plein air study helped me to stay true to the values and atmosphere.

Green Pepper

 4x5" acrylic on canvas. $30. Available here

I'm feeling pretty tired, so I'll save my announcement for another day- here's a slightly older still life I never uploaded. I really enjoy painting peppers when they've been cut open. They form such interesting shapes and shadows.

Bright Sky Over the Lake

5x7" oil on canvas board. $40. Available here

I've been working on a lot of larger pieces lately so last night, I sat down and did some small studies, just for a break. But I'm already looking at this one thinking it would be good on a bigger canvas... I really love painting water, and mountains affected by atmospheric perspective.

Fields in Summer

5x7" oil on canvas board. $20. Available here

Another one from the journey up to Yorkshire. I really like painting fields, capturing the different lines, curves and colours of them. Luckily it's hard to drive anywhere in this country without passing a few!

Three Trees

5x7" oil on canvas board. $40. Available here

This was a scene I saw out of the car window on the drive up to Yorkshire- I really liked these trees, silhouetted against the puffy white clouds.

River Ivel Reeds

6x8" oil on canvas board. SOLD

This is a plein air study of the River Ivel from earlier this month. What really interested me about this scene was the fact that the long reeds growing on the surface of the water were being swept along by the current, creating green streaks aross the river's surface and breaking up the reflection of the blue sky.

Contour Canal, Yorkshire

5x7" oil on canvas board. $40. Available here

Here's a different view of the canal, with the late afternoon sunlight reflecting in its waters.

Royal Gala Gathering

6x8" oil on canvas board. $45. Available here

Here are some Royal Gala apples gathering on some blue and white patterned fabric. I've missed using patterns in my still life paintings! It might be time for another series of them.

Morning by the Canal

5x7" oil on canvas board, $40. Available here

Here's a study of the canal that runs from Liverpool to Leeds. It's not always fun to go walking on rainy mornings, but the light is incredible. You can see stormclouds rolling in over the hills here.

Flocking Birds at Sundown

5x7" oil on canvas board. $40. Available here

This little study is inspired by my weekend in Yorkshire... ​I was taking an evening walk around the field we parked our cars in, and looked up to see this view- what seemed like hundreds of birds swooping low over the treetops, contrasting with the pale pink light.

Recent Works

Today I'm not posting on Daily Paintworks, instead I'll show a variety of things I've worked on in the last week. Some little ones that will end up on DPW eventually and a few larger works (some need some more work) which will hopefully get sold through another source.

I spent my weekend in Yorkshire and the scenery was fantastic, I took literally hundreds of photos, and did a few small plein air studies. Since I got back I've been busy trying to commit as many scenes to canvas as possible before that 'feeling of being there' fades from memory. The only one that isn't based on this trip is the bottom right one, which was done before I left. All are in oil paints.

A Trip to the V&A Museum

 6x8" oil on canvas board. $45. Available here

The V&A museum in London is an amazing place to visit. Not only are the exhibits impressive, but the building itself is a work of art. It's full of arches and marble columns, intricately carved ceilings, balconies; it's beautifully lit, and full of people. I snapped a bunch of photos during one visit, and promised myself I'd paint it someday. This is my first attempt; there is so much colour in white when you look closely. This is the view from the lobby, looking towards a hall full of sculptures. There's a fountain in the middle- it's a great place to sit and sketch the surroundings.

Hitchin Evening

4x5" oil on canvas board. $30. Available here

This is a little scene of the little market town Hitchin, late in the day, walking down one of the roads that passes by the church. I loved the way light was spilling from the shop window in the foreground onto the pavement. I wanted to try to capture that summer evening atmosphere. The shop at the end of the road provides a great focal point.

Poppy Fields From The Train

5x7" oil on canvas board. $40. Available here

While on the train from London to Hertfordshire, we passed several fields that were full of bright red poppies. This one really caught my eye, though, because it had streaks of yellow flowers mixed in as well. I used a stiff bristle brush for this painting, which meant I had to lay the oil paint on thicker than I usually do; it gives the painting a nice surface texture though.

Sunset Over Hitchin

6x8" oil on canvas board. $45. Available here

This is a beautiful sunset I saw from the top of a hill looking out over Hitchin, Hertfordshire. I had a great time trying to capture the 'glow' of it.

Narrow Stream

6x8" acrylic on canvas board.  $45. Available here

This is a plein air painting done on a warm, bright morning on our local nature reserve. I sat on a little wooden bridge looking down over this tiny stream and tried to capture the dappled light and the various shades of brown and green.