Latest News and Progress

3 December 2018

Work-in-progress: Watercolour classes with Michael Hill

I attend watercolour classes with Michael Hill at Salcombe Art Club every Tuesday during term time, October through to Easter.

Michael arrives with source photos and proceeds to show how he would tackle each painting. We can choose whether to work in acrylic or watercolour and Michael demonstrates both. This is done in stages, so we watch Michael for a short while and then we work on our own paintings, watch again and paint again, and so on. All the while, Michael comes around the class giving encouragement. His strategy works …

I have three work-in-progress watercolours at present. All three are executed under time pressures.

What you’re seeing here is how far I got during a class session. It’s up me to complete them in my studio at home.

Watercolour WIP 1: Cawsands

This is the source photo. Source photo Cawsands | Work-in-progress: Watercolour classes with Michael Hill This is my work-in-progress watercolour painting.

Cawsands | Work-in-progress: Watercolour classes with Michael Hill

The lateral structure was enhanced – made to look more interesting – with the use of pen and ink. I don’t usually use pen and ink, so this was a departure from my normal style.

Watercolour WIP 2: Grumpy old man

This is the source photo. Grumpy photo | Work-in-progress: Watercolour classes with Michael Hill

Not a usual subject for me. No water. No boats. No sky. Just a grumpy old man!

This is my work-in-progress watercolour painting. Grumpy painting | Work-in-progress: Watercolour classes with Michael Hill

I’m glad I have him on paper. It’s nowhere near finished and I wouldn’t want to see him in a nightmare.

Again, this was an interesting exercise, but I don’t imagine completing this painting until after I’ve done another workshop on portraiture. I have much to learn.

Watercolour WIP 3: Snow scene

This is the source photo. Michael often provides snow scenes at this time of year. Snow is particularly difficult to capture so this adds an extra dimension to the task.

Snow scene photo | Work-in-progress: Watercolour classes with Michael Hill

The grid lines help me to place the buildings and other features proportionately.

This is my work-in-progress watercolour.

Snow painting | Work-in-progress: Watercolour classes with Michael Hill

I still have to improve the tree line behind the cottage and behind the barn in order to give a sense of recession.

Watercolour classes in 2019

I’ve signed up to continue classes with Michael Hill in the Spring term. He is very popular so there is a waiting list.

You have to be at least a lay member of Salcombe Art Club to benefit from Michael’s classes. All the details are here.

26 November 2018

Work-in-progress: Oil paintings

I have two oil paintings in progress at the moment. One is a ‘normal’ scene with moored boats and little going on. The other is action-packed.

Oil painting 1: Salcombe Harbour

This first oil painting is a Salcombe Harbour scene taking in Cliff House through to the Ferry Inn as seen from the Venus Cafe on the East Portlemouth side of the estuary.

This is one of my source photos, showing the grid pattern I set up for my composition.

This photo also reveals which craft were present when I took the photo, and which ones made it on to the canvas. Notice that the yacht on the right of the photo is on the left in my painting. Also, notice that I’ve introduced some other smaller craft to my composition, to create balance.

The source photo above is one of many photos I took that day, in changeable weather: some with cloud cover; some with the sun breaking through. I’ve tried to capture sunshine on the scene – and that colouration will have come from my other source photos, not shown here.

In all, for anyone painting, I may have a dozen or more photos to inspire me. I draw from as many of them as necessary to arrive at the composition and my palette of colours.

Oil painting 2: Merlins racing up Salcombe estuary

This is the other work-in-progress oil painting – four Merlins racing up the estuary.

My source photo for this one included a view of the Venus Cafe umbrellas, which I decided were a distraction, as I wanted to focus on the action on the water.

Notice that I changed the relative position of the boats, and eliminated one. My aim was to capture the sense of speed through the water. I maintained the colour of the spinnakers, but only because they worked in this combination.

These two paintings should be completed in time for the 2019 exhibition at Salcombe Art Club and will keep me busy during the dark days of winter.

New card designs

Apart from painting, one of the tasks over the winter is to select new card designs.

Usually, rectangular ones are cropped to create a square. For the Salcombe Harbour image, we might have two cards. Which do you prefer?

19 November 2018

Giclée prints: available to order

Every original painting is professionally photographed so I have the opportunity to use the image for giclée prints, fine art wall plaques, coasters and place mats – and my fine art greetings cards.

What is a giclée print?

Giclée is used to describe a fine art digital printing process combining pigment based inks with the highest quality acid free papers to achieve prints of superior archival quality, light fastness and stability.

Using Fine Art papers, the result is very similar to the original. They are more expensive to reproduce than the bulk prints made using traditional lithography and they are priced accordingly, but, it goes without saying, that they aren’t as valuable as original works.

Limited edition prints

I have a range of limited edition prints. Five images.

Each print may be purchased as a rolled canvas, as a cellophane wrapped double mounted print, or as a framed mounted print behind glass.

Smaller print prices: £65 rolled (29cm square with a 6cm border), £95 mounted (50cm square) or £195 framed (55cm(h) x 54cm(w)).
Larger print prices: £95 rolled (40cm x 51cm with 6cm border), £145 mounted (62cm x 71cm) or £240 framed (67cm x 76cm).

Plus P&P at cost.

Giclée prints of other images

It’s possible to order a giclée print of any of my images, whether the original has been sold or not. The print is supplied as a rolled canvas. Price available on application.

I recommend you visit Tidal Gallery in Kingsbridge and talk to Anna Ventura about available options for mounting and framing, and costs too.

For the SHAF trail, I created this poster with example costs for a single sample image.

So, if you’ve seen an image you like and it has already been sold, don’t despair. You can purchase a high-quality giclée print.

If you’ve seen an image you like and the original is too pricey, don’t despair. You can purchase a high-quality giclée print!

To order a print, contact me.