Staithes - between land, sea and sky

We have just had a lovely visit to the spectacular North Yorkshire coast, staying in the village of Staithes. We were invited by Stef and Ian Mitchell of Staithes Studios to stay for a few days as a 'mini residency' so I could gather inspiration for new paintings for the opening of their gallery on 21st June. The houses in the village are huddled together in two steep valleys running down to the harbour and out of the brisk cliff top winds it was warm and sunny.

Up on the cliffs the sky seemed huge as we walked along the Cleveland Way to Port Mulgrave and clambered down a very steep path to beach comb around a weather beaten shanty town of fishermens' huts.

The sea changed all the time and somehow managed to appear both steely solid and delicately luminous with shifting bands of deep navy blue, sage green, glaucous grey and even dark turquoise. When in the shade the cliffs could be menacingly black but when caught by the sun would light up revealing the complex geology of the area.

photos: Susan Laughton/Ian Turnock

A busy Private View at the RWA Drawn 2015

We decided to 'pop' down to Bristol last night for the Private View of Drawn 2015 and Drawing On: The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art at the Royal West of England Academy. The M6 is not the best place to be on a Friday afternoon but we were glad we made the effort! Great to see lots of people filling the gallery and so many different approaches to drawing both traditional and contemporary.

Chatting to Evie Williams from the Quercus Gallery in Bath, where I will be having a solo show in October.

Drawn 2015 at The Royal West of England Academy

setting out, 30x30cm, pencil, acrylic and plaster on board

I'm delighted that my drawing 'setting out' has been selected for Drawn 2015 at the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol. The exhibition will be opened this Friday evening by author and critic Mel Gooding and art collector Chris Ingram.
This year’s selection panel includes Anita Taylor, artist, Director of Jerwood Drawing Prize and Dean of Bath School of Art & Design; Kate McFarlane, Director of Drawing Room, London; Yvonne Crossley RWA, artist and founder of The Drawing Gallery, and artists Tim Harrisson RWA and Fiona Robinson RWA.

Flowers for Columbia Road

I originally made some wildflower and plant drawing/paintings about 5 or 6 years ago and have since done more as commissions. As I have work at the Columbia Road Gallery next to the Flower Market I thought it would be nice to make some to exhibit there. Here are some of the ones we delivered on Sunday.

reflecting..

There has been some beautiful golden low winter sunlight recently, resulting in these little 15x15cm experiments with a bottle of gold Lascaux gouache that has been lurking in my paint cupboard for years. It has a lovely thick and velvety quality but can't easily be overpainted as it isn't waterproof when dry like acrylic. Worth persevering with I think...?

in the studio today....

A quick pic of some little new paintings with the first layer of colours applied, ready for the drawing/etching in stage.

Paintings, pots and print at the Quercus Gallery

Some more pictures from the Galliversary Summer Show at the Quercus Gallery. Left: My painting 'Silvering Time' above beautiful porcelain pots by Elizabeth Barry.

Striking book cover collage by Lauri Hopkins, left with Projection I - III

Little framed paintings 'Silvernight' next to a serene still life by Georgina Allen.

'Evening stillness' between delicate prints by Sally James and Lynda Marwood and above a geometric landscape by Vanessa Gardiner.