I’ve just completed a new oil painting which I’ve called “Burrows”. It is based on an abandoned building I often pass just outside Stafford. Earlier this year I parked up near the building and took a few reference photos to work on back at the studio. I really like the way nature takes over the spaces we leave behind and the contrast between the worn surfaces of the building and the plant life surrounding it. I started this earlier on in the year, put it on hold for a while and then carried on more recently to bring it to completion. Sometimes it’s good to take a break mid way through as it gives you a fresh perspective. You can find ‘Burrows’ in the ‘Abandoned Spaces’ section of the website.
Birmingham Art Circle Exhibition
I currently have three pieces of work on display at the the Birmingham Art Circle exhibition at the RBSA Gallery in Birmingham. It’s a diverse show and members work across several different mediums. The show runs until the 11th November and it is definitely worth a visit. My pieces are the ‘Sandonia 3’ pencil drawing and two oil paintings, ‘The Path Home’ and ‘Serenity’.
I recently went back to Snowdonia again and took further research photos of the landscape there. The mountains and the slate caverns are very dramatic and inspiring. It’s a great area and I could imagine living in the area at some point in the future.
Serenity
I’ve just completed a new oil painting which I’ve called ‘Serenity’. Over the last two or three years I have felt overwhelmed by the negative and dramatic news stories in the media and I wanted to produce some work that was the antithesis of that, something calm and positive. These quiet moments often get overlooked but when we stop and look more closely, it is possible to find beauty and fascination in the everyday. The new painting can be found in the ‘Small Works’ section of this website.
The Path Home
I’ve just completed a small new oil painting based on an area of Cannock Chase. Although I’ve used this forest many times as inspiration, the difference this time was that I wanted to create something that focuses on a peaceful atmosphere. For me, the forest is a place of great wonder but also somewhere I go to unwind and get away from the stresses of life. The media is generally quite negative and paints a bleak and hopeless view of the world. Although life has challenges, there is beauty and acts of kindness but you rarely hear or read about it. As a student I was given the impression that serious works of art should be political or deal with social issues but I’ve recently felt like making work that is calm and still. The new painting is called ‘The Path Home’ and can be found in the ‘Small Works’ section of this website.
Open Exhibitions
This week I found out that I have work selected for two open exhibitions.
My oil painting, ‘Hidden’, has been selected for the RBSA Prize Exhibition at the RBSA Gallery in Birmingham. This runs from the 15th September to the 15th October. My acrylic painting, ‘Inside Out’, has been selected for the Royal West of England Academy 169th Annual Open Exhibition at the RWA Gallery in Bristol. This runs from the 8th October until the 8th January.
These are both great shows and I’m really pleased to be included. Just need to get them both framed now!
New art, competitions and ideas
As usual, I am busy with a variety of creative projects. I have a new acrylic painting on the go featuring the interior of a derelict ceramics factory that I discovered in Middleport. This is the same building featured in my painting ‘Inside Out’. I’m still experimenting with the graphitint pencils and have a new drawing planned with those. I have more ideas around the abandoned war base theme which look promising too.
There’s a few competitions I will be entering soon. I discovered today that my oil painting, ‘GEC’, has been selected for the Three Counties Open Exhibition 2022 (organised by Arts Keele). The show runs from the 29th July to the 30th August at the Burslem School of Art in Stoke-on-trent. This painting features an abandoned factory in Stafford which has since been demolished. It was a building I was used to seeing throughout my childhood and so it is strange to see it gone.
Hidden
I’ve just completed a new oil painting which I’ve called ‘Hidden’. This one is inspired by a walk on Cannock Chase near the end of last year. I found an area that was supposed to be out of bounds but couldn’t resist ducking under the gap in the fence to see what lay beyond. I came to an area with a steep drop and below I could see the land stretching out draped in a mist. It was an inspiring view and I wanted to respond to it.
i’ve been enjoying working in oil paint again and can see myself working with it as much as acrylics. I have a couple of new projects planned now which will see me returning to the dereliction theme. But even this theme is all about nature - you can’t get away from it!
You can view ‘Hidden’ in the Natural Landscapes’ section of my website.
GEC
I have just completed a new oil painting based on the old GEC Factory that was recently demolished in Stafford. This building was part of the landscape for as long as I can remember and it seems strange to now see it gone. The site was large and it took a few weeks to remove the various buildings. I have captured the main part of the factory, partway through demolition and was interested in how various parts of the interior became visible after some of the outer shell was removed. There is something quite sad but also beautiful about the last remaining parts of the structure. It was once a major employer for Stafford but this once busy area has now become very quiet and still.
Broadway Arts Festival 2021
I am pleased to announce my oil painting, ‘After the Rain’, has been selected for the Broadway Arts Festival 2021. This piece depicts an area on Cannock Chase that I discovered on a walk just before the last lockdown. The forest was quiet and the mist made the landscape look very atmospheric. For me, surrounding myself with nature has been a great way of staying calm and focused during a period of unrest.
My work featured in the Broadway Arts Festival last year but this time it will appear in the real world rather than online. I’m looking forward to exhibiting again and meeting the other artists. The show runs from the 4th to the 13th June.
Retreat
I have just completed a new oil painting which I’ve called ‘Retreat’ (see woodland section). The image is based on a walk I took in a forest near my home just before the current lockdown. Walking in nature has always helped me to calm down, refocus and clear my head and this has be particularly helpful over the last twelve months. As always I aim to capture nature truthfully without adding anything or making it more decorative.
I have enjoyed working in oil paint just lately and my next project will be larger and more ambitious.
After the Rain
I have just completed my first oil painting in a long time. For many years my focus has been on acrylic paint but I felt like revisiting oils again to see how things went. I spent a week responding to a recent visit to the local forest where it was very misty and atmospheric. I took a number of study photos and produced a small painting from one of them which I have titled, ‘After the Rain’. I enjoyed the process and plan to explore this medium further.