Painting of Bluebells this week, Spring is on it's way!
Bluebell woods painting 50 x 80 cm
Some new atmospheric paintings of bluebell woods and colourful woodland landscapes are in progress. These are the first in a new woodland series of original paintings.
Magazine Feature and 'Cover Girl Cow'
I’m delighted that Artist and Illustrators Magazine has chosen one of my Highland Cows to star on the cover of their March edition! And there is a double page spread inside too.
I’m looking for little shafts of sunlight at this time of year, just like we all are, and for me this does the trick!
The proud ‘Cover Girl Cow’ is Loch Venachar, a painting that I donated to a fundraising auction for the Ripple Retreat last year and which raised £1100 to help such a worthy cause/
New online painting courses.
Every now and again someone gets in touch and asks whether I do an online course, so that they can try one of my workshops at home. Of course Id be delighted to have the oppoprtunity to teach students all over the world. I have taken a while to get organised with everything I need, but I am now in the middle of creating my first online workshop. Let me know if youd like to get the information emailed to you when the class is available
Paint your own Rainbow Sheep!
On March 4th I’m holding a one-day painting workshop in which you can paint along with me, step by step and take home your own original sheep canvas at the end of the day.
The venue is the lovely Sharpe’s Pottery Museum, downstairs in the glazing room. This cosy historic building makes the perfect backdrop for a day of fun, relaxing and learning.
We will have a buffet lunch provided by the onsite caterers, and as always, plenty of coffee and tea and slices of homemade cake are provided.
Beginners and more experienced artists are very welcome, we usually have two or three participants who have never painted before, together with some who have, and are keen to do more. We have even had professional artists join in, for a relaxing day trying out a different medium. For more info and booking details click here
New Art Workshop Dates for 2023
Art Workshops Leicestershire
There is a complete diary of art workshops for 2023 now available to book. The first date is fully booked, however, there are spaces in all of the dates beginning in March with a colourful sheep workshop at Sharpes Museum in Swadlincote. I am running two more colourful Highland Cow courses due to popular requests. I’d like to keep to my usual small groups, so do book nice and early so that you don’t miss out on your chosen date/subject. This year the workshops are six hours long and lunch is included.
New Spring Colours!
New Forest Paintings for Sale
This is the first painting of the year, in a new colourful woodland paintings series.
I’m really craving some sunshine and beautiful Spring and Summer colours right now, so they’re appearing on my palette as if by magic
This particular painting is now available through
in Marlborough.
Highland Cow Colourful Canvas
Are you looking for a Highland Cow colourful canvas but not necessarily in the market for an original oil painting? Check out my online print store, where you will find lots of my cow prints
Are you looking for a Highland Cow colourful canvas but not necessarily in the market for an original oil painting? Check out my online print store, where you will find lots of my cow prints, like this one the bestselling Beinn Eighe.
Hunting for trees (and deer) at Calke Abbey
Deer Spotting!
Hunting for trees (and deer) at Calke Abbey
Attempting to beat the blues I took a day off this week and we went to explore Calke Abbey, a location that I haven’t been to for ages. It was a frosty, bright sunny day and the place was like a kind of paradise in that light. We found ancient trees and young deer including two stags. It was a lovely day full of nice memories.
Yesterday was back to normal but as Mark zoomed off to a photoshoot, it was so cold that the van re-froze a mile away from home. He stopped to de-ice the windscreen again, and the central locking activated while he was outside the van with the engine running. We had to wait five hours for the RAC to come out (the engine was still running when they arrived, fortunately). So I had a shorter-than-planned stint at the studio and painted these trees. It isn’t finished but I’m quite pleased with how it’s going.
A new Longhorn painting in progress
A new Longhorn Cattle painting
I have been working on this big longhorn cattle painting for quite some time, hes a big guy to work on, at 100 x 120 cm and hes starting to shape up now. Im going to apply some lights and darks for contrast on the next and penultimate stage. Once competed he will be available for sale on my website.
A new painting of a graceful fox out in a snowy landscape
A new painting of a graceful fox out in a snowy landscape
I’ve never really painted any snow before, so I wanted to try a snowy landscape for my fox painting. I enjoyed the first layer, blending colours on the canvas, rather than on the palette. I have just used burnt sienna, Caribbean turquoise, magenta and brown pink together with white. I’ll stick with this palette for the next layer, once this is dry
I’ve never really painted any snow before, so I wanted to try a snowy landscape for my fox painting. I enjoyed the first layer, blending colours on the canvas, rather than on the palette. I have just used burnt sienna, Caribbean turquoise, magenta and brown pink together with white. I’ll stick with this palette for the next layer, once this is dry.
Giant Highland Cow Paintings For Sale
Giant Highland Cow paintings for sale!
Dwarfing everyone else in the studio, its Cardross and Oban
Update* Cardross is now residing in beautiful Canada, and international shipping is available for these big girls. Im not saying its easy, but it’s available :) I offer overseas delivery at a subsidised rate so it’s worth checking out one of these big babies if you have a nice big wall.
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.
A Bespoke Canvas - Painting of Highland Cows
This project, a bespoke painting of highland cows, has been an absolute joy, inspired by another smaller painting that I made last year, with some differences and scaled up to a large size. This is painted on a custom-built canvas to a specific set of dimensions, sturdy and well-made, just like the Highland Cows!
Rainbow Cow Art Canvas
Highland cow oil painting
A new girl-in-progress this week. She is nearly finished and will be joining some friends on the website by the end of the week. This little lady is I think 100 x 120 cm so actually rather a gentle giant!
Painting workshops Leicestershire
Look at this wonderful forest of owls, created by students at my recent Owl painting workshop day at St Helens Heritage Centre in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire. Believe it or not, this was the first time that half of the group had picked up a paintbrush!
The venue at Ashby is a lovely one, a brand-new building with lovely facilities and french windows leading out to a beautiful garden. This unique building stands at a site of historical significance, as evidenced in the wall displays throughout detailing the links to Ashby’s heritage and honouring some of the historical people. This was the site of a medieval vicarage, although there are archaeological finds going back to the Stone Age
We always enjoy the painting days at St Helen’s, and I have organised some more for next year, including a two-day course on painting hares. Gift vouchers for the workshops are available to buy online for instant download. here
New Owl Painting
A Process Photograph of my Tawny Owl Painting
A small new Owl painting in progress, just a few adjustments to go. This piece is acrylics and 45 X 60 cm. I want to soften the top right foliage area and around the eyes without disturbing the colour scheme which I'm liking a lot.
Revisiting an owl theme
Astronomer - an Owl Painting with a Starry Sky Background
Today I revisited an owl that I have painted before , I wanted to use the same idea but really push the sky and the lighting effects more, to make this painting more like it was in my mind. I have a couple of alterations to make, and then we'll see if I managed to do what I set out to do this morning ☺️ Many artists won't paint the same scene twice, but I actually often do and I enjoy seeing which bits I can change or improve.
A new 'coo' this week
This big lady gave my arms a really good workout yesterday, needless to say I used a big brush. I have to use an easel with ratchets to help me lift these heavy canvases high enough to work on. There is nothing as thrilling as painting this size, with the added advantage that you get your steps in. She is 120 x 150 cm
Back in the studio again
It has been a diffucult week or two and I havent been able to work as much as I would have liked, but yesterday I was back at work finding my mojo as I always do when I paint. These two gentle souls are part of a commissioned painting Im working on this week. Who could be glum with these two around? So I decided to take this photo entitled ‘Three windswept beasts!’