I have just been accepted as an Associate Member of the Society of Graphic Fine Art. (SGFA). This is a great opportunity to meet new artists and it will also mean more opportunities to exhibit my work. Drawing is a big part of my practice and so it’s good to be involved with an organisation who focus on that.
I have had drawings in the last two SGFA Open Exhibitions and look forward to working with them on a more regular basis. Take a look at their website to find out more.
Seleucia
I’ve just completed a new commission featuring the Ancient Greek city of Seleucia. This is a large painting and has taken a long time to complete but I’m really pleased with how it turned out. I used acrylic paint on a wood panel and built it up gradually with multiple layers of colour. Sometimes with commissions I tackle subjects that I wouldn’t normally consider but this one is the sort of thing I would normally go for - nature taking over a derelict building!
You can see ‘Seleucia’ and other commissioned work in the Commissions section of my website.
Next I will be working on a smaller painting based on the scenery at Bullclough Art School in the Peak District. I have run several workshops there and will use this piece as a way of demonstrating painting technique.
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.
Three Counties Open Exhibition 2021
I’m pleased to announce that my painting ‘Inside Out’ has been selected for the Three Counties Open Exhibition 2021. This normally takes place at Burslem School of Art but this year will take the form of an online exhibition, available to view throughout the summer.
My selected work is based on an abandoned ceramics factory in Middleport, which I discovered during a day of urban exploring with printmaker Jemma Gunning last year.
I’m currently working on a new painting featuring another derelict factory, this one based on the GEC factory in Stafford which was recently demolished. Both pieces form part of a collection of work exploring the decline of industry.
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.
New Commission
I have just completed a new commission, this time featuring a cat called Henry. It is not the sort of thing I would normally use as subject matter but it was for a special occasion and so I decided to take it on board. This drawing is built up with multiple layers of ink pen to create the textures of the fur and a dash of watercolour to add tone and colour.
As I am a teacher it is useful to take on a variety of projects so that I gain new experiences which in turn feeds back into the art classes. Ink pen has featured many times in my more recent work and this project was an interesting diversion which I enjoyed.
Back to dereliction now……
'Guard House' selected for the Annual SGFA Exhibition
I am pleased to announce that my ink drawing, ‘Guard House’, has been selected for the Society of Graphic Fine Art Annual Exhibition. The show will run 5th - 10th July 2021 at the Mall Galleries in London. It is good to be part of a show that focuses on drawing as it is a big part of what I do as an artist.
‘Guard House’ is part of a series of work focusing on war remains and features RAF Tilstock, an abandoned airbase near Whitchurch.
Whiskey 13
I have just completed a new ink pen drawing of ‘Whiskey 13’, a watch tower at the disused RAF Upper Heyford site. I feel the black and white look of the drawing suits the subject and the ink pens were good for capturing the battered surfaces. I used a variety of techniques on this piece and enjoyed the process.
I find the structures at the site to be quite haunting and yet rather beautiful in a way. It wasn’t just a case of describing the appearance of these structures but trying to capture the atmosphere of the site which is full of history. You can find the drawing and others in the series on the ‘War Remains’ page of this website.
New Work
I’m currently working on a few creative projects and the current lockdown has meant I have spent more time in my studio.
Today I have repaired one of my recent oil paintings, ‘After the Rain”, after it fell off a shelf. This is now fully restored and if anything, looks better than before. I am also working on a new oil painting featuring the GEC Factory that has recently been demolished in Stafford.
I have begun a new ink drawing based on one of the towers at RAF Upper Heyford. I have a new technique I want to try out on this piece which I think will work well.
I’m never bored!
HAS 7
I have been working on and off on a new pencil drawing for a few months now and have eventually got round to finishing it. It features one of the shelters at RAF Upper Heyford, a disused airbase in Oxfordshire. The building is known by the USAF as a ‘TAB-V (Theater Air Base Vulnerability Evaluation Exercise) Shelter’ but at Upper Heyford they referred to it as a ‘HAS’ (Hardened Aircraft Shelter). They were used to house combat ready jets during the Cold War.
I visited the site near the end of 2019 and it was a fascinating place to experience. I have quite a few research photos of the area which I’ve dipped into for inspiration on recent work. Some of the buildings on the site had been repurposed as storage buildings for local businesses whereas other structures are derelict and in poor repair.
My drawing, ‘HAS 7’, can be found in the ‘War Remains’ section of this website.
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.
Wandering
I took some time off over Christmas and didn’t make any art near the end of December. After a break I always like to start back with some drawing and have recently created a new piece entitled ‘Wandering’ in pencils.
This drawing is another in a series of work based on Cannock Chase but what attracted me to this scene was the snow that had covered the ground. It made a familiar view look quite different and it was interesting exploring the area from another angle.
Escaping into nature is my way of relaxing and I always feel much better after a walk in the forest. In recent times this has been a welcome retreat away from the drama of the news. I like to just walk about without a destination in mind.
It is important to me to represent nature truthfully without turning the scene into a decorative exercise. I wanted to capture the cold weather and rugged look of the winter landscape.
Happy New Year
Nobody needs reminding how difficult 2020 has been. We’ve all found it challenging and have coped in different ways. For me, I have largely shut off the news, spent more time in nature and focused on my art.
Despite all the disruption I have had several very positive moments throughout the year. I won first prize in the RBSA Open Art Competition, had work included in the Broadway Open, the Three Counties Open and the RBSA Prize exhibition. I held an online exhibition with Jemma Gunning and went urban exploring with her to find new subject matter for a third show.
In the Autumn I started working with Bullclough Art School, delivering ink pen and painting workshops. All being well, I will be running several more workshops there next year.
My drawing mostly focused on ink pens this year and I have produced some of my favourite work in this medium. Near the end of the year I started working in oil paints again for the first time in over twenty years and found it enjoyable.
My art classes will resume at the venues as soon as we are able to return. In the meantime I will be teaching online at the start of the year. New students are welcome to join.
Life is never completely bad or good - there’s always a mixture of the two. Challenges will come to us all and we just need to make the most of what we have. I feel next year we will see a gradual transition into a more ‘normal year’ as the vaccines roll out across the UK and I will continue to make more art. I am never bored!
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.
Inside Out
I have just completed a new acrylic painting based on the derelict Price and Kensington Factory in Middleport. This building was discovered during a day of urban exploration with artist Jemma Gunning. We were intrigued by the structure which lay abandoned and was slowly becoming taken over by nature. I took several reference photographs but it was the view of the battered old sofa that caught my eye. There was something quite peculiar about seeing an indoor item of furniture placed in front of the factory and I wondered how it arrived here. The crumbling walls and exposed interior offered so much to explore with paint and I enjoyed building up the textures.
'Guard House' selected for the RBSA Prize Exhibition 2020
I was pleased to find out today that my drawing, ‘Guard House’ has been selected for the RBSA Prize Exhibition 2020. This piece is based on RAF Tilstock, an abandoned airbase near Whitchurch. It was created during the lockdown period and is my favourite drawing I have made so far. It captures the feeling I had when I walked about the site and I enjoyed using the pens and ink washes to create the various surfaces.
The exhibition runs from the 8th October to the 21st November. Visit the RBSA website for more details.
Art Classes back for Autumn 2020
My regular art classes will return in September. The Burntwood classes will be moving to Hammerwich Community Hall for the time being and the Penkridge class will temporarily move to Haughton Village Hall. The other classes will be at Haughton Village Hall as normal. The venues are following current government guidelines around hygiene and social distancing.
Details for the courses can be found on the art classes page of this website.
During lockdown I have been teaching an online art class. Students are given access to art exercises via this website and then receive detailed feedback during each stage of the picture. The exercises cover different abilities and mediums and feedback is given via WhatsApp, email or video calls. I will continue to offer the online art class for the autumn term. Contact me for details.
Boundary
I have just completed a new acrylic painting based on an area of Cannock Chase which i’ve called ‘Boundary’. It is an image inspired by a photograph I took at the beginning of the year but felt relevant to me once the pandemic had hit the UK and we were told to stay at home. During the period before we were allowed to venture beyond the confines of our housing estate I felt very cut off from nature which seemed to be reflected in the large metal barrier in the front of the scene. I do not write diaries or share my personal feelings on social media but this painting is my response to the events that unfolded in 2020. It expresses more than I could put into words.
Urban Exploring
Last weekend I met up with Jemma Gunning to explore parts of Stoke-on-Trent in order to find derelict buildings. We have both independently worked on this theme before but this was the first time we had visited the same site. The idea was that it would be interesting to share ideas and to compare how we both responded to the same visual stimulus.
We ended up in Middleport and discovered abandoned ceramics factories along the canals. These places were falling apart and nature was beginning to take over the spaces. Remnants of the factory work shared space with litter and random debris. We found a sofa outside one place and a graffiti covered caravan too.
These places are ugly seen from one perspective but there is a peculiar beauty and fascination to them too. You think about the loss of industry but also wonder at where all these additional random items originated from. Myself and Jemma took a lot of photos that day and look forward to beginning new work.
Three Counties Open Exhibition 2020
I’m pleased to announce that my painting, ‘Union’ has been selected for the Three Counties Open Exhibition 2020. This year, due to the pandemic, the show will be held online running from 31st July to the 31st August. This piece won the RBSA Open Exhibition earlier this year and remains one of my personal favourite pieces of work so far.
I am currently building up a set of work based around the same theme, some of which features in the ‘Fragments II’ online exhibition.