When I change what I started

It must have been some 6 weeks ago that I started a fresh oil painting.  In my mind the subject was fields and distant trees, even a few buildings way off in the far distance.   Being oil paint, I decided on this occasion to let this layer dry, but when I came back to work on it, that feeling of the place I had started, had gone!  So the canvas sat on a shelf waiting.  Then the inspiration hit me. 

Watermouth Harbour

The completed painting, which I did a video of and added to my youtube is  here

In the video you’ll see the first background before I change the scene.

The break is over

After the Winter break from Lynmouth, I am back there this week.  It makes sense to have a rest from it over winter time.  There are fewer visitors for one thing, but also the weather plays a part.  Lynmouth is in a gorge, definitely a no go for driving if it happens to be icy.

This week there were lots of visitors, it’s half term here, so it was manic with parents and children.  Even so, a lot of people stopped to chat to me.  Some just pass the time of day and others ask about my paintings.  They also ask about techniques.  Think in all, I seem to do what could be described as a Walk In Tutorial, they go away happy with some painting insights they weren’t aware of, hopefully encouraged to pick up a sketchbook and pen, then do a 10 minute sketch each day. Meanwhile during the day I continue with the painting on the easel.  

Back in the studio, I have several paintings that are considered a Work-in-Progress, a bit frustrating having to wait for them to dry.  Worth the wait though.  When I look at them after a few weeks, I can see where I need to work on them.  Another method I use is to store them for drying upside down. That way, if I happen to glance at them, I’m not getting used to constantly seeing the scene I’ve painted.  When I get around to them again, I turn them back the right way up and That’s when I see them A Fresh.

This is now waiting to dry and I’ll get back to it in a few weeks …Click the image for the video

Title:  “Seeing is Believing on Exmoor”

Finally finished

It has been a while, a month in fact, but then we have had Christmas and New Year in between…

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL

The donkey painting has dried enough for me to add more detail and tweaks, so here it is via my Youtube.

Click the image below - hope you enjoy seeing it.

Not quite there yet…

Another work-in-progress today.  I seem to have a lot of those, but there really isn’t any way of getting round the process with oil paints, and the paintings I need to keep on the go.

Giving this painting some drying time now, then I can do more to it.  Strangely, paint not only dries but also settles into place (well, in my head it does)…. I think it’s just that I need to step away from it for a while.  When I look at it again after a break, I see what needs doing.

DONKEYS looking at us over the fence…

Click on the image below for the Youtube video…..

~ Hope you enjoyed seeing this part ~ 

It didn’t record!

Whoops….I thought I was all set to record this painting from the beginning, but turned out it didn’t happen…...grrrr.  Never mind, these things happen.   So you join this on the second part of the painting process.

I’ll need to paint the sides of the canvas, but will have to wait until the painting dries a bit, then I can handle it from the easel.

Anyway, here’s “Stag on the Moor”  Oil on canvas measuring 8”x10” inches.   Click the image……

Blow The Cobwebs Away

That’s what this seascape felt like, so hence the title.  It’s nice to come up with a title whilst painting, but was exactly how it felt.  I couldn’t paint the wind blowing but I could show the waves crashing…. 

Click the image for the video…it is in timelapse 

~ Hope you enjoy seeing the process ~

Out of the comfort zone

You get into a set way of painting, generally, and there’s no reason why not.  Artists keep to their own style and don’t deviate.  Their work is recognisable because of that.  But sometimes it is good to do a different style, if only to see if you prefer it, or perhaps to use a snippet of the other style in your own work.

This is where I found myself the other day.  Painting in a very different style, more towards abstract-meets-contemporary (ish).

Heather on the hills of exmoor using mainly a palette knife plus lots of thick textured paint.

Click on the image to see a 6min+ video.

Hope you enjoy.

Textured and drying times

A question I often get asked when I’m plein air painting is….”How long did that take you”?   

I have always tried to answer this accurately, but to be honest it is really difficult to say a time.  For one thing, the painting often has to be set aside to dry.  That can take up to 2 weeks in the Summer.  The atmosphere is dryer and warmer, hence the oil paint dries quickly.  However, the Autumn and Winter are very different.  I could be looking at 6 to 8 weeks for a textured painting to dry.  

When I have a textured piece, it is better to complete it in one session.  That isn’t always possible though. As with this painting.  It ‘might’ be finished as you see it, but until it is dry and I look at it again, I won’t know.

This gets me back to the question…”How long did that take you”?   If I included the drying time, a painting could end up taking 3 to 6 months.  

I used mostly palette knives for this painting and the actual painting time was 2 to 3 hours.  There was a lot of colour mixing involved.

New video

Well, to be honest I have several new videos on Youtube, however, this is currently the very newest one.

Painted at the Exmoor National Park Centre in Lynmouth from photo reference - obviously I couldn’t angle my easel sufficiently to see this particular view, but I don’t think that matters.   In an ideal world, I much prefer to paint plein air but as needs must we get on with it.

So here you have it, just click the image ….

Still adding paint to canvas

Well, I haven’t progressed with the painting from my previous post, I’m waiting for the paint to cure a bit more, no point in rushing it.  So, this means only one thing, and that’s start a new painting.  Some of you will already have seen what that is, via the usual social media culprits, Instagram - Facebook - Tiktok, so lucky I have this blog to add it for those who haven’t already been bombarded with it ;)

Not sure what makes my decision of painting a landscape or seascape, or any other subject for that matter.  This time it was a landscape across Exmoor.  As I’m usually over at Lynmouth painting once a week, the landscapes of Exmoor pull me in and I can’t help myself.

This is still a work-in-progress as this paint has to dry, but mainly I’m there with it.  At this stage I’m thinking that when it is dry, I’ll add a pale blue glaze over the distant hills, that will send them back further into the distance.  

There’s a little story with this one.  I started painting it over at Lynmouth in the Exmoor National Park Centre, where I set up my easel.  I had debated painting this view or Watersmeet (a wooded valley with river), but settled on this one.  A lot of people stop to chat and there was this one couple who said they used to live up on Exmoor, not only that, but they said this was their view every day!  How amazing is it that I am actually painting that particular view.

If you click on the painting it will take you to the video.  I suggest you make a cup of tea or coffee and settle back, it’s a little longer than my usual attempts at filming.

Seascape oil painting - part 1

Another painting started at the Exmoor National Park Centre in Lynmouth.  It's always a bit daunting starting a painting from scratch - the blank canvas staring back at me - will it work or be a disaster!

Screenshot below from the video I took of the painting process...

so click the image and it will take you to the Timelapse clip - 9.15 minutes if you haven't already guessed!

This isn't a completed painting, only Part 1 - of how many I don't know at the moment.  Sometimes I just have to let the painting decide, or until I'm happy with it  ;)

It was a nice day over in Lynmouth with a few people stopping to have a chat.  I set up my easel near the cafe and some people say they watch from within the cafe while they're having a snack and drink.  So they get free entertainment at the same time, lol.

When this oil paint has dried, I'll look at it again and decide where I go from there - and yes, I'll be updating here.

In the pink

 …..or rather On the pink.

For no particular reason, more a case of how I felt at the time, I chose to do a magenta ground for this canvas.  The idea is that when the overall painting is completed (eventually) there will be very subtle flecks of pink showing, which in turn give a warmth to the artwork.  This can also be achieved using other colours as a ground.

I thought this row of cottages made a good composition and something relaxing to paint - leave to dry in part - then continue when I feel ready.  It’s the cottages on Turkey Island at Porlock Weir, Exmoor.

If you click on the image above ⤴️  there’s a short clip from my Youtube channel.

Oil painting of Exmoor

Not the usual scene people think of when Exmoor is mentioned.  Usually it’s vast open moorland on the hills, not many trees, but lots of heather (pretty for a short time in season, but a brown carpet for the rest of the year).

The lower ground and villages, of course, are another matter.  This is where the small villages are found plus lots of fields.  We’ve had so much rain this Winter, so the streams and, sad to say, fields are suffering.  I cheered myself up by painting a sunny day with lushes fields, it worked, I feel so much better for it.  If you are wondering where I am set up doing this painting, I’m in the Exmoor National Park Centre at Lynmouth.

Oil on canvas - 8 x 20 inches - Title: EXMOOR FIELDS

I used my iphone to record the painting process (timelapsed it to save people getting bored watching paint dry)!  

It’s recorded in 2 parts.  Part 1 setting out the scene and putting in the initial layer of oil paint.  Then I left that to dry over a few weeks - incidentally it didn’t take that long to dry, I was just slow getting back to it.  Then, this week I tackled the painting again, adding more detail and adjusting the colour tones here and there.

The links are below:

Part 1   https://youtu.be/z9cNMQ9TtgA?si=lFmu8spIWSIDidXv

Part 2   https://youtu.be/QWxvujp_NtE?si=RAlMiugDFxV4jjrb

I hope you will enjoy watching them.

One minute it’s a new year

 and before you know it we’re hurtling towards February! 

anyway,  here’s to 2024

Painting plein air in the Centre at the Exmoor National Park Lynmouth has slowed.  It is still open to visitors throughout the Winter, however due to the weather and short days, I decided to concentrate on completing studio work until February (or thereabouts).   For anyone who isn’t aware, driving into Lynmouth is via a Very Steep Hill.  Infact 2 hills, with ‘escape routes’ if the worst happens.  So a no-no for me in Winter.  

I have several paintings partly worked on and others with a whole canvas completely painted, But they need more detail…..I call it adding the dots and dashes! 

↘️This oil painting is all but done, until I look at it again in a couple of weeks time!

 

Waiting for paint to dry

I’m always waiting for paint to dry, that’s a downside to Oil painting, although also a good thing -  It means I can put the painting to one side for a couple of weeks (or more), sort of forgetting about it. When I then retrieve it from the shelf, I see it afresh and can often tell immediately if it is viable for further work.  Usually they are and so it is like starting again, but the basics are down.

I currently have several paintings in the studio at that stage, but this week I took one such part-worked painting with me to the Exmoor National Park Centre in Lynmouth, where I completed it.

 ~ Pleased with the result ~ 

 *note:   I'll admit that my monitor brings this painting up far brighter than it is in person

If you click the image above, hopefully it will take you to a short video clip showing the painting on the easel in Lynmouth when I had decided that the painting was DONE.

Painting in Lynmouth - the video

I got the video editing sorted so here it is.   @Exmoor National Park Centres: Lynmouth, - Part 1, Oil on canvas, still a work in progress - this one will be all about the clouds.

 It was such a nice day at the Centre, meeting lots of visitors and having the chats with them.

So, for those of you who haven’t seen this already, on my Youtube channel - Facebook - Instagram - then click on the image below.  Warning: It is about 11 minutes of paint being added to canvas, hope you enjoy seeing the process.

There will be a Part 2, but obviously this is reliant on the layer here drying.  

Painting in Lynmouth

Busy morning @ Exmoor National Park : Oil painting in the Lynmouth centre.  Still more work to do on this one, but now waiting for the paint to dry before I continue with it.  Meanwhile, busy editing some video of the painting process. 

Incidentally, it was a really good morning over there. Lots of people stopped to chat, which is partly what it is all about.  Visitors to the centre are always keen to chat, whether it be about their painting experiences, or about the area of Exmoor.  And anyone who knows me will be aware I love the chats!

Update and complete

As I said in my previous Post, I would update you with this paintings progress.  Glad to say it has now been completed and I'm pleased with this version (yes, there will be other versions in the future, but the weather will be different).

Hopefully I've conveyed "Distance" and the feel of a day after the rains (the puddles tell the viewer what the weather has been).

and here's a couple of close-ups:

the Texture is the weave of the canvas, but this doesn't actually show up as obviously in real life, it must be how the camera has captured it

 

Now to concentrate on another artwork, I keep busy with paintings-in-progress and lovin' it.

I got a mention

Still busy with my exhibition over at Lynmouth in the Exmoor National Park Centre.   Sales have continued and those paintings replaced with some new ones.  

I'm currently busy preparing some more new works, but they take time as with Oil paintings they need time to dry - plus adding a detail or two, at least this is when the paint is applied thinly.  

For the textured works, where the oil paint is applied thickly (I use a palette knife), these cannot be added to when that first paint is dry - Why?  because ultimately that First layer of paint will still be drying under the newly applied layer, and will cause that top layer to crack.  So planning ahead has to go into the paintings.  

Today, I continued working on this painting...and had my photo taken with it..(click the image below for a closer view)

Update:

I have done some more work on this painting in the home studio and, at the moment, I consider the painting complete, although it will now dry for a week or two.  I'll update with a photo once I know the painting is totally finished.

Works-in-progress

Yes, I headed this post ‘workS’ in progress.  The thing with Oil painting is starting with thin layers and building them up (hopefully I attempt to do no more than 3 layers in a painting - although this isn’t a hard and fast rule).   So the first layer is down, then I wait for that to dry (this can take anything from a week to 4 … depending on time of year and the atmosphere).  During this waiting time I start another painting, and then often another following that.  Hopefully they are not all at the same stage.  Suffice to say I keep busy!  

Anyway, enough babble from me.  Here are a couple of pieces that are going through the waiting phase.

This first one (sorry about the quality of the photos btw) has dried enough to continue working on - and there’s a lot of work to do.  I will update you on this soon.

and this second painting is still wet - again it will need more work.  With both pieces I’m after Distance and Contrasts.

(Updates soon)