I’ve been able to spend quite a bit of time on my art this month. The work has been split into groups. Sketchbook work, Mornings in the Mole Valley and Spring sunshine.

Sketchbook

Mornings in the Mole Valley

Spring Sunshine

With the close down of everything this month the opportunities to paint plein air have been limited.

Winkworth Arboretum.  a beautiful day and lovely location

Leatherhead . It was so nice to be able to just walk from home, paint , have a pint and walk back.

With the weather being so wet I’ve been working at home on commissions, local scenes, catching up and trying out new techniques.

I was very chuffed to be selected by a group of friends to paint their mate’s boat. It was a challenging commission but I felt I achieved the brief, keeping the boat accurate but enhancing the backdrop.

Hunter 350 off Dorset

Walking Molly everyday about Leatherhead I’ve forced myself to really look at scenes that represent the town/area. I’ve painted three local scenes.

Leatherhead from Norbury 

Leatherhead Bridge

Leatherhead Waterworks

Molly was sunning herself on my bed and I was interested in getting this image in the style of Carl Larsson but only adding colour to the core subject.

Molly sunning herself on the bed

The art group hosted a talk on ancient Roman art and we all had a go at reproducing our own portrait. The main criteria for Roman art seems to be enlarged eyes, mascara, jewellery, simple hair technique and grey background

February has been very wet and I was amazed to have painted outdoors three times in the month.

Quite a mixed bag of subjects

Walsham Gates, Ripley

Haslemere

Bentley, Brooklands Museum

Still Life

These are the studio based paintings I’ve produced over January.

Dorset – this view of Lulworth Cove was taken in the Spring of 2019. I love the 3d element of the view and I hope I have captured it.

Lulworth Cove

Molly and I found this herd of cattle and calves on the Polesden estate in 2019. I sketched them but produced this as a painting

Polesden Herd

I’ve expanded the view of this square in Guildford from the original sketch. I used line and wash to achieve a slightly different effect. Robbie, one of the plein air artists was the model.

Guildford

I’ve managed to make every Friday paint out this month. The weather has always threatened rain but has held off on all occasions. Which has been lucky.

I’ve taken Molly a few times which restricts the composition but on the other times I’ve been able to meet up with the other artists in the pub.

Shere was the first location of the year. I painted from the Church porch due to the rain but it brightened up and the sun came out. Nice pub in the village

Shere

We held our annual lunch at Chiddingfold. Very cold and I had trouble with values and textures. So I added pastels to the church and right hand cottage. Fish and Chips.

Chiddingfold 

Guildford was in a small town square and churchyard.

Guildford

A very misty paint out on the Devils Punch Bowl.

Devils Punch Bowl

My fourth graveyard on the month at Betchworth. Used different paper here for a change.

Betchworth

Not so much work created this month due to the exhibition and Christmas. Plus the weather has been so wet…

Above are my paintings for the 4 Surrey Artists exhibition at Bourne Hall. The show went well and I sold a couple of paintings to some lovely people. It was interesting to see all the paintings up in one place and this has given me ideas for the future.

I managed to get out a couple of times, once to the Wey… and the other to Steers Field on Ranmore Common

I’ve also been able to try some ideas out in the studio by developing other scenes from my plein air locations

Steers Field, Ranmore and the Belted Galloways

Papercourt Lock

I’ve been working in my sketchbook but from my studio recently. This approach allows me more time to think but not over think or over work the studies. They have all been of the River Wey and the Navigation Canal. This is a favorite place of mine, where I can relax, not have cars around me and concentrate on relatively simpler subjects.

Papercourt Lock

Wey at Newark Lane

Wey Meadows at Newark Lane

Papercourt Lock

Papercourt Lock

Its been so wet and cold that its been really hard to get out painting. But here are some of my November results.

Crookham Wharf – sketchbook

Dunsfold Village

Thames Lock, weybridge

River Thames, Weybridge

Petworth

I’ve been try out new watercolour techniques and these are the results using Venice as a backdrop.

My painting from a Clare Bowen demo

Grand Canal

Venice Ferries

Venice mooring