HASTA LUEGO

I think that’s it, the final painting to come out of this studio. The studio will not be transported to join Bacon’s. For one thing I am still alive, and another, its a very tidy studio, not much to see. This studio will now be cleared before I journey off to Mexico for 4 months, returning in March. I will resist the temptation to paint sunsets over the pacific ocean so this will be a lengthy break. The house goes up for sale on my return and then hopefully a quick transit to the countryside. Please tune in again around August 2022 for the final chapter in a fabulous painting career?

Northumberland landscape 1

MUSIC ON A LOOP

When a painting is going well you don't want to do something as mundane as change a CD. This meant I was listening to a 3 hour loop of Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons. Luckily, it was 'the best of'. The sky has improved and now has the subtlety, complexity, and dare I say it, the beauty of my initial idea. I think this painting is almost finished. There is a mix of ‘realism’ and odd abstract elements that gel and create an interesting dialogue between them.

Northumberland landscape 1. Day 8

LAST ROLE OF THE DICE

One day I hope my paintings catch up with the dramatic titles which illustrate my thoughts. More seriously, I can see some promise in my current paintings. My relocation next year really places me exactly where I would want to be as a landscape painter. From that point onward I cannot offer up any excuses in terms of my output. I cannot use the word commitment, I don’t think I have earnt it, more like consistency. I hope that at least it will re-ignite my enthusiasm, I feel I am dabbling at the moment.

PAINTING ON INSTINCT

The sky has been the most problematic area in this painting. That is due to the fact that I have pushed it so far away from the original image. My idea was that the shapes formed by the fields would find their way into sky. There would be an echo. All I knew about the previous version was that it was too crude and I was hoping for some divine intervention to sort it out. Well, there was only one way to do it and that was to keep repainting the idea until it slowly emerged. My immediate thoughts are it is much closer but the lower dark blue band should change to another purple, removing it further from a naturalistic state and more towards a decorative representation of sky.

Northumberland landscape 1. Day 7

ART THERAPY

You are always told, ‘Art is not therapy, you must stride resolutely forward and illuminate the world with your vision!’. Well, I am not driven by any great purpose, I am not sure if I have any story to tell. One thing is for sure, art offers me a warm comfort blanket from the world. I can’t imagine what response I would have got if I used that line during a critique. I am finding that art acts as an antidote to a world filled with technology. As technology advances it seems just to be a distraction from things that really matter. The act of mixing colour and making images is so elemental and primitive that it gives me a reassurance that some things will always be this way.

Northumberland landscape 1. Day 6

SCAMMERS

I have been contacted by a gallery in New York who wish to represent me. It seems I have significantly underestimated the value of my work. I have been selected above the tens of thousands of New York based artists who are committing their hearts and souls to their craft. What makes me so special?. I hope my scammers are reading this, you are based in the Netherlands, how does that work?

BUILDING A WALL IS EASIER

If I was a bricklayer with 30 years experience I would build the perfect wall first time every time. Why doesn't this transfer to painting?

If you want to struggle for the rest of your life I would highly recommend painting. Still, it's a self imposed struggle. More positively, as I struggle, so the painting improves, there is redemption.

Northumberland landscape 1. Day 5

THE WINDOW IS CLOSING

I love a dramatic headline, I should have worked in theatre. The reality is my painting is heading toward a long period of suspension. House move preparations have already started and that is time consuming. Then there is 4 months in Mexico this winter. Returning in March the house goes up for sale. I'm not sure when normal painting activities will resume maybe late summer 2022? Perhaps I should take that opportunity to do some landscape sketching that is small and portable.

ABBA Gold

It was clear to me as soon as I turned on my tv monitor and started playing my ABBA Gold lp that the trees were an integral part of the painting . I have always had this irrational fear of illustration. But I am slowly reconciling myself with the style of paintings that I am making. My previous painting has an inordinate amount of trees and I am very happy with the final look of it. It's time to move on and forward.

Northumberland landscape 1. Day 4

A SLOW START

It was one of those starts where it feels like nothing will be achieved. After half an hour of wading through treacle things began to turn around. Once you get past that point its remarkable how decisions tend to be the right ones. Some of the colour has been shifted towards a more ‘naturalistic’ tone and the space is working a bit better. I am looking at this painting and thinking, it may be better without the trees! dammit, I was looking forward to doing them. Maybe a reason for 2 versions?. Also, the dark area of the sky seems a bit flat and featureless to me.

Northumberland landscape 1. Day 3

ANOTHER TRANSITIONAL PHASE?

Yes it looks like it, but I think that has already started. Its clear I like the decorative, flattened effect of viewing the landscape from a high perspective. Its also becoming clear that I don’t take a naturalistic approach to landscape painting. These more graphic elements in the sky are interesting and will develop over time. Wisely, I stopped at lunchtime. I am faced yet again with a lot of trees to paint in, but they add an important element and characteristic to the landscape.

Northumberland landscape 1. Day 2

A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME?

This new painting is based on an area that, fingers crossed, will be my new home next year. It just makes sense to invest my energy in a landscape that is close to hand. Especially if I am going to all the trouble to move there! I seem to be favouring these aerial views , I am thinking maybe I need a drone, if I don’t do that it means climbing up hills, not so appealing.

Northumberland landscape 1. Day 1

IS THIS THE PAINTING INTENDED?

I don’t know. What interests me about the landscape is how the land gets changed by man. The curious shapes and decisions that occur when dividing up fields for housing and agriculture. I have put these shapes into the sky, exaggerated shapes and colours on the land and painted other areas more naturalistically. I find this ever changing mix quite interesting. Although this painting has some curious elements it seems to gel. I could keep adding more detail but I think this painting is finished.

An Italian landscape 2

MIRRORS ARE OLD SKOOL

Do you remember them?, with your back to your painting, its image reflected, trying to work out what was wrong. I never used them, what I use now is my iphone. As I have a website I spend as much time looking at my painting on the phone as I do when I am working on it. Not looking for faults, but for subtle insights in how the painting may be improved. The backlit photo gives an enhanced image which increases colour and contrast. I can often see a way forward by looking at the phone rather than the painting. This is new tech, and along with Photoshop, my way of working at art school does indeed seem like last century.

PHOTO FOR THE PAINTING

I have not done this before but I thought it would be interesting to show how far removed my painting is from the photo. The reason that I strayed so far was firstly to introduce a greater sense of dynamism and space to the painting. The trees in the photo produce a rather uninteresting green blanket effect. The houses produce a similar effect in that they are a flat tapestry. You can see I have retained the high contrasting and more interesting elements, the skyline and yellow cornfields.

MAKING IT UP

Once again I have gone off piste as my source material is not giving me the image I want to make, but its never that clear what image you want to make. As my style is turning back towards illustration you then have the problem of convincing the viewer that what you are painting is observed. That is to say that the space and forms that have appeared are convincing. I think that needs a little bit more work but this version is a step closer to completion. This kind of painting is like taking an imaginary walk through a landscape that only reveals itself very slowly.

An Italian landscape 2. Day 5

A BIT OF TICKLING

This happens when you don’t have the mental energy to take on the more difficult aspects of the painting. In this case, once again, its the trees. I haven’t finished with them yet. So I started with the sky. Freeform clouds are a lot easier to deal with. The day started slowly but with a solo recital in the background from Pavarotti some good progress was made.

An Italian landscape 2. Day 4

ANOTHER DAY

The photo to this painting is populated with hundreds of houses, I was going to include a handful, curiously none have appeared and I think it is better without it. I always find that I am contradicting myself when it comes to my own painting. When I am sure I am heading in a certain direction my painting says otherwise.

An Italian landscape 2. Day 3

FOCUS ON THE RIGHT THINGS

I recently received a book on Graham Crowley, within the second paragraph there is a line: 'painting is the artists defence against anxiety'. I use painting to switch off from the world, which may be the same thing. That doesn't mean to say that painting is always a pleasurable experience but it focuses my attention enough so at least I can get lost for a while. This painting is starting to improve, and when that happens the world seems a better place.

An Italian landscape 2. Day 2

BETTER THAN UNTITLED

An Italian Landscape 2, not very imaginative but better than Untitled.