Merry Christmas!

Christmas Lights

(Acrylic on mountboard, 9 x 9 in, greeting added digitally)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my Reader!
 

North of England Art Club Exhibition 2023

 

Iron Box

Iron Box

(Mixed media, 12x12 in)

Yesterday I waved goodbye to this textured wall painting, off to its new home with a collector in Germany. I wish every day could be so much fun, but today I'll be doing my tax accounts.

 

Stevens of Boston

Stevens of Boston

(Acrylic on mountboard, 25x25 cm)

Another foray into the world of shops and stalls, this one in Cambridge. When I came to do the painting, I looked up the florist online and was sorry to learn that Adam Stevens, "the Flower Man of Cambridge" had died. I hope no-one is offended by my making an attempt at putting him into this small painting, using a photograph I found in the local newspaper.

 

Chained Up

Chained Up

(Mixed media on board, 30x30 cm)

Well, this one fought me at several points, but I think I won through in the end. Another addition to my “Textured Door Series”. For more of these, please see the Portfolio on my website.

Forgotten Dreams

Forgotten Dreams

(Mixed media on board, 30x30 cm)

Another textured door painting started some time ago, finally brought to fruition by some creative thinking and an old stencil. I first used that yacht stencil when I was in junior school!

 

Fresh Fruit

Fresh Fruit

(Acrylic on board, 25x25 cm)

I thought I’d finished this in 2019, but it turns out I hadn’t. I have now (I think).

 

Greek Doorway

Greek Doorway

(Mixed media on board, 12x12 in)

Completed using some of the billboard scraps collected in Verona as well as acrylic and crackle paste. I think I find this kind of textured painting more satisfying than any other because there’s always a little thrill at seeing some of the unexpected results of this process.

 

Billboard Scraps

 

A good haul from the old billboards of Verona. Last month on a walk round Borgo Trento, the Art Deco area of Verona, I was delighted to find a few billboards with umpteen layers of old posters ripe for the picking. When I got them home, I was a bit disappointed because they are mostly quite faded, but they’ve proven very useful as collage elements on the painting I was working on today.

Staithes Harbour

Staithes Harbour

(acrylic on canvas, 12x12 in)

Yesterday, I put the finishing touches to another painting that's hung around the studio for a long time, waiting to be finished. It was, I think one of the first, if not the first painting begun when I switched from oils to acrylics. Now to find a suitable frame so it can be shown in an exhibition.

Crab Pots, Staithes

Crab Pots, Staithes

(Acrylic on canvas, 12x12 in)

Yesterday I moved an old painting out of the way, and found this one hidden behind it. It’s in a nice black frame and dated 2017 and although I can tell it’s been displayed somewhere, I have idea where or when. Anyway, I like it and if you do too and are interested in buying it, please get in touch..

 

Verona Side Street

Verona Side Street

(Markers in A5 sketchbook)

My first urban sketch in a very long time. I intended to do more of this in Verona, but one of the problems I found was that the side streets are very narrow and most of the interesting parts of buildings were high up. It's quite difficult trying to stand in a busy street (all streets turn out to be busy when you're not looking!) looking upwards.

 

Boats in Harbour

Boats in Harbour

(Acrylic on watercolour paper, 12x12 in)

Another painting begun some months ago, finished off at Gateshead Art Society yesterday.

Aberdeen Trawler

Aberdeen Trawler

(Acrylic and collage on board, 12x12 in)

SOLD

Another painting dusted off and finished today, ready for the winter shows. Although it didn't sell at exhibition, I'm pleased to say that it sold afterwards to a collector in the USA who'd seen it online.

 

Whitby Harbour

Whitby Harbour

(Acrylic and collage on canvas, 24x12 in)

Autumn and Winter exhibition season draws near, so I figured it was time to dust off and finish some work begun but not completed. I last worked on this one in October 2020 and really, there was little that needed doing.

 

Evening at the Coffee Shop

Evening at the Coffee Shop

(Acrylic on canvas board, 12x12 in)

‘Art is never finished, only abandoned’, said Leonardo Da Vinci, allegedly. Time to stop fiddling and sign off on this one then.

WIP - Evening at the Coffee Shop

Coffee Shop WIP.

(Acrylic on canvas board, 12x12 in)

I missed last week’s demonstration by Michael Ewart at the art club last week but I understand he painted a café scene. This week’s challenge was to paint a similar scene and because I like to use these challenges to, well, challenge myself, I dug out some photos I took around the turn of the century. I tried to make something of them while at University but failed. I’m more optimistic about this new version though the multi figure composition has me out of my comfort zone.

Buskers

Buskers

(Acrylic on canvas board, 8 x 10 in)

The result of a suggested theme at Gateshead Art Society. The buskers were spotted on a wintry Charles Bridge in Prague, and very good they were too.

 

The Artist in his Garret

The Artist in his Garret

(Acrylic on board, 8 x 8 in)

I’ve been tidying the studio, uncovering unfinished paintings and finishing some. This is one of them, and no, that isn’t me! It's another that probably fits into the Major Players (and Walk-On Parts) series.

 

The Commuter

The Commuter

(Acrylic on canvas board, 8 x 8 in)

While thinking about how to progress a painting on the desk, I thought I’d put the finishing touches to this bit of fun. It's a small painting that fits into my series of Major Players (and Walk-On Parts) that one day I'd quite like to show together.

 

Munchies

Yummies

(Acrylic and collage on block canvas, 24x30 cm)

Another building portrait of curious Newcastle architecture. I love the disjunction of the cheap and brash modern fascia with the fake medievalism above.

WIP - Munchies

WIP - Munchies

((Acrylic and collage on block canvas, 24 x 30 cm)

New painting begun, but lots to do on it. And some staffage to consider. Wandering around Newcastle, I took a few photographs of buildings and looking though them at home I was taken by the curious mix of the old and the new.

 

Passion 4 Fruits

Passion 4 Fruits

(Acrylic and collage on canvas board, 8 x 10 in)

Another small painting building portrait, this time of my favourite local greengrocers shop. I love the vernacular architecture, especially the attic window.

Mixed Reception

Mixed Reception

(Acrylic on board, 8 x 8 in)

I finally finished this small painting that’s been lying around for almost a year. It's based on a photograph I took from a roof terrace in Trogir.

 

Stadakis

Stadakis

(Acrylic and collage on board, 8x8 in)

Another painting I recently tinkered with and have now photographed.

 

Yellow Umbrella

Yellow Umbrella

(Acrylic and collage on board, 8x8 in)

I made some small changes to this recently and remembered to photograph it today. For "small changes" read "I put a figure in".

 

Knocking?

Knocking?

(mixed media on canvas board, 8x8 in)

I remember, back in the day, when you opened the door to the domino room in the Gateshead Arms, all you could hear was the soft susurration of doms being shuffled and the clatter of them being played.

I painted this small painting as a result of the unexpected sale of Club Man. There's a lot of interest these days in Northern Art and sometimes I like to test out my memory of those bygone days.

 

Club Man

Club Man

(oil on hardboard, 4x3 in)

SOLD

I found this very small painting while tidying the studio. It dates from … too many years ago to contemplate. Blokes like this were everywhere in my younger drinking days. I posted it on Facebook and to my delight someone asked to buy it. So off it went today to its new home across the river.

Parasol Study

Parasol Study

(Acrylic on illustration board, 25 x 12cm)

I’ve been meaning to make something of my photos of parasols for some years now and when I found this piece of illustration board, I knew the time was right. Still some fiddling to do.

 

Across the River

Across the River

(Acrylic on board, 12x12 in.)

Begun a week or two ago following a subject suggested by Gateshead Art Society and finished yesterday, after a few setbacks. It shows a view across the River yne from just beneath the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, AKA the Metro Bridge.

 

Night Station 2009 - SOLD

Night Station 2009

(oil on canvas, 24 x 30 in)

SOLD

I waved goodbye to this painting today as it set off on its journey to a new home with a collector in the USA. An interesting operation, because for the first time I had to order in a custom made packing box, rather than rely on pieces of cardboard from wine boxes et al.

WIP - At the Lighting Emporium

WIP - At the Lighting Emporium

(collage and acrylic on board, 12 x 12 in)

A bit of fun today, with Gateshead Art Society’s programme suggesting “Collage” as the activity for the session. This work in progress is based on an old photograph of a lighting shop but where it’s going, I’m not entirely sure. Must iron out the creases first.

The Steamboat

The Steamboat

(Acrylic and collage on canvas board, 8x10 in)

Another building portrait, this time of a of a pub in South Shields. I've actually drawn this pub on a sketch crawl, but it seems from the sketch that at the time I couldn't count the number of windows properly:

The Steamboat, Mill Dam, South Shields
(various markers in A4 sketchbook)

Pablo Paints a Picture

 

Pablo Paints a Picture

(acrylic on canvas board, 8x8 in)

Yesterday I ran into difficulties with two paintings I’m working on and had hoped to post here. In desperation, I asked my neighbour Pablo to pose for a replacement painting.

Rev James

Rev James

(Acrylic on canvas board, 8x8 in)

A little painting I did for a friend’s birthday, based on the label of a favourite Welsh ale.

 

Coffee Shop Readers

Coffee Shop Readers

(Acrylic on mountboard, 10x10 in)

Another small painting started last week at the Club and finished during the following week. Something a little different perhaps, but I’ve been looking at paintings of cafes recently and it’s had its effect. The coffee shop on which this is based is in the Stockbridge area of Edinburgh.

 

Pharmacy, North Brewick

Pharmacy, North Berwick

(Mixed media on canvas panel, 10x8 in)

Another in the series of shops I've found so interesting recently. This pharmacy is on the main street of North Berwick and I based the small painting on a photograph I took some years ago on a visit to Fidra Fine Art to see an excellent show of George Birrell paintings.

The pharmacy later came to my aid in a roundabout way when, after I fell on some rocks near Tantallon Castle, my friends bought some large elastoplasts at the pharmacy to stem the blood flow!

 

The Dotty House

The Dotty House

(Mixed media on mountboard, 10x10 in)

In an attempt to continue documenting my local area, I decided to see what I could make of the view at the end of our street, looking towards The Dotty House, a shop that sells greetings cards and gifts.

In its making, this small painting became of those pictures that takes on a life of its own. I like the slightly eerie quality.

Low Fell Lane

Low Fell Lane

(Acrylic on canvas board, 10x8 in)

SOLD

Started at Gateshead Art Society last Friday and finished during the week.

The lane is just round the corner from my house and is one I walk up and down regularly to and from the shops. It's one of the delights of being an artist that you can suddenly be struck by something commonplace and see the potential for a painting.

I've since sold this small work to a collector who lives in Germany.

 

Curleys

Curleys

(Mixed media on canvas panel, 10x12 in)

SOLD

Another portrait of a building on Gateshead High Street, this one sadly scheduled for demolition I understand. The original building dates from around 1800 and the current pub frontage from about 1900. The pub was previously called the Phoenix (from at least 1873) but was commonly known as Curleys after early 20th century licensee Will Curley (who was a boxer) and later officially changed its name.

Since painting this, I've sold it to the grandson of a former landlord of the pub.

 

Dietz

Dietz

(Acrylic on canvas panel, 10 x 8 in)

This small work is what I think of as a “building portrait”. The shop stands on Gateshead High Street and even now that the pork butcher’s shop has been replaced by something less interesting, the early 19th century frontage stands out from the surrounding buildings.

I based the painting on a photograph of the building I took some time after the shop had closed. Eventually, through the magic if the Interweb, I was able to find a photograph of the window when the shop was open and include that information.

WIP - Holy Island Water Tower

 

WIP - Holy Island Water Tower

(oil on canvas, 12 x 12 in)

Not a great day at the North of England Art Club yesterday. I put this painting back on the easel to resume work on it and squeezed out some fresh paint onto my palette.

Then I noticed that a bottle of Liquin had fallen over and leaked out quite a bit of the contents into the bottom of my paint box. Liquin sets like a particularly sticky toffee. So, scraping out the Liquin as best I could, I started to clean the residue with white spirit and soapy water.

Almost done, I knocked over the inside tray, spilling all my brushes and tubes of paint onto the floor. My back is giving me real trouble at the moment, so by the time I’d dried off the paint box and picked up all the brushes and paint, all I was fit for was storing the painting back in the racks, putting away the easel and going home.

I haven't been back since, which is a situation in need of remedying.