New Year

I hope you have had a great Christmas, and are settled into the realities of another New Year. At the studio it has been a busy end to 2017, getting a lot of work finished and framed, as well as preparing the direction the work will take through 2018.

I took a few snaps while out on one of our frosty walks at Westonbirt Arboretum. It's a favourite place to take the dogs, Arthur and Boo, being among the trees and amidst wonderful scenery, the place never fails to inspire and recharge the batteries! If you see us please feel free to say hello.

Talking of inspiration, new work for 2018 includes colour and movement inspired pieces that I am developing from sketches taken over several visits to the Jericho Tavern in Oxford. These visits were to sketch, paint and draw the Salsa Dancers from Salsa Oxford.

I have added a few of the preliminary sketches as a montage here, the finished results available soon. Meanwhile, landscapes this year continue to focus on light and colour. With trips planned to many of our coastal areas, 'plein air alla prima' will feature heavily.

A painting already underway is a view that I love at Dolbadarn Castle at the base of the Llanberis Pass in North Wales, snugly tucked away off the tourist path. Turner painted this view, and it's amazing to think I was standing almost exactly where he was when he painted this all those years ago. Again I've added a little montage at the roughed out stage.

New pieces go on apace and purchasing them continues through the contact facility. A brief email followed by a chat on the phone is the simplest way to acquire your new painting for 2018. I wish you a great year and hope to see you back here at the next post.

All the best, and speak soon.