News and snaps from my studio. Sometimes I write about new pieces that I’m working on that are not released yet. If I think of a tip or piece of advice that will help you look after your painting I’ll often share it here. If there’s something specific you want to find, there is a search box down below.
Here are some of the photos from our lovely Highland Cow painting workshop at the weekend. The gallery is a wonderful space in which to relax and paint, with plenty of artistic inspiration all around! Everybody did terrifically well and got on like a house on fire too!
Learning to Paint a Rainbow Highland Cow!
Today is my painting workshop at the gallery Creative Melbourne, in Melbourne Derbyshire. I set up the space yesterday afternoon so that all of the easels and canvases etc are ready to go when we all arrive this morning. We shall be making very vivid Highland Cow paintings I am sure, as Im taking 26 different colour tubes of paint including some sparkly pearlised paints. It will be a small group of six, today painting up in the mezzanine gallery, which is a lovely space to work in, above the art gallery itself which fills two floors below.
Spare Cake
I have baked two cakes for the occasion. Partially because I’m never sure my cake will rise! So I did a ‘spare’ and they both rose beautifully so now we have two. ‘Spare cake’ is surely one of the happiest phrases in the English language.
A Big Hairy Beast
We will be basing our painting loosely on this big colourific chap above, although each piece will be as unique as the artist who paints it. We typically have at least two or three total beginners in my workshops, which is always exciting. I haven’t met any of the artists joining me today, so I will find out about experience levels once everyone arrives. Some attendees are coming from a little farther afield today, so I hope everyone has had a nice journey to get here. I will post photos from the day’s activities later on.
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This was a good day, with a full compliment of ‘ workshop repeat offenders’ :D and amazing results! It particularly tickled me that the vigorous brushwork was triggering peoples' personal exercise monitors into asking 'Are you working out?'
Adding the block colours and then the markings, one step at a time
Beginning with the simple shapes - building a framework
Barn Owls are some of my favourite birds to paint!
Paint with me and create your own owl at my next owl workshops. Beginners and improvers welcome. More info here
If no owl workshops are currently scheduled, I can offer small group workshops, just get in touch
I was so delighted to welcome three generations from a family to my Rainbow Cow painting course back in the Spring. Here are the beautiful cow canvases painted by the ladies who were daughter, mother and grandmother. None of them had picked up a paintbrush since school, and they all thoroughly enjoyed finding their creative talents once again. Painting is so therapeutic, and it’s available to everybody, you don’t need masses of equipment to start, and like any skill, the more you do it-the more skilful you become. It’s really quite addictive too!
There were thirteen participants in my painting workshop last weekend at Bosworth Festival Big Sunday and here they are with their moonlight hare paintings. It was a new experience for us all, teaching and painting in a massive posh tent! But what a lovely day it was. I had to concentrate on making myself heard as the brass band played right outside. There were carefree dogs and children cantering about and the biggest cake anyone had ever seen ( my fault- I made it). Everyone produced a unique and beautiful painting. This was a group with abilities that ranged from professional artists to those who were picking up a paintbrush for the first time!
I was given plenty of help by the Festival volunteers and Tim and Lorraine from the White Dove Gallery. The Bosworth Festival was a great success again this year and a pleasure to be a part of.
My first art workshop at St Helens in Ashby yesterday. This was a fun and high spirited group, what a lovely day we all had!
I held my first Swadlincote art course on the 17th October , at Sharpes Pottery Museum. There were 5 people booked on the day and everyone turned up on time :) We began by grabbing coffee and settled in for a fun morning’s painting. I took them through all the stages that I do when Im painting a stag. Of course this was a speeded -up version of my real life practice. We had the added advantage of using acrylics so that we could progress quickly through all of the stages and finish the paintings in one day.
Georgina creating a stag full of character, in her favourite colours, orange features highly in this piece
After lunch we added the element of snow with glazing and different size and shape brushmarks.
The day went super quickly. It was alot of information to take in and Im sure the attendees all had an early night after the concentration of the day.
Fortified with cake and cups of tea, everyone succeeded in creating amazing original pieces of art and I was so pleased with them! I’ve had marvellous feedback from everybody - to find out how you can participate check this out
