I'ts been a while since I have photographed my work to go in the shop.
These are some paintings I have worked on over the years, but because of house moving , they got set aside for a while. So, I have not seen these for a while.
There is a sense that as an artist you wonder if a painting is ever finished? The big question.
But one question I can ask myself is; Do they stand on their own right now? Do they have a sense of place. One out of these 4 is not finished, however I still like where it is at, at the moment!
It often takes a while to get back into a painting. Some of that is because I have to remake the original pallette, but also I have to re-make the moment, the zone when it started. That bit it tricky! That is why sometimes I think as artists we get hung up on, " is the painting finished yet?"
It's always in a process of growth. As an artist you have to decide when the moment of growth has reached sufficient growth to happily say - "yes this can go on a wall".
The other dilemma is: Am I just too into this painting that I cannot " see the wood for the trees"? and lose ciritical thinking over it? Yes! I can get too attatched to a piece of the painting or the whole thing! That is why its good to take a step away, park the painting, maybe even store it for a while - to then come back to it with fresh eyes.
These paintings are a conversation with colour. The lighter seas scapes are the most recent - where I have enjoyed a lighter pallette - this is something I have hoped to get to for a long time - as for some reason I tend to naturally err on the dark and moody side! it takes an effort for me to work in lighter colours, I think because I had felt in the past that using them would not be as dramatic! But there can still be drama in the lighter colours - and there is a subtle skill in mixing light colours that you can still get contrast within them.
I will intoduce you to them now - and they will soon be in the shop. I may also make greeting cards or cushion covers from some of them!

"OLD LYTH" is a well trodden path our family has walked for decades. Lyth Hill in Shropshire looks out onto a panoramic view of the wondeful hills of South Shropshire. I had been feeling a while back the painting was needing a lift. After a short course that artist Nicholas Wilton did - it helped me realise I could pep up the painting a bit just by using colour in an interesting way.

"THE DINGLE" was done on the spot in August several years ago. The Dingle is a sunken garden in the middle of the Quarry Park, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. It is tended by the local coucil all year round - so there is always an array of beautiful flowers and trees. This one I am focusing more on the juxtaposition of colour and texure with all the different foliage. I have always had a leaning for surface pattern/ textile design so I think that is why this painting has more of a texture and fabric pattern feel to it - than a realistic recording of the veiw. I think this will make a nice greeting card or pillow?


This one above has no name yet! But it will do.. any suggestions welcome!
This is a purely fantastical landscape - a lot of my work ( if it does not have a plan) will often tend towards a landscape/ seascape feel. Again I have tried to keep things lighter - magenta is an interesting colour to work with as it is very strong, but a useful tool in the pallette for bringing things up a notch with feeling.

This is a hazy beach scene. With no name yet ... I have intentially kept the brush strokes like dots and dashes - giving the hazy feel like when you are looking out to the horizon - it all seems to meld together.. this one is not finished - but not far off.

These will all be going in the shop soon.
And I have just realised I promised a painting tutorial for next post!
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