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.
A really nice email to recieve!
I was very pleased to hear from Janine, one of my lovely artists from the Bosworth Festival, yesterday: Thanks Janine!
“I really enjoyed the workshop and was amazed at my painting. You made it all so simple to follow and everyone's paintings looked so different but fantastic. I enjoyed your cake too - although I couldn't eat it all! I tweaked my painting at home and thought you might like to see the final outcome.
Many thanks for a fabulous and inspiring afternoon.”
Its always great to hear that artists enjoyed their day and to see the beautiful finished piece is wonderful. Im sure you’ll agree, its gorgeous!
Big Colourful Canvas
Work in progress on the easel 76 x 102 cm
A new big colourful Canvas is nearing completion, I have some adjustments to make to his nose and horns, so this is the final editing and finishing stage. The colours are quite a bit more rich and dark than you can see here, particularly in the top right corner. The painting is so shiny and will be so for several days as it takes time to dry. This piece is 76 x 102 cm and will be for sale on my ‘originals’ page, ready to ship once dry
A gentle English Longhorn in the studio - work in progress this week
I had to take her off the easel to photograph, as there is so much light hitting the shiny surface of the painting. I hope to have this lady finished by the end of the week, I ‘might’ take her to Patchings with me if she is ready in time.( Knowing me, I wont actually decide which paintings will come with me until the day before!)
I love painting Longhorns, there is a big beautiful herd of these at Calke Abbey just up the road and I must pay them a visit over the Summer . Im using some of my beautiful earth tones, and copper for this piece, mixed in with some purples, pinks and brights.
A rainbow Cow painting triptych
Today at the studio I hope to finish this colourful guy. One of the things that I do as part of my process, as well as creating the big shapes first, is that I work intuitively on the first layers. I don’t try and worry too much about the final result. This then gives me something to respond to in the following sessions. So I have added all the colours that I wanted to add and the wild and woolly hair. Today I will work back into the paintings and edit, tidying up some of the edges and leaving others, hopefully ending up with the final cow that I envision. Watch this space, I’ll post another photo of the final piece.
I enjoy painting on three panels, the finished effect is cool and contemporary and you get different looks depending on whether you leave a gap when you hang the paintings. I’m currently feeling very glad that I have rented this size of a studio, I remember during the pandemic, when I was painting at home and trying to create a big piece like this in the spare room - not easy!
Market Bosworth Festival - Painting Workshop
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.
A super-colourful cow in progress
As you know I am compelled to paint cows, and I have two currently in various stages, waiting for layers to dry. I have an English Longhorn cow on one canvas, and this Scottish Highland cow on the other. Both are very bright in rainbow colours, the way I love to paint. Both 76 x 102 cm canvases will be available when finished.
Kelso - Colourful cow!
Kelso 80 x 100 cm
A Big Colourful Cow Canvas in Orange, Blue and Purple - a Winning Combination!
I have been working hard to get my new pieces ready to take to the Creative Melbourne gallery this week, as part of the Derbyshire Open Arts Trail 2022 If this lady is dry in time we will be taking her along! Layers of textured deep purple-blue and fizzy orange make this piece a real eye-opener!
Some of my new Highland Cow paintings will be released for sale on my originals page as they become available, and you can sign up for my art collectors newsletter for early updates.
*Update! If you want to see a photo of Kelso in her new home, see this post.
Kelso canvas prints are now available to purchase here
On the easel today - painting in progress *This piece has been reserved*
A new Highland Cow oil painting, bursting with colour!
Who paints the Colourful Highland cows?
The Story Behind the Colourful Highland Cow Paintings
I painted my first Highland Cow in 2018, from a photo reference of a beautiful brown and very hairy Highland Cow with a quizzical expression. I used the stance, and the lighting from the photo, however I used my own colour palette. The idea was to use some of the rich and beautiful glowing colours present in the gorgeous Harris Tweed fabric, which always reminds me of the beauty of the Scottish scenery. I painted that piece in two sessions, and it all fell into place very quickly. I enjoyed it so much that I began to paint a whole series of these lovely cows. The colours and the expressive brush and finger marks do seem to suit the character of the Highland Cattle, and I enjoy creating the moody and stormy surroundings.
The most famous of my colourful Highland Cow paintings is that first one, simply titled ‘Highland Cow’. I entered the Wraptious artist competition that year, having put together a collection of five paintings , all of the animals, for my entry. I won the competition and was signed up as a licensed artist , and my Highland Cow began to be featured on a lot of their home and giftware that year. He is still a bestseller now and a familiar face in boutiques and shops both in the UK and abroad.
My original Highland Cow painting
Buy a large canvas print of the Highland Cow here:
Deer Painting on Canvas
I have been working on these two for a couple of months and they are just about finished, bar any tweak i do this week
Setting up for the Rainbow Cow Painting Workshop today
I’m lucky in that when I run a Sunday workshop at Sharpes Pottery Museum, I’m able to set the room up the evening before so that it’s not such a rush in the morning. The volunteers very kindly get all the tables and chairs out ready for me too -all much appreciated! Here is my room almost ready for today’s Rainbow Cow workshop. Today we have a group of people who booked the workshop privately on a date to suit them all. They are all beginners and that doesn’t matter at all! You can do the same, if you want me to organise a group event, maybe for a birthday party or a hen ‘do’ just get in touch and I can tailor a workshop day to your requirements.
Jet-setting Labradoodle Bailey arrives in the Netherlands!
In fact the original Bailey was already there- it was his portrait that had to cover the miles, hitching a ride with some good friends , arriving safe and sound . Here he is on the wall with the beautiful muse in attendance! Thank you , Emma for sharing this fab photo!.
Buying an original piece of art - 10 reasons why you should.
Detail from ‘Bluebell Season’ 2022 Sue Gardner
1) When you buy an original painting or sculpture, whether directly from the artist or through an art gallery, you are helping to support the arts and perpetuate original art-making, which makes the world a better, more enjoyable place.
2) Original art carries all of the texture and original mark-making from the artist’s hand and has a much more tactile quality than a reproduction print. There may be lumps, bumps, scratches and heavy brush marks and even finger marks all adding to the uniqueness of the artwork.
3) There is a cachet to owning the one-off original, there is only one available, and it’s yours.
4 ) An original painting will usually carry the signature in paint on the front of the work, and a certificate of authenticity so you have all the official provenance, in case you decide eventually to sell the piece of art.
5) An original piece will accrue in value over time, so that when you are buying an artwork, you are making an investment, rather than just filling a space on your wall as you might with a print.
6) Original pieces of art are collectable. When you purchase from an artist, you become a collector of their work. If you really love the paintings by the artist and follow them, it’s exciting to see new pieces come onto the market.
7) Original art seems to bring enlivening energy to a home, perhaps its the excitement of owning a one-off piece by an artist that you love, or maybe the piece carries with it some of the heart and spirit that caused the artist to create it. Either way, its always a positive addition to your living space.
8) A painting is a truly elegant way of bringing your own taste and style to a room, when you choose a painting that resonates with you, it’s a bit like playing your favourite music, your guests will immediately see what you are all about.
9) Originals are a talking point and a focal point. The clarity of colour and variety of texture grabs the eye and can be a great conversation starter
. 10) The sheer joy of owning an original that you love will make you smile every day as you look at it.
The Beauty of a Cow in a Field
vibrant colours
Take a minute to get lost in this captivating painting of a cow basking in a sunny field. Painted in vibrant colours, explore nature's peace through this original artwork.
I am currently open for painting commissions and can work with you to create your own ideal Highland Cow painting with glazed colours tailor-made to your home. Lead time is approximately 4 weeks,
close-up details
My big lifesize cow painting
I wanted to put an everyday object next to her for scale :D
This is Rosslyn and she is huge! 120 x 150 cm and is sold.
Check out my ‘Originals’ page for newly available paintings, or ask about commissioning your own huge cow painting!
A new colourful woodland painting
A new woodland oil painting. This colourful canvas is part of my new series ‘ Coming Back to Life’, this new oil painting is the third in the series.
New Kingfisher oil painting on the easel
Flash of Gold 61 x 91 cm original Kingfisher oil painting on canvas
New Kingfisher oil painting
My latest Kingfisher painting is finally ready, incorporating many layers of beautiful translucent oil paint in glowing colours, to create this atmospheric piece. This painting in 61 x 91 cm and ready to hang.
Forest Landscape Art
A new expressive painting featuring one of the many lovely views here in the English National Forest project . This is a scene from last May, with bluebells and sunshine along the way.
