Marine Artwork

I have a few marine themed exhibitions this year and I need to generate a few pieces to ensure I can fill the space!

Below are my latest examples, a tranquil bit of the River Rance at Dinan in Brittany and a moody sunset with a schooner.

Moorings at Dinan Brittany

Homeward Bound

Plein Air Painting

An area of work I have neglected over many years is painting from life outdoors. It poses its own set of challenges over and above the relatively straightforward task of capturing a likeness of an object or scene. Have you brought the right kit for the job, if not can you improvise? Is that weather front coming our way and have you settled down on an ants nest without realising it?

To get the best out of the exercise I also set myself a time limit in order to focus on the important elements only and avoid delving into too much detail.

I intend to try and make this a regular exercise in order to speed up and sharpen my technique.

Below are the most recent sketches.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich

St Jacu de la Mer, Brittany

St Malo beach, Brittany

Intramuros and fort St Malo

Fort at St Malo

Port Solidor

I have begun to explore a softer slightly less finished style of landscape over a slightly textured and coloured underpainting. After a few experiments this is the first finished piece. I think the technique needs more experimentation, but on the whole I am quite pleased with the result of this one.

The location is the estuary of the river Rance in Brittany, to the left of the river mouth is the French resort of Dinard. To the right is Port Solidor and beyond the headland is the port and resort of St Malo.

Evening at Port Solidor, Brittany