Grey Skies

5x7" oil on canvas board. SOLD

After the string of hot days we've had lately I've been longing for a stormy grey sky like this.

Summer Cloud Study

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

Following on from my last two paintings... This time, the focus is purely on the clouds. I tried a vertical compostion which I think works quite well for this skyscape.

Gently Drifting

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

Another cloud study from my trip over the weekend. This one has a very peaceful feeling I think. I really enjoyed capturing all the subtle shades of light and shadow.

Sky Over The Fens

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

I went to see my uncle in Lincolnshire over the weekend. The land there is very flat, and the sky dominates; the weather played its part for me as well, the clouds were nothing short of spectacular. Expect quite a few paintings of them over the next few days!

Red Apple Study

4x4" acrylic on canvas board. $25. Available here

I dropped my work off at the gallery today, so although it's not that late yet (for me, anyway) I'm a little sleepy. Train journeys always have that effect on me. So here's a painting from last week, an apple in a china dish- the same subject as one of my first ever daily paintings, though this apple has a wedge taken out of it. It's been a while since I used acrylic and it took me a while to get the colours mixing the way I wanted, but I'm happy with the result.

Quiet Woodland Path Study

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

This is my most recent plein air study- so named because not a single person passed me by as I sat and painted this. This particular path is almost always empty, despite being very close to a residential street- you can hear faint traffic, chatter, water from the nearby stream, and the rustles and crackles of the trees around you, but no one will disturb you here, even on a sunny summer weekend.

Sunlit Trees Across The River

7x10" acrylic on canvas paper. $60. Available here

Here's another acrylic- the yellow is not *quite* that bright in real life, my scanner just hates yellows. This one is looking across a small stream, to a field bordered by trees. I love the shape of this cluster, and I had fun painting them. I really like the way the 'sky holes' came out, where you can see spots of bright blue through the foliage. I really love the contrast of the yellow grass against the purple flowers in the foreground.

At The Allotments

7x10" acrylic on paper. $60. Available here

I wanted to do something a bit different today, so I pulled out my acrylics and some canvas-textured paper, and set to work. This is a scene I saw at the allotments on a walk a couple days ago. I love the variety of colours and textures in the plants, the light shining through the greenhouse, and the shadows of tall plants falling across the man's back. I don't often include figures in my landscapes but I feel it fits this scene well. Everyone is out and about, enjoying the pleasant weather while it lasts.

Dappled Light Study

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

One of today's two plein air studies, this one focusing on dappled light falling on the path. It was about three thirty in the afternoon when I started this one, and very warm, but there was a pleasant cool breeze that stopped it from being uncomfortable. I wish the ground had been flatter, though- my walkstool was very wobbly and more than a few times I thought it was going to tip over as I shifted...

Forest Floor Study

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

Another plein air study- this was done on the same day as 'An Overgrown Path.' I decided to move off the path a little and sit in the shade among the trees, to shelter from the rain. The scene was quite dark, but I was struck by these tree trunks with the light behind them, and the oranges and yellows of the fallen leaves on the ground.

Another Sunlit Path

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

Here's another recent plein air, and more studying trees and sunlight. I'm almost done with a large version (20x24") in a vertical format. I don't think I'll ever get bored of views like this.

Little Red Shed

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

Another plein air. I don't often do landscapes without a visible sky but I think it really works here, I love the composition. And I had great fun adding variation to the grass in the foreground. I'm not sure what this shed is, it's in a little private orchard- all I can make out when I get close to it is a bunch of graffiti on the side. It makes a great subject though. I think I'll probably return to it in future.

Meadow Trees Plein Air

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

Another recent plein air. This one was done in a meadow, looking towards the trees that grow alongside a little stream. It was a cooler, overcast day, and the dark trees against the pale sky made for great contrast.