'The Queen's Gate',

The under-painting on this canvas is a rich indigo for the shadows. I drew using the usual charcoal and pastel for the pink and green. I needed to see the colour balanced against the deep shadows. I am very pleased with the mark making of the lane and I hope I can keep it going.

'Bartholomew Rooms'

I painted this canvas with acrylic gold because the open doors remind me of a medieval icon. It is also the same colour as the oak doors.

'The Old Forge Pottery Studio'-1

This one is going to be fun coming from the deep darkness of the Forge to the bright sunlight on the chair with the drying green pots.

Sketches

I have used charcoal for working out the next canvases. I like the marks it makes!

'27 Newlands' -process 2

'The Thatcher' - process 4

I think a little more work on the thatch and his gloves and I will have finished this painting.

'24 Newlands' process 4

This is very close to finish. All I am doing is adding glazes.

'Babes in the Woods' - process 3

This is still getting more thinking time then painting. It feels like groping around in the dark for something and not knowing what you are going to touch. The horror!

'27 Newlands' -process 1

Another small canvas of a door around the corner from me. I do not know who the owner is but I like it because they have taken care to set the stage for their cottage.

'The Thatcher' - process 3

This coming on nicely but as always with glazing takes time to dry!

'24 Newlands' process 3

I don't know if you can see the difference here but I have added some more 'daubs' and a glaze. Looking at the photo has made me realize that the grass is way to busy ...

'Babes in the Woods' - process 5

Starting to get some where with the Babes but as always very slowly. The test here will be how much I will paint out again to get some where towards my original vision?

'24 Newlands' process 2

This is a simple painting, in theory, being very close to the square houses with a triangular roof and straight path going to a central door that we all painted when we started school. So whilst there will be a little more detail added, yet, I am going to have to spend some time getting the tonal values right. That front door leaps ahead of the house closely followed by the windows and chimney. A problem that did not not concern my youthful self when describing the essence of a house.

'Babes in the Woods' - process 4

Why am I trying to get the building structures right when I know that most of their details will be lost later in the painting? I have taken some liberties with the structures already but I think I need a better understanding in order to 'reduce' them whilst still giving a sense of place ... Cornmarket, Oxford.

'The Lost Door'; in oils

Tried to resolve some of the colour difficulties I had with the Cotswold stone and cool shadows by working in oils. I have worked yet again on the small 18.0 x 12.0 cm coarse canvas that forces me to forget detail. So I think this is a better painting but can still hear the little voice in my ear saying ... "You can do better!"

'24 Newlands' process 1

I drew straight on a blue acrylic painted canvas (18.0 x 12.5 cm) with charcoal and chalk. This is yet again round the corner from where I live.

'Babes in the Woods' - process 3

The under painting is finished ... I think? What I do know is that it feels tired and not exciting so time to turn it to the wall for a week. Then with fresh eyes, having put all the photos away, will work solely from my previous drawings and added imagination. I have always kept the photos around so this will be scary but may be liberating?

'Babes in the Woods' - process 2

Got the Babes drawn in charcoal on the canvas. This stage is where the drawing acts as a map for the painting ... everything is on and more or less in the right place. It will be an oil painting but ...


... the under painting is being done in acrylic. I am painting quite wet and am hoping to pull all the mass shapes together. This painting is based upon multiple photos and lots of small drawings. I am still leaning on the photos for reference but hoping that by the time the under painting is finished I have moved on to painting straight from imagination.

Will it work?

Sadly 'Tree Dancer' did not get accepted for the R.A.'s Summer Exhibition. The rejection letter, besides pricking my confidence, speaks of almost 10,000 entries so reminding me that this exhibition is intended to be a money spinner for the Academy. So hauling my confidence back into place I have entered it into the 'Threadneedle' competition.

So why have I put my work up for this sort of judgment? I think I want some sort of indicator if I can run with the big boys. Rejection will tell me ... 'not yet' ... and eventually .... maybe ... perhaps ...

'Babes in the Woods' - process 1

A preparatory pencil drawing towards an oil painting. The idea still needs some development so the picture will evolve.

'The Thatcher' - process 2

Painting the under drawing went well. I tried to keep the paint on the thatcher smooth but descriptively rough on the roof. It is now on a small easel under a protective umbrella of a J-cloth to keep the dust of while it dries. Drying may take some time!

'The Thatcher' - process 1

This guy has been re-ridging a thatched cottage round the corner from me on Queen's Street. Re-ridging lasts around 15 -20 years so the earliest he will be returning is in the year 2024.

I am flexing my oil painting fingers for this as I want texture showing in the thatch. It's a small canvas (180 x 125) which was previously painted in blue acrylic paint. I drew directly onto the canvas using vine charcoal working from my thumbnail drawing, removing the unwanted marks using putty rubber, but as you can see by the shadows of my first attempted drawing it is not easy getting the composition right. The under-painting (grissaille) will be in oil using the blue as the mid tone.

Oil paints require drying time so I will be developing other paintings in tandem with this painting.