I have spent the last 2 days on the final stage of completing the studio, getting the shelving finished. I wanted to get this out of the way so I could get properly organised. The sign, ‘The Studio’ with an arrow is a humorous nod to the painter Frank Auerbach who painted many views of going to the studio, leaving the studio and inside the studio over several decades.
A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY
Sounds a bit cliched but wouldn’t it be dull if it was any other way?. There is taking risks and then there is going too far. This painting is just the right side of a 60’s pyschedelic album cover. I will have to proceed carefully. One thing I think is holding me back is my reliance on photographs, this is quite unforgiveable given my proximity to my subject matter. I may have to leave the comforts of my newly built studio and venture into the countryside. The horror.
Cartington, Northumberland. Day 4.
TAKING RISKS
It always amuses me to hear painters talking about taking risks (myself included). Its just a painting, you are not putting your life on the line. At the end of yesterdays session I felt the painting was dying on me. This morning I through a metaphorical grenade at it and decided to deal with the debris. The strongest and lightest tone in the picture is the centre yellow field, so I mixed a high contrast tone with the intention of not modifying it but bringing up the rest of the picture with it. Well it worked, I also had a great deal of fun with it and am happy to say the painting is back on track. Only slightly annoying issue is I had intended to paint in the bright green band of bare paint. I shall target that next time.
Cartington, Northumberland. Day 3.
MOMENTUM GATHERING
Like with anything else, just getting started is the hardest part. I know that consistency and hard work will be rewarded, we all know that, so why don’t I commit to it? I suppose you have to define what kind of reward would make it all worthwhile? I think I will just to continue and let fate take care of that. This painting is starting to get interesting. It has a fluid quality, almost like a water colour.
Cartington, Northumberland. Day 2.
WHAT KIND OF PAINTER ARE YOU?
An odd question to ask if you left art college over 30 years ago? But I can see that as a landscape painter I am still evolving. I am starting to use place names and its important to me to capture the specific characteristics of the landscape. That doesn’t mean my intention is just to make a faithful rendition of the view. For me its a balance between what can be seen and how that can be translated through the language of painting, space, colour, rhythm and the relationship of objects. My stamina is improving, a much better effort than last time, happy with the start.
Cartington, Norhtumberland. Day 1.
PAINTING FINISHED
Or as close as makes no difference. I had only planned to do an hour today, but I was starting with my nemesis, trees, which is a bit of an issue if your a landscape painter. They always end up how I want them to but getting there always takes a lot out of me. I am quite surprised, but I actually regard this, in technical terms and poetic? terms as a step forward on my painting of last year. This is surprising given my 11 month absence, but it is a nice surprise to have. I am excited about the future and the kind of painting I could make. I have no shortage of subject matter on my doorstep, all that is required is to continue.
Coquetdale Valley, Northumberland.
GLIDING LIKE A PRO
Another benefit I have just discovered with the new studio is with a combination of a hard vinyl floor and a chair with wheels it means I am very mobile. I can glide between palette and easel with ease and glide back away from the painting to view it. I had Straus Waltzes playing today, I’m sure I was in time with the music. This painting is nearly finished, there is a lot going on and a lot to think about. I am pleased with the outcome. Because my style is quite graphic and saturated it reminds me of those early 20th century travel posters. I am still deciding whether this is a good thing or not?
Coquetdale Valley, Northumberland. Day 5.
Antidote to lethargy
Kicking off another painting session with Beethoven’s symphony number 3. You immediately feel energised and motivated. I would recommend it to anyone who is feeling lethargic, if I was a GP I would prescribe it. At first glance the painting doesn’t seemed to have changed a great deal, but it’s gaining refinement and it’s becoming more clear what I need to do.
Coquetdale valley, Northumberland. Day 4.
A SMALL INTERLUDE
Moving to a ‘new’ house (260 year old stone cottage) has enabled me to complete a purpose built studio. One thing that was quickly apparent was how much better the 3 LED ceiling lights are compared to a single bulb I used to use in my previous studio (dining room). This has been very important in faithfully reproducing my paintings when photographed.
Today I was repainting a few areas of a painting I did in 2020 and I could never get an accurate photo of it. The two are below, the one titled ‘Robin’ was photographed today and it records the painting fairly accurately.
Robin
Bird in a tree 16
OBSERVATION, NOT MAGIC
When I sit down in front of a painting in progress the first feeling I have is disappointment. The next, a lack of enthusiasm to continue. Then I put on my objective head and ask, ok, what’s not working. The truth is, most of the time you haven’t put enough time and thought into it. That’s where painting still trumps the Instagram generation. Its the passage of time, craft and thought that goes into painting that makes it much more powerful on many different levels. Progressed well today, Beethoven symphonies 3 and 4 on repeat all afternoon.
Coquetdale Valley, Northumberland. Day 3.
Where's the magic?
Although this is no banal translation of the subject there hopefully comes a moment in most paintings where the focus moves away from your original source material to how the painting is actually operating, in terms of colour, space, rhythm and forms. I am looking at this painting to see if this is happening, not quite yet but I hope that next time it will start talking to me. Happy with where it is at for now.
Coquetdale Valley, Northumberland. Day 2.
The start of something .........
That’s where all the potential and hope lies, in the start, after that its a tight rope walk between success and disaster. First painting in the new studio and to open proceedings Sviatoslav Richter playing live at the Carnegie Hall, 1960. I am hoping to ride this wave of enthusiasm for as long as possible. Its a promising start, and it doesn’t feel like I have been away from painting for 11 months. Only a shortish session today, I had forgotten how mentally exhausting such a ‘simple’ activity could be.
Coquetdale Valley, Northumberland. Day 1
Studio is finished
The journey to get to this point started last March when we decided to move out to the countryside. It was a slightly tortuous period with much uncertainty but finally I am at a significant moment, at least for myself. A purpose built studio, no more worrying about keeping the carpet clean, no wife complaining about the smell of solvents and oil paint. The studio was a project started by the previous owner, to which I am grateful, it was a significant factor in us choosing this house. It is built onto the exterior of a stone garage. My final modification will be to completely seal off the windows from the garage side before the winter arrives. Happy days.
NORMAL SERVICE WILL RESUME SHORTLY
New studio is rapidly moving towards completion. By the 20th of this month it will have lighting and power. Space is now fully insulated and water tight and despite a lengthy absence the enthusiasm for painting has not diminished. My biggest studio space by far, I am at a loss at how to fully utilize it, hopefully this larger space will encourage a larger ambition and freedom.
RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON
Views to this site are at a historical low and its no wonder. The good news is that after an eternity I have finally arrived to my beloved countryside location after 6 months of agony and uncertainty. The enthusiasm to continue painting is certainly there although the logistics of setting up the studio mean more delays. The studio is currently full of our household contents. There is also a damp issue that needs sorting and there is no electrics or lighting. There is also the small inconvenience of a 4 month trip to Mexico starting mid November. However, all the elements of a full return to painting are there and hopefully I will be running through the cornfields with easel in hand by next summer.
THE FINAL PAINTING
No more paintings to come out of this current studio. Things have ended with a whimper rather than a bang, but its a minor miracle that I have been able to maintain any kind of normal routine over the last few weeks. Everything goes into storage and god only knows when it all comes out again. This has turned into a gloomy painting, an authentic reflection of my current mood. I am pleased with the outcome, and knowing the landscape I am moving to I am optimistic there is better to come.
Evening, Northumberland
AN UNSURE APPROACH
I have been debating with myself for the last 30 years whether I should be painting grass in an illustrative style. I had this conversation today, and again I fought against it. I may have to relent and get my Andrew Wyeth books out to see how it is done properly. It has always seemed such a tedious exercise, blade after blade, maybe there is an easier way to do it.
Evening, Northumberland. Day 7
A WILLINGNESS TO STRUGGLE
This has always been an essential element of my painting. Not being able to get it right first time has ruled out any chance of being a great fresco painter. A willingness to struggle and the return of some enthusiasm has come to the rescue. There is an odd quality to this Northumberland landscape, at least the kind that appeals to me. Its almost if the undulating hills and oddly placed clumps of trees are trying to communicate something. Maybe its me?
Evening, Northumberland. Day 6
CHAOS REIGNS
These titles aren’t very positive are they? Due to a house move my life and state of mind is being determined by others, if only they were rational and competent I wouldn’t have any problems. Unfortunately they are not. This painting was almost abandoned but I have turned myself around, momentarily, and have moved it forward a little more.
Evening, Northumberland Day 5
A FRAGMENTED MIND
This is not a film title about my life but my current state of mind dealing with a house move. It should only prove to be a temporary state but I am also offering it as an excuse for my unusually poor output. A couple of hours painting this morning has averted me from moving into a permanent vegetative state and I am expecting a full recovery once relocated. Hopefully then, the focus will be where it should be, on the painting.
Evening, Northumberland. Day 4