W a t e r c o l o u r c l u b

David Hockney Landscape Exhibition.

2012-01-18T18:54:00.000Z

I'm looking forward to seeing David Hockney's Landscape Exhibition at the Royal Academy. I'm really pleased he is re-popularising landscape painting. There is a lot of beauty in the English landscape which needs to be captured for the generations to come.

Here are a couple of my latest landscape paintings. You may be able to detect some of the influence that David has picked up on. I really must have a word with him if I see him at the exhibition.

Low Lying Mist. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Woodland Track after the Rain. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

London 2012 Paintings.

2012-01-03T14:29:00.001Z

These are my first paintings since the beginning of 2012. I've been mulling over a new marketing tactic over the last few weeks. I still have a little work to do but have got most of the groundwork sorted in my head. I don't want to say what it entails just yet in case I find I am unable to do it for legal reasons.

The only clue I can give is that London will be hosting the 2012 Olympics and I want to build up a substantial body of work for when the city is invaded by tourists who may want to take a little bit of England home with them. Also I've been looking into getting a Peddlars Licence. Could be fun.

However I need to build up my stock of paintings and these are my first this year. Hopefully I can ramp-up production once I've shaken off this lingering cold. They are all 7 x 5 inch watercolours, just a nice size which will not take up any room in a travellers luggage allowance.

All I got for Christmas

2011-12-28T20:52:00.002Z

was a streaming cold, so I just shut myself away and did some painting. Bah Humbug!

Looking for JMW

2011-12-21T13:26:00.003Z

Because last Monday was the anniversary of Turner's death in 1851, I painted a small tribute to the Master.

Looking for JMW. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Back in the woods again.

2011-12-18T20:40:00.001Z

Back in the woods again. I've thrown myself back into my work again and it's only the thought of getting back into the woods again that's been keeping me happy. It's been a very challenging time in these last few months. I lost my youngest brother in the last month and my little cat Woger in October who was a sheer delight to be with for the last sixteen years. It's been a very hard heartbroken few months.

I have been able to paint though (just). Some of the images are just too painful and personal to put on my blog but the actual task of making them has helped me to exorcise the demons of the past. My life will never be the same again but over the last few days I've been able to paint the types of scenes which gave me so much pleasure in the past when things were ticking over nicely.

They are all Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Spectroscopic Therapy.

2011-12-12T19:19:00.000Z

Spectroscopic Therapy. Gouache 11 x 7 inches.

As artists we can count our blessings. We are only really happy when we are creating, although at times it can drive us mad when the image in our head dilutes by the time it gets to the end of our brush. Even so, the act of creating is important when life throws it's shit at us. We can console ourselves and express ourselves in ways that many can't. We can get comfort and briefly escape reality by turning our attention to the thing we love doing.

This painting portrays (for me) darkness pre-birth, darkness at death and a narrow band of spectroscopic gaiety in between. It's our job to make that band of light and colour as wide as we can.

This is my therapy. This is what I feel I should do as an artist when words fall short of how I feel.

NPN Junction.

2011-11-23T23:45:00.001Z

It's amazing isn't it? I went through a short period where I was able to empty my head and paint from the gut. I know they weren't masterpieces but they had a certain something that made me happy. I try not to think too deeply and analytically about these things because it will tie me in knots.

However, I painted a few trials which I wanted to work up into a finished painting but the moment I started to think about how I was going to do it on a real nice piece of paper and bang! I can't do it. It seems impossible to preplan these things. I can't do everything spontaneously. I need a bit of order.

Anyway, this is the results of one of those sessions. It's about 10% of what I wanted and 90% of visual padding and fluff.

NPN Junction 7.5 x 10.5 inches Watercolour and Gouache.

Detail

Hmmm! This detail in a square format looks like it may have legs. More grist for the mill.

When Stupidity Trumps Intellect.

2011-11-12T21:42:00.001Z

When Stupidity Trumps Intellect.
Watercolour and Gouache. 11 x 11 inches.

Cherry Lips.

2011-11-12T13:11:00.001Z

Cherry Lips.
Watercolour and Gouache 11 x 11 inches.

The Stuff that Lurks in an Empty Head.

2011-11-10T23:04:00.001Z

The Stuff that Lurks in an Empty Head.
Watercolour and Gouache 7.25 x 10.75 inches.

Modern Day Electronics Designer in Conversation with Soldier from the Great War.

2011-11-10T16:35:00.000Z

Modern Day Electronics Designer in Conversation with Soldier from the Great War. Watercolour and Gouache 7.25 x 10.73 inches. Apart from finishing this the most artistic thing I did today was to make a stencil to put my house number on three wheelie bins. Best bins in the street!

Riverside Track.

2011-11-09T20:46:00.002Z

I need to keep my hand in with these landscapes but I'm also working on some other styles too. If I can, I'll see if I can whip up something for the blog.

Riverside Track. Watercolour. 7.25 x 10.75 inches.

I'm just putting this on my blog temporarily. This is a tune I was in the middle of creating for a Blues Harp Challenge before Little Woger was taken ill. Just thought I'd post it here because I know a lot of you like music. I didn't get to finish it properly and just got bits of video and edited them together for the sake of the competition. I didn't win. It's one of those slow burner tracks that will probably kick in some time around 2150. I would have liked to have spent more time on it but events decided otherwise.

Norfolk Scenes.

2011-11-07T22:46:00.001Z

A couple of scenes which I've been working on today. They are based on the flat Norfolk countryside.

Fenland Trees.
Watercolour 7.25 x 10.75 Inches (18.5 cm x 27.5 cm).

Norfolk River.
Watercolour 7.25 x 10.75 Inches (18.5 cm x 27.5 cm).

Hadley Wood Stream.

2011-10-27T14:21:00.000+01:00

I'm enjoying working on this larger format. It allows me to work looser and not get bogged down with fiddley detail. I'm still aware that I need to be more economical with my brush strokes. It was the light through the trees reflecting on the water that appealed to me in this scene.

Hadley Wood Stream.
Watercolour 7.25 x 10.75 Inches (18.5 cm x 27.5 cm).

My latest Watercolours.

2011-10-25T18:45:00.000+01:00

Keeping myself busy. This is my output from the last few days. All watercolour 7.25 x 10.75 inches (18.5 cm x 27.5 cm). Gone back to the woods again.

It's been a long week.

2011-10-21T15:15:00.000+01:00

It was a week today that Little Woger died. It's been the longest, saddest week that I can ever remember. I've thrown myself into my painting with the aim of keeping busy and not dwelling on the sadness. It's been so hard concentrating on what I was doing. In the past I'd have Little Woger jumping up and sitting behind me as I worked. He'd jump onto my work bench to drink my brush rinsing water and I'd spend the next ten minutes with tweezers trying to get the cat hairs out of my paints. Happy days. He was a cheeky little fella.

I've had many messages both on and off the blog, from like minded pet owners who have expressed their sadness and sent some comforting words of wisdom for which I am very grateful. Thank you.

I never took any photos of the cats because I knew that it would be devastating to see them again once they had gone. I know it sounds stupid but that's just me I'm afraid, I'd rather just remember them in my head. However, I did capture them in various sketches and paintings and I've decided to post some of those images here. As I type this I can hear Little Weggie. She has become aware that Woger is no longer here now. She keeps looking for him and what appears to be crying so she is getting a lot of attention and comfort now. Poor Little Weggie.

I used Woger and Weggie as models in a variety of paintings. They are all paintings from the imagination and apart from them the other characters are just made up. In one painting I even changed their colour for artistic purposes only.

Catwoman. Pastel 1998. Woger at the back.

Catwoman (Picasso-esque) hangs in my studio. I never had an image so had to photograph it, hence the reflections in the glass. Sorry.

Happy Families 1998. Watercolour and Ink.

Quality Time. 2005. Watercolour.

Woger starred in this "Domestic Scene". 1997 Watercolour.

There are more paintings but I can't locate them all now. Forgive me for going on like this but I'm hoping it will help me to move on, as they say. I've painted five woodland watercolours over the past few days which I'll post here soon with a little luck.

Thanks for your messages and comments once again. It's nice to know you are there.

R.I.P. Little Woger Salmon.

2011-10-14T19:08:00.002+01:00

Woger Salmon. 1996.

Today has been one of the saddest days of my life. My bestest friend ever has been taken from me after a short and sudden illness. I had to take him to the vet today and it was decided that it was in his best interest to relieve him from pain and anxiety with an injection.

Woger and his sister Weggie came into our lives as rescued cats from the South Mimms Cat Rescue Centre approx sixteen years ago. They were only kittens when we got them and they both looked like they were wearing little dinner jackets although Weggie was always a little fluffier than Woger.

Woger was a terrific little cat and loved nothing more than to follow me around and get involved in anything I was doing. He was always there and I was constantly reminded that no matter what the circumstances, he would be there to keep me company. He was my little assistant and his mere presence ensured that our surroundings were always peaceful and relaxed. He never seemed to age in my eyes and always had that kitten appearance in his cute little face.

I don't recall ever being angry with him, he was so well behaved and never gave any cause for concern. He never had toilet accidents in the house and always took care with his cleanliness and grooming. Woger was always busy, busy, busy running in and out to the garden and getting involved in everything. I will sorely miss getting him down from the garage roof (I don't think he had a head for heights) and trying to get him in at night when he would hide in the garden.

I spent lot of time with him recently due to his worsening condition. I would lay next to him and stroke him gently in the hope I was giving him some comfort but I think he was giving me the comfort more than anything. I think he knew.

It's going to be hard getting used to him not being around any longer, little Weggie realises something is different in the household and I'm sure she will miss him too when she realises what has happened.

I know it sounds daft but little Woger meant so very much to me. His short life, unconditional love and friendship has enriched my own life so much over the last sixteen or so years it's difficult to look forward to the future without him by my side.

Autumn is depressing enough without the thought that I won't be snuggling up with Woger on my lap in front of the fire in the cold depths of the coming winter.

What a sad, sad day it is for me today, Friday 14th October 2011.

The little painting above is a sketch I made of Woger when he was new to our household in the Autumn of 1996.

Rolling, rolling, rolling.

2011-09-07T14:21:00.002+01:00

I'm on a roll so I feel the need to make the most of it while I can. I'd like to complete three a day while I'm in this positive mood. It's 2:15 now and I want to get another two done if I can. That's my target for today so without further delay I'll fix a bit of lunch, shut up and get on with it.

Trent Park Shadows. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

OK, It's now 17.15pm and I've just finished the second painting. Please don't think I'm showboating by doing this. I have so little discipline that I need to do this and keep to my target otherwise I'll be away with the fairies.

Sadlers Mill Brook. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

21.00 Hours. Just finished this one. Well it's been quite a good day for me, I think. I'm not sure about this one yet. I'll have to look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow.

Turkey Brook in the Autumn. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Studying Turners Methods.

2011-09-06T20:36:00.001+01:00

I got a book from the library yesterday which described some of Turner's working methods. Unfortunately, he didn't leave any information behind about his techniques, so most of what we read is here say and deduction. One interesting thing I learnt was that Turner painted most of his watercolours on smooth writing paper. I saw some of his work at the Turner Exhibition at the Tate and could make out the fact that the paper was like a very finely woven linen but I didn't realise it was writing paper.

With my newly acquired enthusiasm for my painting here is yesterdays picture. I want to do some more but I'm also trying to finish a piece of music that I'm writing for a competition and I have a deadline to meet. Which will win, music or painting? What a lovely dilemma to have.

Tuckers Brook. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Todays Paintings.

2011-08-30T20:43:00.000+01:00

I tried to keep busy today and immersed myself with my painting. It's not so bad when it's miserable outside, I don't feel guilty about not enjoying the sunny weather.

I dislike this love hate struggle I have with my art, but I suppose it's all part of the game in the end. I've been thinking about it again today and have thought about something which could be quite important and something which I feel I should address.

Crooked Tree. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

I am an impulsive painter and need to paint when the mood takes me. Fortunately, it's fairly often but I'm not the sort who could plan ahead and arrange to paint at a certain time on a certain day. If the urge is not there then there's no point trying to force it. My main problem (I think) is that I have this need to finish a painting in the one session. I need to break this habit and force myself to complete paintings over a period of time. I think this all stems from having disasters in my earlier watercolour painting experience and it feels a lot worse to lose a painting which has been painted over a number of days rather than one which has taken just a few hours.

New River in Flood. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

That's the problem with watercolour, you can just about rescue a cock-up if you are really lucky but mostly it just needs to be thrown in the bin. I need to work on this.

However these are two paintings from today, both from the same session.

I failed miserably.

2011-08-29T19:10:00.000+01:00

Salmons Brook. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches

I'm not talking in riddles but you need to read my previous post to see why I failed. I'm going to explore my intimate landscapes further I think. I'm sure I can improve upon them. I had a mess around with my painting over the last week and have come to the conclusion that I am simply not intelligent enough to do abstract. I've been experimenting with portraits so that is another area I may develop in tandem with my landscapes but I haven't made my mind up fully yet, I need to envisage a series before I commit further..

Anyway, this is today's painting and I hate to say it but I enjoyed painting it. I decided not to use my sepia so reduced my palette even further which added to the challenge.

The Art of re-invention

2011-08-19T00:34:00.000+01:00

I don't know what to paint anymore.

There comes a time when you have to decide your artistic direction. I've had to re-invent my artistic vision a number of times in order not to get bored and complacent by doing the same old thing over and over again but with slight differences.

When I was young, my introduction to art was mainly through the works of Picasso. I didn't like a lot of his paintings and still don't, but what impressed me more than anything was his ability to look at things in a completely new way. He could play God by re-inventing the human form and smash objects to pieces and re-assemble them in new and different ways.

The art of invention has always been my aim and I never really meant to get involved in realism (If you can call it that). You can look at photographs if you want that although I do realise that artists can put there own spin on a scene by moving a tree here a bush there and putting in a stream where it doesn't really exist.

I now consider my landscape phase as the phase where I learnt how to paint properly and to paint the things I knew. Now, I need to paint the things that I don't know but the problem is I don't know what to paint. Puzzled? Well you can be assured that you are not half as puzzled as I am.

Does this mean going into the realms of abstraction? I don't know. A lot of abstraction leaves me cold. I want to be more inventive, I don't want to paint the surreal, I want to paint the next big thing (whatever that is) but I don't know what it is.

I'll let you know when I've found it, if I ever do, but at the moment I just don't know. The annoying thing is, I may actually do it and may not know that I have. I am certain I am not alone, most artists are curious and always searching. If not, they are stuck in a rut and should start digging their way out.

Must be time for bed.

If this post disappears and I start posting more landscapes on this blog. I have failed as an artist so, someone prod me hard please.

Tears for Enfield. (After the Riots)

2011-08-09T22:36:00.008+01:00

I was born in The Ride, in Ponders End. I've lived in Enfield all my life apart from a couple of years when I was younger. I ran away to sea and travelled the world in tramp steamers mainly around the Far East and Indian Ocean.

All my fond memories were played out here and most of my intimate landscape paintings are based on places in and around Enfield where I grew up.

Enfield was caught up in the recent London Riots but I'm so pleased to say, wasn't damaged nearly so badly as some of the London Boroughs.

I hadn't been feeling very positive lately, the artistic muse was tantalising me with some ideas but not enough to formulate any paintings. The news of the riots left me bereft of any ideas or willingness to paint and left me feeling more sombre than I had been before.

I need to deal with these feelings in my own way and I find the best is through creativity in one form or other. When I'm not painting, I make music. I created a piece of music which expresses how I felt when all the madness of the last few days pushed away the positive thoughts I was trying to build up.

Disclaimer. I am only responsible for the music in this video. I trawled the web for images and edited those that I used by adjusting, cropping and converting to grey scale etc. As this is a not-for-profit expression of my feelings in an artistic manner and are not actual copies, I hope that the original copyright holders will not mind me giving their work extra coverage in this way.

Lincolnshire Pea Field with Poppies.

2011-08-02T12:24:00.000+01:00

Lincolnshire Pea Field with Poppies. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Slowly but surely ramping up my painting activites again. Been in a bit of a lull recently due to other things demanding my time but I'm trying to manage my time more effectively. It's not that I don't have enough of it, I'm lucky to be time rich, but I just tend to waste it which is shameful.

My palette in this painting is ultramarine blue, paynes grey, sepia, sap green, burnt umber, quinacridone gold and a little touch of red gouache for the poppies.

"Somewhere in Scotland at Sunset".

2011-07-21T15:08:00.001+01:00

Yippee!!! I've just recently recovered from an irritating middle ear infection which lasted for approx eight weeks. I know we don't paint with our ears, but I was surprised at how difficult it was to apply myself to anything slightly cerebral with all that going on inside my head so I found myself not doing much painting.

Anyway, the other day I found a 5ml tube of Winsor and Newtons light red. It's a terracotta-ish red and I used it in the past mainly for warm orangey pink skies. I thought I'd loosen myself up and get back into the swing of things. I created six small watercolours. The first few destined for the bin because I'd forgotten how to paint and my timing was way out.

Well, I needed an excuse to get out on my bike and get some exercise (which I hadn't done for ages). I frequently went back and forth to the Post Office to post paintings so I thought I'd make another trip to the Post Office and send the best painting as a surprise to a fellow artist to say thanks for being so supportive over the last couple of months, and to get my badly needed exercise.

Well, you'll all be pleased to know I have second degree saddle sores, my legs are as stiff as tree trunks and I can't move. Bwah ha ha!!!! I'm only kidding. At the moment things are looking good and I couldn't feel better.

I hope everything is OK with you too.

Right, Firstly, a bit of harmonica practice, then painting. See ya.

Somewhere in Scotland at Sunset. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Going in Deep.

2011-07-04T17:33:00.001+01:00

Stand aside there. I'm going in and I'm going in deep. As Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise would say, "If I'm not back by teatime, you've got to leave without me". Well I'm going in deep and dark and dangerous. I'm using thick dark watercolour and layering it on. You'd be surprised how light it can dry even though it's applied quite thickly. I'm not using any black apart from that which has already been mixed into my sepia by the manufacturer. Believe it or not, it's quite difficult to paint dark watercolours.

Deep in Trent Park. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Ice Cream Wars.

Every afternoon at 4pm the Ice Cream vendor stops in my road to sell his ice cream. On his arrival we get a minutes or so of Oranges and Lemons played at uber full volume. It is so loud it rattles the windows. I've complained to the council but it would seem the noise abatement laws do not apply to mobile ice cream vendors. At 4pm too, just when you're ready to turn over in the middle of your siesta. He stops just outside my house.

Today, I was ready for him. I mounted my Roland amplifier in my opened upstairs window and waited. Oranges and lemons said the bells of St Clements, blah, blah. When he stopped my amp was switched on and I gave him such a mouthful of abuse and disgusting language, I don't think he knew what hit him. Got him! The bast*rd, how dare he ruin my artistic afternoon thoughts with that racket, even though those thoughts may have sent me off to the land of nod. I'll probably be up in court next week, but tomorrow, I'm going to video this peacebreakers racket and put it on YouTube if I don't get any satisfaction from the council. He is just so bloody loud. It's criminal behaviour.

My next target is the 5 o'clock ice cream vendor. I've noticed his volume has been creeping up lately. The thing with him though is his choice of music. Oh Solo mio or whatever it's called. I just can't stand it and I'm not going to put up with it anymore. So there.

Anyway, when the ice cream man went I finished painting this one so all was not lost.

Cuffley Woods. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Regurgitating a Couple. Watercolour.

2011-06-27T14:05:00.000+01:00

OK. OK. OK. I'm letting things slide again and have just noticed how long it's been since I updated my blog. I've been busy with other things lately (all art related though) and I'm finding there just aren't enough hours in the day. Website design, video editing. daydreaming, listening, be-ing, breathing. You get the picture.

Oh Well! If You can't post something new, regurgitate some of the old stuff. A lot of people still wont have seen it. Here is a piece called "Couple". It is yet another example of where I spent considerable time on the design and drawing, only to find the paper had transformed into blotting paper. It was a "pig" to paint but I didn't want to give up on it. I think I painted this some time around 1990.

What was I thinking eh?

Couple. Watercolour 11 x 15 inches.

Three little ones.

2011-05-31T23:31:00.000+01:00

I'm going through another mini confidence crisis. We all go through it. I can normally talk other artists through it but I can't take my own advice. Anyway, I know it's not going to last and that it's only temporary so I'll just soldier on and try to break through it one way or another.

I've painted these three small watercolours over the last two days whilst thinking about a change in direction. I need to allow for my paintings to be painted over a period of time rather than in a single session. The only problem with that is, if I screw up, I've lost a couple of days work, Hmmm! Need to look deeper into this. Anyway, I don't want to get rusty with my colours and brushes so I did these to keep my hand in. The Carrs Lane composition leaves a lot to be desired but I include it because the sense of light turned out fairly well.

I'm going to spend more time drawing over the next few days. I really do need to get back into the habit again but I desperately, desperately want to loosen up. I get so tight and worry about detail when I start to relax. I really must sort my act out. Again. Tut, tut John.

Lower Lake, Forty Hall. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Moonlight in the Woods. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Carrs Lane. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Commissions? No thanks.

2011-05-26T11:52:00.001+01:00

I was having a friendly email exchange with Samantha's Studio a fellow artist and blogger from Enfield, North London. (Please take a look and follow Samantha's blog. It's still in the early stages of development but I know there is some stunning artwork to come later).

However, we got onto the subject of commissions and how we were puzzled by people who send an old black and white snap of Aunt Doris who is standing in a field, 100 yards from the camera and expect us to create a portrait from that minuscule amount of information.

I was checking through my library of images (looking for inspiration) when I came across this 'artistic extravaganza' which was a commission which I should have turned down flat but being the sort of person that doesn't like to say no, I half heartedly agreed to take it on. Originally, they just wanted a simple colour field of lilac and green to go with some curtains or furnishings but having accepted the commission, the client then went bonkers and decided that she wanted it to represent virtually her whole life history. Gulp!

Here are some of the things she wanted it to portray. To the left are her supporting parents who are propping up a horseshoe shaped motif. Yes that one escaped me too. Her husband had a repetitive job in an office where he had to wear a tie and was miserable. A representation of a praying Buddha would be nice with her Mum and Dad naked in the woods in the background in the moonlight. Just to the right of the Buddha is the client in a foetal position, because that's the way she liked to sleep and the bubbles above are her night-time thoughts. Top left is a total eclipse of the sun which just happened to be occurring at that time. Yeah! Why not, just chuck it in. Her favourite flower was the lily and it would be really, really nice to use that as a basis to show her and her husband as a loving couple cradling their little baby. Yeah right. Below them is the loving couple just melting in one anothers arms with passion. I really can't remember what the road leading into the distance was all about except it was probably my escape route, and as for the red 'thing', I can't recall, but it may have been that I had blood on my mind. It seems so out of place, why on earth red, there? Big mistake on my part.

All that and I had to keep lilac and green as the dominant colours. Why the hell did I agree to do that and furthermore how did I do it at all? I must have been as mad as the client at the time.

I used pastels on a half sheet of Ingres paper for this and just in case you are reading this Mrs Sutherland, I don't normally allow people to go five years without paying, so any time you're passing a cheque would be nice. Oh well, I put it down to experience, the painting probably ended up in a jumble sale or charity shop anyway. Be interesting to see who has it now, and what they think it's all about. I can't even remember the title of this painting now. Maybe 'Exasperation'?

Commissions? No thanks.

Forty Hall Woods.

2011-05-24T00:00:00.001+01:00

Phew! That was a close one. I woke up this morning and my fingers had turned to jelly. No matter how I tried, just couldn't make any meaningful strokes of colour on my paper. Something went wrong and I couldn't identify what it was. As the day progressed, I could feel my temperament slow down and I gradually got back into the zone. My fingers returned to normal, I felt creative once again and painted this picture.

Forty Hall Woods. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Once again simplicity came to my rescue. I used just two brushes and put all my others out of reach so I couldn't get at them, plus, I thought of the work of Edward Seago and how he may have tackled this scene.

In this painting I re-introduced New Gamboge into my pallette. I used to use a lot of raw sienna but when the manufacturer had problems where it used to get uncontrollably frothy I switched to quinacridone gold which is a good transparent colour but I find it doesn't mix well to produce a wide range of greens. Hence my trials with new gamboge again. Let's see how it goes.

Drawing.

2011-05-20T21:12:00.003+01:00

OK folks, I admit it. I fell out of love with drawing about four years ago. I have a 12 inch high pile of old sketch books which I have been looking through today and was quite shocked to see my last proper drawings were made so long ago. I really must make the effort to get back into drawing again.

I know why I stopped. I spent ages doing the preparatory drawings for a series of watercolours. There were four in total, all 15 x 11 inch or Quarter Imperial sheets. Each one took at least two days. When it came to the point where I applied my first washes, I found that the paper had a fault and had not been sized properly. It was like painting on blotting paper. I had to abandon this series.

Just mucking about. Graphite on cartridge paper.

Since then I had a dread of investing so much time in drawing before painting and have just gone straight in with the paint. It's quite a hairy thing to do if you haven't mentally thought through how the painting is going to proceed. I've got to the stage now though where I need to be more adventurous and need to have the drawing as a background scaffold. It's like taking a step back to go forward really, but I can see it must be done.

It's Party Time!

2011-05-18T11:47:00.000+01:00

Over the past few days, I have been helping a friend set up a blog. It's early days yet but Samantha is doing great so far. The purpose of this post is to demonstrate how my blog will show up on her blog in the left hand margin. This is what happens when you follow a blog and set up all the right parameters. When you go to your blog you will notice that I have updated my blog and because you are following me it will display a small image and snippett from my blog. Also, because I am following your blog, the same will happen for me. I will know your blog has been updated and I can click on the snippett to read in more detail. You can elect to show your favourite blogs in the margin like this or reduce it to 5 or 10. I think :o(

Well that should muddy the waters quite nicely. It sounded OK in my head but by the time it travelled down my fingers to the keyboard, it got skewed. I hope you were able to get a little sense from that, if not I'll explain later.

The artwork by the way is just for illustrative purposes. It's called Drinks on the Patio. It's pen, ink and watercolour 14 x 10 inches and I painted it in 1991.

The Brook in Hilly Fields, Enfield.

2011-05-16T21:34:00.002+01:00

Turkey Brook in Hilly Fields, Enfield. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Fugitive colour, or what?

2011-05-08T16:24:00.002+01:00

Some time ago I had a brain burp and bought myself a half pan of Manganese Blue. It was a beautiful colour blue and whatsmore it was one of those watercolour pigments that you could use to get some spectacular granulated effects.

The trouble was, it was quite expensive and I was afraid to use it. I know that sounds ridiculous but not as ridiculous as this. I'm not sure how long I had it but I kept it in an old paintbox with some other colours I didn't use much. I always reminded myself it was there and would know exactly how to find it once the occasion for the use of Manganese Blue arose.

Ta-Da! That occasion was today. I was painting this lovely sky which needed a jewel-like streak of Manganese Blue running through it. I dug out the paintbox which my prized Manganese Blue was resting in and excitedly opened it up.

But, but, but where was it? Where was my half pan of Manganese Blue? I promise this is true, it had simply dried out to virtually nothing but a few grains of powder and dried out gum arabic crystals.

I had kept it for far too long, maybe five years. My thrifty idea for saving materials had backfired on me again. I'm going to check out all my tubed colours now and make sure that none are getting to the point where they start to solidify. You won't find me tearing open the lead tubes in future, trying to save a little bit of solid pigment. Then again, until I've checked my stock, I may have to.

Don't forget, keep your brush moist, and don't let the water run down the ferrule. Happy Painting.

Turner's Skies.

2011-05-05T22:25:00.000+01:00

I love painting skies. Turner showed us how to paint a watercolour sky properly. His skies are totally unbelievable in that I really don't know how he was able to do them.

We have all the modern aids to help us by way of reference material, examples, photos etc. etc. But all he had was his sketchbook and memory.

I like to limber up with a sky and remember that Roland Hilder used to say we need to paint a sky each day. Good advice if you can keep it up.

However, here is my sky from this evening. I used a photograph for reference because believe it or not, we have had no clouds for a few days now. Well, at least, not any dramatic clouds or skies.

Watercolour Sky, 5th May 2011 11 x 7.5 inches.

Buying art supplies and brushes.

2011-04-18T14:42:00.000+01:00

Whenever you see an artists studio with jars and jars of hundreds of brushes and all sorts of other art paraphenalia, are you impressed? I may have another opinion. I'll tell you why at the end of this post.

I went to Jacksons in Hackney, London this morning and bought a really nice big thick block of 100 sheets of watercolour paper. I've used Jacksons Art Supplies for a number of years now and always been happy with their service but thought I'd make a personal visit. It's only a short bus and train ride from me.

I was hoping to get some brushes but there was no way I could try them out without causing an awful lot of inconvenience. However, I was told they hope to have a proper shop before too long where this will be possible.

I hate buying some things online, especially brushes. A decent sable brush can cost a kings ransom and I can't afford to make any erroneous purchases. To give you an idea, their most expensive brush (when they have it in stock) is a Da Vinci Maestro 10 Tobolsky-Kolinsky red sable, size 50 at £1244.88 but Jacksons price is "only" £984.05.

I couldn't afford one of those. Just imagine getting it home, washing out the starch that keeps them pointed, and then finding out it's way too floppy for our style of painting.

However, even if I was buying a brush for £10, I'd like to know that it was suitable for me.

I made that mistake with some squirrel brushes and Chinese goat and horse hair brushes I bought, useless, for me. We need to try them really or have some really, really good demonstration videos and reviews of them being used on YouTube. To be fair, Jacksons do have a few Youtube videos showing the use of Da Vinci brushes but it looks like a kid is painting with them and they are not showing how they perform properly. I'll scour YouTube for more informative videos and if I find any, I'll let you all know.

Anyway, back to the pictures we see of artists studios where they have hundreds of brushes in jars. It may impress some people because it looks like the artist uses a fresh brush for each new painting they do, but in my opinion either the artist just likes buying brushes for the sake of it or, they have made so many wrong decisions when purchasing their weapon of choice, they just don't know what to do with them except display them like vases of flowers.

Personally, if I find the ideal brush then that would be all I'd need. I'd just buy the three that I need, a 1" flat, a round No 8 and 16 and maybe a cheap rigger. Then I would just keep using those. The fewer tools you have the fewer decisions you need to make but you may need more skill to use them effectively.

My brushes at the moment are wearing thin, they have lost their points and my painting has developed to the point where I know exactly what I want from a brush but it's finding the right one without spending a lot of money and time on the wrong ones.

Salmon's Brook Watercolour.

2011-04-17T15:45:00.000+01:00

I had a lovely morning painting Salmon's Brook. Conditions outside were near perfect. No wind, warm and bright.

I was testing my outdoor painting kit and techniques. After painting at a small scale for so long I decided I needed to upscale for a while. Gone was the comfort of the studio, and my equipment was whittled down to the bare essentials. It was rather testing but I should be ready for a summer of watercolour painting out in the open air. Fingers crossed for decent painting conditions.

Salmon's Brook. Watercolour 14.5 x 10.5 inches.

Wow! The Higgs Boson has been found.

2011-04-07T23:16:00.002+01:00

The hunt for the Higgs Boson is over. I was searching down the back of my settee for loose change when I found the Higgs Boson.......No! wait a minute, after closer examination it looks more like a half sucked Foxes Glacier mint. As you were. The hunt for the Higgs Boson still goes on. See if you can find it before the guys with the Large Hadron Collider beat you to it.

Whitewebbs Wood.

2011-03-30T23:03:00.002+01:00

Whitewebbs Wood. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Pymmes Brook.

2011-03-30T17:48:00.002+01:00

Pymmes Brook. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches. Hopefully I've broken through the block now and can start painting again. I'm not sure what the market is like at the moment but I should think it's pretty difficult for most artists. Anyway, I'll give it a try and see what happens.

Revisiting the Watercolour Charger Invention.

2010-10-26T13:31:00.005+01:00

There has been a lot of traffic on my Watercolour Charger website over the last couple of years but just recently it has intensified to fever pitch. I put it down to the fact that people are finding the demonstration that I put onto YouTube and the word is now getting out and into the art community. I thought I'd just mention it again on my blog for those who may have missed it first time round.

The image above shows what the Watercolour Chargers I made look like. I do not sell Watercolour Chargers and you can't buy them but what I do is give you complete instructions to make your own. There is no charge it is all free, plus my site also has tutorials on how they can be used. There is a link further down in this article that will take you there.

What is the Watercolour Charger?

The Watercolour Charger is a simple device that provides the user with far greater control of the watercolour medium than is currently possible.

It provides a constant supply of clean water that is instantly replenished from a reservoir. The water is made available on a narrow capillary cradle (the Charging Cradle) that is designed so any part of a brush can be charged with water. Imagine a thin ribbon of water floating in mid-air, the brush is charged with this water in the horizontal plane.

By monitoring how the belly and the tip of the brush swells and shines, the user can gauge how much water the brush is absorbing. You can't do this by immersing the brush using the normal dipping method. This can greatly help in the painting process. How can you expect to control watercolour on the paper, if you can't control it on the brush first?

A Charger will not necessarily make you a better artist, but a more competent handler of the medium. If you don't need to overcome problems, the painting process will be more fluid. Your paintings will benefit and the watercolour painting experience will be a more enjoyable and satisfying creative endeavour.

If you'd like to know more then visit my Watercolour Charger site. You'll find everything you need there.
Just to give you an idea of what can be achieved by using a Watercolour Charger, here are some examples of paintings that I made using one.

Electron

Nucleus

Basically, these were exercises in refining the gradation process. Take a close look and try to work out how you could achieve gradations like those above using your standard set-up and techniques without greater control of the medium.

I include a short video demonstration that I made to show how the Charger is used. I promise I wll make a better quality video once I have ironed out some of the technical difficulties.

Woodland Stream Video Demonstration.

2010-09-07T19:19:00.006+01:00

I've made another hi-speed video demonstration showing the steps in creating a woodland stream watercolour. I don't like speeding the video up but I need to otherwise it would be far too long and people would be falling asleep.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Here is the finished painting.

Woodland Stream. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Watercolour Demonstration Video.

2010-09-01T17:36:00.003+01:00

I created this video today. Thought you may like to watch it. People kept asking me to do another one, so here it is. I'm hoping to do more in the future but I have to wait for lighting conditions to be just right. So If I'm in the right mood and have the time I'll try and create a series. Hope you enjoy it. There's no harmonica in this one. OK, you can stop cheering now.

Epping Forest.

2010-08-27T00:12:00.001+01:00

I completed three paintings today. This is the last one.

Epping Forest. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Temporary Diversion.

2010-08-23T14:50:00.006+01:00

Trees, bushes, water and rocks.

2010-08-20T21:38:00.002+01:00

Holly Hill Farm Brook. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches,

Thankyou to the Rain Gods.

2010-08-19T21:44:00.005+01:00

The weather is keeping me holed up and painting in my studio. I love the sun but when the clouds allow it to peep through, I feel guilty being stuck inside and have to be out on my bike enjoying the brightness and colours of summer.

However now the daylight is getting shorter and the temperatures cooler, painting in the studio is the thing to do now that the rain gods weild their power.

River Lee Hertfordshire. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Turkey Brook near the Fourteen Arches. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Watercolours from the last couple of days.

2010-08-17T20:46:00.005+01:00

I'm preparing to make another video. I need to wait for the correct lighting conditions because I'd like to use natural light. However in the meantime here is my latest batch of paintings. I'm well back in the saddle now and enjoying painting once again.

Mile and a Quarter Lane. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

The New River Loop. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Trent Park Wood. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Sadlers Mill Brook. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Some recent watercolour work. Part 1.

2010-08-12T14:27:00.004+01:00

As far as my watercolour output is concerned I've had quite a lazy summer. Now that the temperatures have dropped a little, I feel more inclined to spend time painting in the studio. Although I love the sun and the brightness of the summer, I'm finding the heat to be more of a problem. Apart from the discomfort it can play havoc with attempts to paint in such conditions.

However, here is my output from the last couple of weeks. I hope there will be many more to come.

Part 2.

2010-08-12T14:21:00.001+01:00

Dealing with the Blues.

2010-07-31T10:56:00.004+01:00

It's not been a very productive summer for me so far this year. I've had a number of commissions that took some time and it threw me out of my normal painting regime. I'm hoping to get back to normal pretty soon but it really depends on the weather. Where would you rather be on a warm summers day? Struggling with the heat and humidity in the studio, or out on your bike in the countryside. I know what I'd prefer.

Anyway, as a number of you may already know I am a fan of Blues music, and in particular the harmonica which is referred to as a "blues harp" in blues circles. I've been playing for about three years now and thought I could pick it up in just a few weeks. WRONG! Being a simple instrument doesn't mean it's simple to play. The oral gymnastics you need to perform to get certain sounds and effects takes a long time and a lot of muscle memory training.

I belong to a blues forum where a challenge was raised to improvise over a backing track. This was my entry complete with a couple of mistakes which, to a pro, stick out like a sore thumb. The harmonica is in the Key of C but the backing track is in the key of G so I needed to play the harmonica in a way in which they were not originally intended.

I'm hoping to get back into the paint soon, it's so good to pick up my blues harp and wail when things on the paper don't necessarily go as I would like.

All Change. But only slightly.

2010-06-02T22:31:00.003+01:00

I'm changing the way I paint slightly. I'm attempting to get more light into my paintings and to create more shadow. In essence I am using less paint and the actual painting time is less than I used to take but, the thinking time is longer at the moment. I will have cracked it when the thinking time has been reduced and the detail has been reduced but the light and overall effectiveness of the painting has increased.

Hadley Wood. Watercolour 7x 5 inches.

Newgate Woods. Watercolour 7x 5 inches.

Todays Paintings.

2010-05-27T20:31:00.004+01:00

I'm not going to say much today. Bit like yesterday really. What I have found though is, I've got to the point where I don't know where to put my apostrophes any more. Should todays be today's. I used to know but I don't anymore.

Lakeland View. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Tinky Totts Pond. Dusk. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Stubbs Lane. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Back in the Woods.

2010-05-26T22:32:00.003+01:00

Back in the Woods where I belong. I lost my way.

Woodland Path, Whitewebbs. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Abney Park, Stoke Newington. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Spring Shadows. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Van Gogh

2010-04-05T22:28:00.002+01:00

I could take or leave the work by Van Gogh. Although I have the books and seen the films, I could never really place him in my top ten of artists. But, last Saturday I went to the Royal Academy exhibition called, "The Real Van Gogh. The Artist and His Letters", and I was completely blown away. It's not until you actually see his work in person that you can appreciate how good he was. I was most impressed with his letter writing to his brother Theo and his tiny pen and ink drawings. These are absolutely sublime and instantly had an impact on me. I must do more drawing. If you get the chance to go and see the exhibition, I can recommend it.

Once again, I haven't been painting as much as usual. I have been keeping the artistic side of my brain busy though. I've been hand coding and designing some websites in XHTML. It's strange, although I love simple traditional things like watercolour painting using the traditional techniques and playing the harmonica in the traditional style, I also love cutting edge technology. It pays better than painting but I enjoy being able to switch between the two.

Suffolk Stream Watercolour.

2010-03-12T22:06:00.001Z

Suffolk Stream. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Spring Lane. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Painting my way out of a Slump.

2010-03-11T18:52:00.002Z

Thank you Google Street View for providing the spark to coax me out of a painting slump. To all you landscape artists out there. If you get stuck in a slump, go to Google Maps and use street view to explore Devon and Cornwall for armchair inspiration.

Google Street View. Cornwall. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Lakeside Path

2010-03-10T21:52:00.001Z

Lakeside Path. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Watercolour Demonstrations.

2010-03-03T12:02:00.007Z

I am posting a Woodland Stream painting and then directly below will post a video demonstrating how I painted it. I hope you enjoy it. I had to speed the video up in order to keep the filesize low. Turn your speakers on, there is some nice music with this video. If you want to watch the video's in a larger format, double click the YouTube logo in the YouTube Screen. I'd be most appreciative of your feedback in YouTube if you can spare the time. Many thanks.

Woodland Stream. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

I am also posting a video which shows how you can use my invention the "Watercolour Charger". The watercolorists amongst us may find this particularly interesting if you want to paint in 3 Dimensions. It is a very useful tool which I couldn't be without now. It's an essential part of my painting kit.

Watercolour Art by John Salmon. No.3

2010-02-05T21:12:00.001Z

A Bank in Epping Forest. Sunlit Track.

2010-01-13T18:44:00.001Z

A Bank in Epping Forest. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Sunlit Track. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Cuffley Brook, Dusk.

2010-01-12T22:12:00.002Z

Roll on the Spring. It's too cold out there for me at the moment so I'm having to use my photo collection for reference material. I can't wait to get my bike out again and cycle deep into my local woods.

Cuffley Brook, Dusk. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Crews Hill. Enfield.

2010-01-11T18:39:00.004Z

New Year. New start. It's taking me time to ramp up to my usual output. I've had a number of commissions that I needed to complete and it kept me away from the work I enjoy the most. I don't like doing commissions. It can be very difficult trying to make a mundane subject look interesting and exciting. However, I did it with aplomb and my client was very pleased with the resulting artwork. I don't post my commissions on here. As far as I'm concerned I painted it for my client and it is their property even though I retain the copyright. It's a shame because I thought they came out looking rather good.

Anyway, belated Happy New Year one and all. It's going to be interesting in more ways than one to see what this year brings to the table. I may even make some more music for your entertainment.

Crews Hill, Enfield. Watercolour. 7 x 5 inches.

Painting with abandon.

2009-11-19T19:53:00.002Z

Evening Light was my first painting today and Secret Garden was my second. For some inexplicable reason I was able to let loose on that one and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I find it so annoying that I can't just turn that feeling on and off. It hits me at times when I'm not ready for it but this time I just went with it. I'm determined to do more like this in the future. I hate being too controlled and fussy, it stifles my painting instincts.

Secret Garden. Watercolour 7x 5 inches.

Evening Light. Watercolour 7x 5 inches.

The Stream at Crews Hill.

2009-11-18T22:41:00.002Z

The Stream at Crews Hill. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

King and Tinker Lane.

2009-11-17T22:54:00.000Z

King and Tinker Lane. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Epping Forest.

2009-11-16T22:24:00.002Z

Darn, I can feel myself tightening up again. I must stay loose and splashy. I must stay loose and splashy. I must not concentrate TOO much. I must not concentrate Too much.

Epping Forest. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Hilly Fields Wood.

2009-11-14T17:31:00.002Z

Gale force winds have forced me to resort to my image library today. This is a painting of an image I took in Hilly Fields Wood in Enfield last summer. I was taken by the clusters of trees in sunlight and the dappled patterns on teh ground. It was quite difficult to paint and one which I can see me doing a few more times yet.

Hilly Fields Wood. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Morning Mist.

2009-11-13T15:05:00.003Z

Morning Mist. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Epping Forest. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Bankside Trees at Dusk.

2009-11-11T22:16:00.001Z

Bankside Trees at Dusk. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Bankside Trees.

2009-11-11T18:45:00.002Z

Bankside Trees. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Storm Damage, Forty Hill.

2009-11-10T17:58:00.008Z

I've been asked a number of times whether I give watercolour painting lessons. This is something I may be interested in doing at some time in the future. The only trouble is, when I get "into the zone" I go into an automatic mode and the paintings simply appear. I'm worried that if I have to analyze what I do, in order to convey this to a student, it would break the spell. I think the best thing would be to just paint and allow the student to ask the questions that they feel is relevant. I'm not sure yet, I'll have to give it some thought. Hmmm!

As you may know I like to play my harmonica while I wait for my paint to dry. I wrote a piece of music for my Mum who died in 2007. It has taken me ages to figure it out. I have called it Lament for Marie. I'm saying goodbye to my Mum. It's not perfect yet but I'm working it up into a nice piece of music. I hope you like it.

Storm Damage, Forty Hill. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Sunny Morning in Whitewebbs Woods.

2009-11-09T18:04:00.002Z

What a lovely day. I was out on my bicycle again today and enjoyed a bright, sunny day, although it was rather chilly. There are still a lot of leaves to fall from the trees, I feel the next windy day will strip them almost bare.

Sunny Morning in Whitewebbs Woods. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Saddlers Mill Brook.

2009-11-07T21:11:00.003Z

Saddlers Mill Brook runs from Enfield to Edmonton. It was used to power a water mill sometime in the 1700's, and was situated somewhere near Bury Street West and the A10 Cambridge Road. Unfortunately there are no drawings of the old mill in existence, only written accounts of where it was.

Saddlers Mill Brook. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches,

The Sweetheart Tree.

2009-11-07T12:27:00.002Z

Got a bit of the sniffles and a thick head today (No! I'm teetotal) so I'm working from my image library from previous excursions into the woods. The Sweetheart Tree. There's a heart pierced with an arrow cut into the bark.

The Sweetheart Tree. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Early Morning Frost at Whitewebbs.

2009-11-05T13:44:00.008Z

This is my painting from this morning. Once I've had some lunch and warmed up a bit I'll crack on and see what this afternoons effort brings forth.

Early Morning Frost at Whitewebbs. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.
Well, below is my second painting today. I took a photo of this scene earlier this morning. Can you sense the crispy coldness in this painting? It was just before the sun broke through to drench the scene with a golden morning light. It was nice and misty too which added atmosphere. I hope you like it.

Reminder to self. Pump up bicycle tyres. Pressure currently 25PSI and I need about 50PSI.

Early Morning Mist over the Stream in Mile and a Quarter Lane.
Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Hilly Fields Brook.

2009-11-04T17:37:00.002Z

Hilly Fields Brook. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Forty Hill Lake. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Sunset over Tottenham Marsh.

2009-11-02T18:15:00.003Z

Autumn has been kind so far this year. We have had a fair amount of mild weather and some beautiful sunsets which has prompted me to paint these pictures. I hope the weather wherever you may be, has been kind for you also.

Turkey Brook at Dusk. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Sunset over Tottenham Marsh. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Todays Paintings.

2009-10-29T19:01:00.004Z

I got my gouache paints out today. Apart from my watercolour landscape paintings which I try to do on a daily basis, I have some ideas for some paintings which are from the other side of the tracks, so to speak. A bit quirky. Mixed Media.

I think I need to do a different style of painting from time to time so I don't become a one trick pony. I may post some here if I feel they are good enough for you.

However, these are todays paintings. Yes, watercolour and more trees.

Theobalds Park Trail. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Cooks Hole Lane. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Autumn Leaves.

2009-10-27T17:41:00.003Z

Another fine Autumn day here in England. My cycle ride through Whitewebbs prompted this nice little autumnal painting. Although I like the colours of autumn, the early darkening evenings reminds me that winter is just around the corner and that summer has well and truly finished.

Autumn Leaves. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Purple Sky over Salmons Brook, Edmonton.

2009-10-26T18:36:00.005Z

This is my painting from today. I tried a slightly different technique for this sky and water gradation and I think it turned out quite well. I'm always experimenting with my techniques and unfortunately quite a lot end up in the bin but luckily this one turned out OK.

I'm hoping to get another one finished before the day is out but I will need to stop for an hour or so for my harmonica practice. I've now got an amplifier which has some built in sound effects and I can get some really nice sounds with it. I will post one here when I get the time. I know you'd like that, wouldn't you?

Purple Sky over Salmons Brook, Edmonton. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

OK. This is my second painting today. Just thought I'd tag it onto the previous posting. Today is a purple day for me. I like blending purple into yellow. It is a nice combination.

Tinky Totts Pond. Crews Hill. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Blood Red Sky in Sweet Briar Wood.

2009-10-21T21:14:00.002+01:00

Here is todays painting. Heard that the Post Strike has been heightened to another level of inconvenience. This is going to cause problems for those of us who depend on the mail to send and receive our work. Ho hum. Let's hope the situation is resolved before too long.

Blood Red Sky in Sweet Briar Wood. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Autumn Path through Epping Forest.

2009-10-20T22:18:00.002+01:00

Well it's been a while since I've been able to update my blog. I'm sorry if you've been coming to see what's new and haven't found anything. I had a good summer and it's taken a while to get back into the swing of things. Now the winter is almost here I'll be spending more time in the studio and hope to bring some interesting things for you to see.

I'm well aware that a number of my eBay customers have been checking in from time to time to see what I may be auctioning in the near future. As you may know, the UK Postal Service has been a source of many problems lately so I decided not to auction anything because I didn't want to put myself or my customers through the hassle of lost or delayed packages. However I am hoping to produce a limited amount of work by popular demand and just hope that the Royal Mail will solve its issues so that I can get back to normal working.

Well, here is todays painting, hopefully there will be more very soon. Thank you for being so patient.

Autumn Path through Epping Forest.

Hadley Lake.

2009-08-19T12:51:00.002+01:00

Hadley Lake. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Turkey Brook. Hilly Fields.

2009-08-17T18:49:00.003+01:00

Turkey Brook. Hilly Fields. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Misty Morning in Flash Lane.

2009-08-12T18:15:00.002+01:00

Misty Morning in Flash Lane. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Dick Turpin Bridlepath.

2009-08-12T12:56:00.000+01:00

Dick Turpin Bridlepath. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

The River Lee.

2009-08-11T18:02:00.002+01:00

The River Lee. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Hadley Wood

2009-08-10T18:48:00.001+01:00

Hadley Wood. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Back in the Woods.

2009-08-05T12:37:00.003+01:00

Woodland Path after a Shower. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Trent Gutter.

2009-08-04T21:20:00.002+01:00

Trent Gutter. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

View from Slades Hill.

2009-08-04T16:36:00.000+01:00

View from Slades Hill. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Turkey Brook beside Whitewebbs Golf Course.

2009-08-04T14:50:00.001+01:00

Turkey Brook beside Whitewebbs Golf Course. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Enforced Break.

2009-06-27T20:25:00.003+01:00

I have had to take a short break from posting to my blog just recently. I had to fulfill six commissions which were collected on Thursday, and over the last few days it has just been too hot to paint. Apart from the lethargy the hot weather brings, it really messes up the drying times of watercolour painting. Hopefully I'll be posting again soon. I will enjoy the weather and tending my crops in the garden until then. Yippee!

Cuffley Woods.

2009-06-09T16:11:00.001+01:00

Cuffley Woods Track. Watercoolour 7 x 5 inches.

Cuffley Woods Stream. Watercoolour 7 x 5 inches.

Salmons Brook, Autumn Sunset.

2009-06-06T17:07:00.001+01:00

Salmons Brook runs along the bottom of my garden. It is pure coincidence that our names are the same. I have a source of inspiration right on my doorstep.

Salmons Brook, Autumn Sunset. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Tinky Totts Pond.

2009-06-05T21:06:00.002+01:00

Tinky Totts Pond. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Flash Lane, Whitewebbs.

2009-06-04T19:25:00.003+01:00

Flash Lane, Whitewebbs. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Stream at Forty Hill.

2009-06-01T22:29:00.003+01:00

Second offering of the day. Two per day is my output rate at the present time. I'll be starting another soon but doubt whether I'll finish it today. There is a lot of detail in these so I shouldn't be surprised they take so long.

Stream at Forty Hill. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.

Potters Weir. Whitewebbs.

2009-06-01T16:48:00.001+01:00

Potters Weir, Whitewebbs. Watercolour 7 x 5 inches.