Marine studies

I have been experimenting with my painting techniques in both watercolour and acrylics.

Having neglected watercolours for some time I have begun to put some time in and am getting back up to speed, at the same time trying to push the technique on a little bit, the first study is quite tightly controlled but the second, a study of St Malo marina after a passing storm, is slightly looser in definition. On the whole I think the experiment worked, I now need to loosen up a little more, a few more studies should do it!

The acrylic is similarly less defined and is on board rather than my customary canvas, this makes the brushwork much more obvious, paradoxically requiring more precision.

Fishing boats at Deal, watercolour

After the Storm, St Malo watercolour

The Marina St Malo, acrylic on board

October in Margate

My recent show in Margate gave me an opportunity to do a few doodles of the seafront in the evening light. I used watercolour pencils and wash for the three sketches and watercolour with body colour for the final one.

Evening sunset glow

Late afternoon on the harbour wall

After sunset

After sunset watercolour

Fiery Sunset

Aloft & Afloat

Below is a selection of the work currently on show at the Margate Gallery.
A taster for the exhibition which runs until November 17.

A mile from Glory

An August evening near Mont St. Michel

Fighter sweep 1945

Ed White walks in space 1965

Eastbourne pier

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Aloft & Afloat Exhibition, Margate

My only one-man show for this year opens at the Margate Gallery on Friday (25 October).

Aloft & Afloat reflects my passion for machines which fly or float and includes paintings of the earliest flying machines through to the Lunar Module on the Moon in 1971.

The marine section has an historical and contemporary flavour too, together with a number of coastal studies.

The show runs until 17 November 2013.

Sketches for D-Day Commemoration 2014

I am continuing my research for a series of works to be complete in time for next years
D-Day Anniversary. I am still experimenting with treatments and colour values to achieve the final mood and texture. A quick preliminary sketch appears below.

I have also included a watercolour study done in 2011 of a visit to "Dog Green" sector of Omaha.

This sector was depicted in the movie "Saving Private Ryan". Notably missing in the film was the 10 foot seawall and road. The high bluff behind the beach is much further away and quite a bit higher too.

The first wave in the shallows

"Dog Green" Sector Omaha Beach 2011

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

A mile from Glory

The latest work is a study centred on the race to be the first to fly the English Channel in a heavier the air flying machine.

The history books will tell you that Louis Bleriot was the first pilot to cross the channel in July 1909. He was not the only one to try, another Frenchman Hubert Latham made two attempts and ditched in the Channel on both occasions, the second only a mile from the English coast.

Hubert Latham ditches a mile from the English coast.