Penarth Beach

Oils
18 inches X 20 inches
(46 cm X 51 cm)

This is the beach at Penarth, South Glamorgan, Wales. Locals and purists will point out that this particular beach is shingle. I chose to use artistic licence to make it a sand beach so that I could include some maram grass, which helps the composition by leading the eye into the scene.

After the Rain

Oil on panel
9.5 inches X 13.5 inches
(24 cm X 34 cm)

This painting is based on a work by Edward Seago. I was attracted to it by the wet reflections on a dismal day.

It is not an attempt to copy Seago's style, but rather my own interpretation of the subject matter.

The Gate

Pastel and Gouache
21.5 inches X 14.5 inches
(55 cm X 37 cm)

I was attracted to this scene because of the often repaired gate. This gate could be considered an inadvertent work of art in its own right. The archway leads the eye to the object of the painting, drawing attention to the many repairs and the light creeping around the door in the gate and through the gaps between boards. The location was a "Little Mester's" yard on Solly Street, Sheffield.

Woman with a Red Head Scarf

Pastel
14.5 inches X 11 inches
(37 cm X 28 cm)

The pose and the bright red head scarfe are, to my mind, all that is required to make a simple composition that works.

Girl with a Green Head Scarf

Pastel
14.5 inches X 11 inches
(37 cm X 29 cm)

This painting is based on Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. In the original the girl is wearing a turban, which has never been a favoured style of head gear in The Netherlands, so was replaced by the green scarf. In doing so the earring also disappeared. I decided on these changes so that the painting was "based on", rather than a direct copy of the original.

Two Horses Heads

Pastel
21 inches X 14 inches
(53 cm X 36 cm)

In this study I was trying to depict the detail in the white horse, eyelashes, blood vessels etc., while using the brown horse as a foil with less detail. Hence the brown background which contrasts with one horse but is in sympathy with the other.

Spaniel

Pastel
14 inches X 11 inches
(36 cm X 28 cm)

The source material for this painting was a photograph. Dogs just will not pose for more than a few seconds. I wonder what the dog was thinking while looking into the camara lense? The eyes are saying something but I don't know what.

Videos

How the marks are made.