This week’s post has been inspired by yet another trawl through my photography archives. I’m really pleased that I haven’t deleted any of my photos, even though at the time I took them I saw little value in them in terms of subject material. Not for the first time, I managed to fine inspiration in… Read More
After finding last week’s Bartender subject matter in my Barcelona library, I continued to look for any other previously overlooked gems. The one that stood out for me on this occasion did so for two reasons. First, I really liked the quite graphic composition of it, formed by lots of uprights and strong light and… Read More
This week’s watercolour paintings were proof of the old adage that necessity is the mother of invention! The necessity in this case was time. Since the pandemic took hold, I now have less time than ever before for painting! I won’t bore you with the details of why this is the case but it really… Read More
Regular readers will know of my affection for Brighton’s train station and my various attempts to portray it. I think this affection was the starting point for some recent picture research where I was looking for atmospheric images of train stations. I can’t remember if I was also looking specifically for black and white photos… Read More
There are some subjects that just seem to attract watercolour artists, and I think the fish market in Venice is one of them. Off the top of my head I can vividly recall paintings set here by Joseph Zbukvic, Alvaro Castagnet, Keiko Tanabe and Gary Tucker to name only a few. Often, if you’re anything… Read More
Before Covid-19… … I was due to be heading to Cambridge this weekend for my Alvaro Castagnet Masterclass workshop. This was booked back in January and I’d been so looking forward to it. As the saying goes however, the writing was on the wall some time ago. I resigned myself to it being cancelled long… Read More
As we were due to be in Valencia this week – it seems appropriate to post something Spanish. I can’t quite recall what set this particular thought pattern in motion – sometimes things just call out to you – on this occasion, it was palm trees. I started off my research with one of my… Read More
This first offering is a combination of last week’s John Yardley diversion and having spent time at my mother’s house while visiting her in hospital. This study is a view of mum’s red chair. I tried to paint this view in my own style but with an obvious nod to John Yardley. I can’t say… Read More
I recently came across a photograph of a view in Manchester that I saw almost instantly as a watercolour painting. This does happen every now and then but more often than not I have to look at a photo and try to work out how I would paint it, which is a much more conscious… Read More
I was feeling a bit deflated after last week’s Pintar Rapido adventure. As I was lacking in enthusiasm, motivation and inspiration, I decided to give my myself and my brushes a break and tackle something that I’ve been putting off for a long time now. Back in November, I did a little video introduction to… Read More
