Stanley Dock Bascule Swing Bridge.

Initial sketch for a new project 'Ghosts'. Kinda like the long format for this one, might even try a 3:1 get a little more information either side.

Plein Air. Parkgate

Another piece for the show in Parkgate. I think these latest pieces are straddling the border between figuration and abstraction mainly because they are as much about how the landscape was seen as well as what was seen. Looking forward to my next trip out.

Studio Update

Just completed another of the larger pieces for the summer show in Parkgate on the Wirral, (61cm x61cm). This is part of the coast series which seems to be my ongoing project. I am currently looking to develop other areas for painting as much for the change of subject as well as the challenge, but the wilder places are where I think I will always return.

Postcards From Liverpool

I finally managed to gain access to the disused Stanley Dock on the Liverpool waterfront to do some prelim work for a new project I've been mulling over for quite some time. I want to do a series of paintings of the forgotten or disappearing locations from around the city, postcards from the edge so to speak.

I spent a grey afternoon alone Immersed in this haunting location, and couldn't help but see these structures as ghosts from the past. The old cotton warehouses, the grain and rice stores and the Stanley swing bridge are the souls of things which have a heart that beats in a time past. They are in a state of limbo waiting to become something else or simply erased. They carry the history of the ordinary men and women who built and worked them, a history we are still touching with our fingertips. I just want to run with the idea over the next few weeks and see what develops as I normally find my inspiration in the wilder barely touched or changed landscape.

Studio Update, Parkgate Landscapes

Nearly completed another piece for the summer show in Parkgate. Worked this 60x60cm piece from the sketches I made last week. Just as well I got that work under my belt because the weather has been poor ever since and I've not had the chance for another visit... yes I know that as a painter, 'there is no such thing as bad weather only the wrong clothes', but fingers crossed for this weekend.

Passion For Painting

Re: The passion for painting nominations I should have added well before now but really got side tracked. See previous post where I was chosen as one of Jill Berry's nominations.

http://williamwray.blogspot.com/ In his own words a 'Painter of blight'. Inspired me to try and start a series of urban pieces on disappearing Liverpool....watch this space.

http://qiang-huang.blogspot.com/ Really good painter of still life, look out for his demos on you tube.

http://artpleinair.blogspot.com/ Colourful works from Rio.

http://pochade-box.blogspot.com/ Lots of inspiration for the pochade painter.

Plein Air Study

Back out on the marsh at Parkgate today and just had time for a quick pen sketch before being eaten alive by the bug life. Only had cartridge paper with me so a wash of watercolour just about sat on the surface to make some sort of colour note. After today I think that some of the follow up pieces could be done in a 3:1 format, this might best suit this large expanse of horizon and sky, keeping the detail to a minimum. I really enjoy painting outdoors as the response is about more than the subject, it's also about being there at that particular time. I tend to work a lot looser on site probably due to the challenges of a changing light. This speedier execution can result in fresher work as opposed to the measured approach that can sometimes creep up on you in the studio resulting in an overworked surface. I think the key to avoiding a response that is too labouredl lies in achieving a balance where the subject matter is considered and spatial and tonal relationships are maintained but the response is free enough to avoid a painterly mess.