Latest News and Progress

25 February 2019

Merlins Crossing the Bar: in the Preview Sale on 5 April

Merlins Crossing the Bar (the featured image above) is the first of several paintings due to be on show at the 2019 Summer Exhibition of the Salcombe Art Club. It is currently on display at Beacon House Gallery and priced at £750.

Preview Evening – 5 April

On 5 April, the day before handing-in day, there will be a Preview Evening at Beacon House Gallery and this painting, and the others will be on sale at a discounted price for those attending the event. More news on that on Monday 1 April. (And no, it won’t be an April Fools’ post.)

The Preview Evening will be an invitation-only event – for those who’ve attended before, have bought one of my paintings, or other more affordable art – but contact me if you don’t receive an invitation and would like to come.

Merlins Crossing the Bar

This is yet another oil inspired by the wonderful Merlin sailors who love to race in our beautiful estuary with all its challenges. The spinnakers are not just difficult to paint but, in reality, need very good sailors to fly these.

I remember that as a skill I once had in Fireballs, many many years ago. Now my sailing days are over, I’m content to capture the joy and the challenge, through my painting.

From oil painting to a fine art greetings card

Many of my originals are also available as a fine art greetings card. For this particular composition, part of the image had to be cropped to create the required square shape for the card. If you compare this image with the featured image above, you’ll notice the Merlin with the pink spinnaker didn’t make it onto the card version.

It still works as an image though, and I’m sure it will be as popular as other cards featuring Merlins.

ADVANCE NEWS! Merlin Rocket Week 2-13 July

Last year, I was ‘artist in residence’ during Merlin Rocket week: 8-13 July. It was not a success in that the weather was so hot, too hot, and the paint was drying on my brush before I could get it only a canvas. So, I abandoned painting and spent the week photographing Merlins and enjoying the event.

This year, I am taking part in a Pop-up Sale on Thursday, 11 July. As well as original paintings of Merlins, I will have on sale my full range of fine art greetings cards, and the new affordable art items: wooden placemats and coasters, glass coasters and chopping boards, key rings, fridge magnets, purses, and cushions!

18 February 2019

Portrait painting with Martin Brooks

I don’t do a lot of portrait painting.

Woman | Portrait painting with Martin Brooks

As a member of Salcombe Art Club, I attend watercolour and acrylic classes on a weekly basis, a term at a time. On top of that, there are often specialist workshops – life drawing and portrait painting – and I sign up for these too.

2018 Portrait class with Martin Brooks

Last year, I produced this portrait at a Martin Brooks workshop.

I know it’s not brilliant but I can honestly say I caught a likeness of the model and am pleased with my efforts.

Aware though that I had much to learn, this year, I signed up for two more workshops with Martin Brooks.

Life drawing last weekend
Portrait painting this weekend

advert | Portrait painting with Martin Brooks

I attend as many Life Drawing classes as I can – they are always immensely helpful in keeping your hand and eye ‘in’.

2019 Portrait class with Martin Brooks

As for the portrait paintings I completed this weekend … well, judge for yourself. This was painted on Saturday.

Woman 2 | Portrait painting with Martin Brooks

The model for Sunday gave me more problems. This is the morning study.

Man, side view | Portrait painting with Martin Brooks

Martin kindly helped me with positioning of parts of the face: the ears, the eyebrows etc. Martin's sketch | Portrait painting with Martin Brooks

MY sketch | Portrait painting with Martin Brooks Above, the top sketch is Martin’s; the other is mine, and I can see how my proportions went awry.

However, I think I am improving … what do you think?

Man again | Portrait painting with Martin Brooks

How can you join Salcombe Art Club?

There are three categories of membership.

Lay members may take part in workshops, courses, and social activities and generally assist in supporting the club but may not exhibit.
Associate members may take part in most club activities including exhibiting in the Little Studio section (but not the main gallery) of the Annual Summer Exhibition. Associate members also have voting rights at the annual AGM.
Full members may take part in all club activities and exhibit their works in the Annual Summer Exhibition when they are required to carry out their share of stewarding duties. Full members also have voting rights at the annual AGM.

The first step is to enroll as a lay member; it only costs £12 per annum. After that, there is an annual selection process to become an associate member or a full member. For full details, check the How to Join page on the SAC website.

11 February 2019

Postcard from Milton Keynes: Woughton House

We travel up to Milton Keynes once or twice a year to visit family. We can’t stay with the family – no room – but we found this wonderful hotel, perfect for our needs.

Woughton House

MGallery Woughton House is a beautiful country house surrounded by green fields and parkland. It’s so beautiful, I’ve taken many photos and produced this watercolour sketch.

It was a clear day, early in January, with the house bathed in sunshine. How could I resist?

MGallery Woughton House

But the hotel also boasts a gallery and has a splendid display of hundreds of paintings and prints. This collection is at the foot of the stairs. The book on the chest, left casually there, is an ornament – a box fashioned to look like a book.

Walking up the stairs, the walls are packed with images. There’s no space for any more.

And this is the view from the top.

Even the corridors are decorated with a variety of plaques.

Where is Woughton House?

The hotel seems like it’s in the middle of nowhere but is only a few minutes or so from the A5 and the M1 – and very easy to find.

If you have reason to travel to Milton Keynes, eg to visit Bletchley Park, I can heartily recommend this hotel.

This post is one of my POSTCARD series, sharing all things ART with you when I go travelling. My previous postcard discussed the Magic of Manrique, and his house which Anne and I visited when MV Ventura stopped for one day in Lanzarote.