Beginning a big stag painting

This is a video I took in the studio for an Instagram reel ( follow me here ) i began this piece with an acrylic underpainting as I wanted a dark background and this helps me add depth. This is the first layer of oils going on, once dry Ill spend a few more hours on the next layer.

Set of three hare prints - now available

Set of three 28 x 40 “ canvas prints

Three hares sitting in a wonderful magical night garden filled with sweet-smelling wildflowers. There is so much detail in these pieces, the more your eye wanders, the more you see! These elegant canvas prints can be hung singly or as a set. Buy a set of three in any size and receive a 10% discount.

Painting session - Woodland Stag

This week I have changed the way that I work slightly to accommodate a couple of restrictions, and it has turned out to be in my favour. I spent yesterday painting this gentleman. I have used the same reference photo in a previous painting several years ago, and it was interesting for me, to return and see the differences in my own approach.

Hare paintings For Sale

This piece is 50 x 50 cm and is now sold. Please contact me if you would like to commission your own hare painting on canvas. Hares are one of my favourite animals, perfect as a painting subject with their shabby-elegant looks and beautiful faces.

I like to create atmospheric textures and this piece is a good example of this. The background is made up of four or five layers and dry brushwork in several colours to give this wild and blustery effect.

Kingfisher Oil Paintings

A new Kingfisher piece in situ

This small piece is newly available on my website. The jewel shades of green and blue lend a touch of relaxation and nature to a study space (above)

This painting is now sold however I love Kingfishers and often paint them, they’re such beautiful little birds. Take a look at my available paintings here

Just give me bigger canvases

This is the story of how I came to paint such big pictures.

I came back to art later in life and I soon found that I was so excited about painting that I used to begin at 5 am, and paint for an hour or two before heading to work with my dogs.

About that same time I also began to have blurry vision, the first sign of the disorder that I live with now, although I didnt know it at the time. To cut a very long story short, I was referred to the eye hospital who quickly decided that I may have Sarcoidosis , a rare auto -immune condition, hard to diagnose. I have been having specialist treatment ever since.

As my eye symptoms became worse at work, I was forced to give up my role as a dog groomer. One good thing was that I had time to do more painting. I began to hope that one day I would become a professional artist.

One of my earlier paintings, a pet commission from a couple of years ago

As my skills improved I offered dog, cat and horse portraits . But there were set backs with my health andI remember that I would lie in bed with a pad of paper and pastels and just try to carry on painting. Art was something to dream about during these rather unhappy days.

As my condition began to stabilise I began to create larger pieces, less detailed , featuring wildlife alongside the pets. Small details might evade me but I found that I could learn to paint in an impressionist style, using elements from my imagination, instead of following photographic references closely.

During the first big lockdown of the pandemic, lots of things happened that enabled me to make the decision to became a full time professional artist. At the same time I lost central vision in my left eye, and as a result I made the decision to create large scale canvases exclusively! I got the opportunity to move to a big studio with plenty of room and light. I found a great art courier and packaging company to assist me in the logistics side of transporting big pieces.

The thought that I might have limited time, with useful sight drives me on to make the most of the time that I have. I dont want to leave any painting left unfinished! To misquote one of my heroes, Robert Plant ‘Just give me bigger canvases!’

Surrounded by animals in my studio

Wildlife Art Exhibition

This has been my first solo exhibition of work, taking place at The Green Man Gallery in Buxton. The Green Man is a collaborative venture operated by a group of local artists in residence. As such, the gallery is full of varied and very interesting work. I found the organisation to be faultless, leading to a really fun and enjoyable experience for my first show. Here are a few photos I took on the first day.