Who doesn’t love a sunset? Admittedly this was from a photograph, but I just loved the way that the trees were silhouetted against this wonderful colour range.
Category: Landscapes
Shadows on Hoar Frost
As the land rises behind our garden I noticed one cold morning how the shadows of the trees surrounding the field were blue on the frosty grass and also how the frost had touched the tops of the winter trees. I took a photograph before the sun changed the landscape, and this is the result.
Knightshayes lily pond
This sunset image is based on the lily pond at Knightshayes in Devon, which has a magnificent garden.
Pontiac
This car is in a garden close to Hatton Cross tube station.The locale consists of 30s house, not very inspiring, so I ” demolished” them and painted a neglected orchard which is in our village instead.
Mr Livermore lived here
On the outskirts of our village there was a stucco covered bungalow. A conversation with my doctor many years ago elicited the information that this was actually a railway carriage inside, and Mr Livermore, the father of one of our cricket acquaintances, lived there. He died a few years ago and the site was abandoned, but at the end of 2020 I noticed that a metal fence had been erected around it, and the stucco removed, revealing not one but two railway carriages, one behind the other.
I had to work from photographs, as the site was inaccessible. This painting is of one of the carriages; it is possibel to glimpse the fridge through the door, and the original Smoking sign on one of the carriage windows.
Tandem Mountain bike in Welsh wood
This painting was a commission resulting from a friend having seen the pink bike painting. The commission was of a bike which her daighter and husband ride in the woodland between Bristol and the welsh border.
Mayflower
This year, 2020, Southampton City Art Gallery proposed an open exhibition entitled In Search of a New World.
This is a commemoration of the Pilgrim Father’s ” discovery” of the USA.
My painting ( one of two) combines a reference to one of the two ships which set sail combined with a map of the landing site and an image of the replica of the Mayflower.
The tribe which was living in the vicinity of the landing site used specific designs form their textiles. I have used the design to flank the ship image.
Speedwell
This year, 2020, Southampton City Art Gallery proposed an open exhibition entitled In Search of a New World.
This is a commemoration of the Pilgrim Father’s ” discovery” of the USA.
My painting ( one of two) combines a reference to one of the two ships which set sail combined with a map of the landing site and an image of a boat of the period;
( it was not possible to find a good image of the actual Speedwell.)
Pink Bicycle
This painting is a response to a photograph which I took when we were in Vietnam.
We were taken to Nimh Binh to see the paddy fields and the wonderful odd shaped mountains. This girly coloured bike, which obviously belonged to one of the many people working in the fields, caught my attention.
The Nuffield Tractor
This tractor, circa 1960, is on my friend’s farm in Kent.
The father of the farmer never threw anything away, he just abandoned things…and this is one of the things he abandoned.
As such it fitsnin with my love of abandoned vehicle.
Burnt out burger van, Bishops Waltham 2019
This van was burnt out one night in 2019 , possibly by a rival.
It was parked behind a Georgian building which was damaged in the fire.
As happens, the fire produced wonderful colours and textures in the van itself and also on the wall behind it.
An unexpected consequence of the fire was the the rendering on the buildimg was taken away, revealing an older building underneath.,
Dresden Demolition 3
This is the final Dresden demolition drawing. It is much more abstract than the preceding two.
It could be any building anywhere, but it reminds me of the noise and smell I encountered of decades of a structure which is coming to the end.
Dresden Demolition 1
This is the first of a series of drawings made from photographs taken in Dresden in Spring 2019. This communist era building was being gradually and slowly demolished, revealing all its innards. This contrasts with the buildings growing up around London glimpsed from the train, whereby the internal lift shaft is the first element to be seen, gradually replaced by more decorative elements.
Dresden Demolition 2
Having spent time in Dresden in the Spring of 2019 I was able daily to document through photographs the demolition of a very solidly built Communist era building.
This drawing is one of a series which show stages of the demolition. It links with the broken down vehicles and derelict buildings which I have been recording over the years. The reason for all of these images stems from seeing Buddhist prayer flags in the Himalayas, which flap in the wind until they decay. I like the idea of objects having a finite life in a variety of ways.
Police Aware 3
One of my interests is the way in which nature takes back man made objects; in this instance, the police took it away.
Police Aware 1
This is one of a series of three small linked paintings which reflect the habitual dumping of vehicles in the countryside.
This particular transit van had been totally burnt out and only the internal structure was visible. The shattered windows showed the lush vegetation outside and the metal had changed colour to the most beautiful tans, blues and greys.
Red Mangle
This mangle, originally a mottled blue, was found in an old shed when we moved to this house nearly forty years ago.
Our house originally had a communal wash house at the back of the terrace, so it may well date from that period.
It has subsequently been painted red and black, mostly to draw attention to the peace sign cast into the side panels.
Over the years , standing in all weathers, the wooden rollers have begun to deteriorate. Sadly there seems not to be a “spare parts for rollers” available so their demise will continue.
Twin Deckchairs
These two chairs were sitting under trees in gentle sunlight at Berrington Hall in Shropshire. The shadows cast on the pink fabric were so atmospheric, and the proximity of the chairs indicated a missing human presence.
Dexters at Field Farm
This year ( 2018) was spectacular and these small cattle seen through the branches with the May as background were irresistable.
Blue Chairs
This 2017 painting is a follow on from the many garden paintings completed over the past few years. I realised that I had not included distance in any of the previous paintings; they all relied on the picture plane, so this is an attempt to show distance as well as the wonderful June flowers in the garden, combined with our recently painted table and chairs
I love you in Madrid
This tree , heavily carved with romantic tributes, some of which the tree was taking back to itself was in the Botanical Gardens at the Paseo del Prado in Madrid.
I made a drawing of it there, and the painting, helped by a photograph has come later.
Blackberries in Marsh’s Fields
Blackberry bushes line the walkway through Marsh’s Fields and are site for an annual pilgrimage of blackberry pickers for some weeks. I have chosen to show the three stages of the berry, from flower, through the green berry to the fully ripe .
The Edge of the field
This rather romantic view of my neighbours’ cast iron chairs and table is a contrast with the overgrown field which has started to dominate the landscape .
Rosa Rugosa and Crab Apple Tree
From the Autumn garden, these two red berried plants are so dominant and beautiful.
Dartmoor landscape
In this painting I have incorporated the skeleton of a horse, taken from a drawing made in the Natural History Museum with vestigial faces in the rock face and a series of butterflies, representing the soul.
Horse carriage at Jervis Court
This is one of a series of works which deal with the current function of old rolling stock from the railways, left over from Mr Beeching’s reorganisation.
Jefferies Yard
This work is a second in the abandoned rolling stock series. This one may have a limited life, as Jefferies Yard is awaiting redevelopment.
Staircase at Mosborough Hall
This second work was also for Mosborough Hall. This staircase was awaiting refurbishment.
Monkey puzzle tree at Mosborough Hall
This is a commissioned gouache for Mosborough Hall hotel, near Sheffield.
Portland Stone
Portland Stone
Linda Gibbons’ skiff
Linda lives in Spittal near Berwick on Tweed. This boat was the harbour master’s skiff, and after it was not needed any more, Linda acquired it. She had it lifted over her single storey house, where it remains, landlocked.
Southampton Water
This painting was to illustrate the paradox that a body of water which is dominated by a huge industrial complex is actually quite clean, and can sustain many varieties of fish.
Petrol Pump
This lovely relic can be seen in Clare in Suffolk.
Chris Pink’s trike
Chris Pink’s trike
Abandoned Pompiers wagon
This painting is taken from a photograph rather than directly from life. It is on the banks of the Loire. In the original, the foreground was roadway, but I have painted dogwood from my garden as it reflected the colours of the vehicle.
Suffolk burned out combine
Seen in Suffolk abandoned in a field, this dinosaur struck a chord…immobile expensive kit.
Mr Horn’s meat wagon
This wagon stands in the grass entrance to Mr Horn’s farm, and still contains the meat hooks which were used to transport carcases on the railway.
Nick Gamblin’s combine harvester
This is in an elephants’ graveyard of abandoned farm machinery of all types. I really relished the way in which nature was taking over.
Greta Berlin’s other caravan
This is another image from Greta Berlin’s garden..what a lovely relic.
Greta Berlin’s caravan
Greta Berlin is a well known sculptor, living in a secluded wood in Dorset. This caravan is in the rising grounds of her property, and was brought here by her daughter and abandoned some years ago, so nature is reclaiming it.
Bronwen Varncombe’s greenhouse
The somewhat dilapidated state of the greenhouse/extension to the chicken house was irresistible.
Norman Staines’ bicycle
This bicycle has sat in Norman and Anthea’s hedge for many years. In the Summer it disappears, so this was painted in the Spring when it was still visible.
Mr Taylor’s Robin Reliant
This car has been in the same spot for ten years. I was concerned that it would be tidied up, so felt impelled to record its resting place before this happened.
Tambo
The word tambo in Ecuador means resting place. This bus was by the roadside in the country around Cuenca.
Tinnisbourne 2013
This painting is a commission which celebrates the cherry blossom which comes in April for a short but glorious period.
Tinnisbourne 2
This painting is one of a set of four commissioned works which were carried out in a garden in Hampshire.
Tinnisbourne 1
This painting is one of a set of four commissioned works which were carried out in a garden in Hampshire.
Headstone in Trumpington
I have always liked graveyards, headstones, ancient carving, locations, lichens and so on. This is a stone found in Trumpington Churchyard, Cambridge.
Hazelholt
Hazelholt Park had this elaborate but decaying back gate. This has now been removed when the adjacent lodge cottage was renovated. The reason for choosing this subject in the first instance was because of a painting by Leonora Carrington.
View towards the Moors
The Moors is a site of special scientific interest and this painting celebrates its unique position on the edge of the village, and also the time when all the gardens near my house were open, no dividing fences.
Blue Flowers
This commissioned piece reflects the diverse blueness of the plants shown.