New Book

101 Top Techniques For Artists

I have just received my advance copies of the new SAA book '101 Top Techniques For Artists' for which I am one of the 101 contributing artists. It will soon be available from the SAA priced £14.99, signed copies are exclusively available from me...... if you would like your copy de-valued? I have some now!

Vectis Artisans

Vectis Artisans 3rd Exhibition

I and my friends The Vectis Artisans have an exhibition of our work at Quarr Abbey from Thursday 20th of March until Tuesday 25th of Mrch from 10.30 to 16.30 daily. It will be a great mix of mediums and styles including stunning photographs great paintings and fantastic sculptures! The Artisans are myself, Becky Samuelson, Kate Bolton, Robert Jones, Sheila Luke, Juliet Collins, Pamela Stirling and Brian Gilbert. We are all full time professional artists and share a love of the Island and its inspirational land and seascapes.

Low Tide, Brook Beach

TV Demonstration

Pastel Painting On 'A Splash Of Paint'

I will feature on next weeks episode of 'A Splash Of Paint' (Monday 24th March) where I paint a sunset at Freshwater Bay from one of my friend Sheila's photographs. If you view it please make allowances for the 25 minute time limit for painting it. It is painted in real time so it is what it is, warts and all!!

It is view-able on Sky 192, Freesat 402, on the SAA Online channel (via their web site www.saa.co.uk) or on Youtube after Monday 31st of March.

Chateau De Gurson Ruins And Old Prison, A Pastel Painting.

The Beauty Of Gouache

What Is Gouache?

The question I am most frequently about Gouache is what is it? The short answer is that it is posh poster paint or opaque watercolour is made using pigment and gum Arabic. The pigments used are very high quality and the result is a strong level of opacity with a soft, matt finish, it is not suited to delicate transparent washes as you can achieve in watercolour. So what about painting with Gouache? I hear you ask... It is great for working from dark to light with many subtle attributes which can be employed and has a delightful soft surface and as it is opaque and matt makes it a terrific medium for reproducing whether it be scanned or photographed. I will be running some Gouache workshops in the near future so if you are interested drop me an e-mail and I'll keep you informed, in the meantime here are a few Gouache paintings, I especially like working on the black paper, it makes bright colours seem even more vibrant.

Kingfisher on heavy black paper

Driving Home For Christmas

Ann Hathaway's Cottage