‍Some lovely results from the ‘Embroidered Moroccan Mosaics’ workshop that I taught on Monday @micklemsfarmcreativeworkshops

It’s so nice to see daffodils again - Bring on the Spring!

Floral reference images for a oil / acrylic painting workshop.

Fellow artist @Ednashart and I are teaming up to host regular Plein Air Meet Ups in and around Leamington Spa.

8” x 8” oil on board

Sometimes its really nice to forget about colour and just focus on tone and creating interesting brush marks…I really like it incomplete at stage 1 in the progress shots but couldn’t bring myself to stop there as I was enjoying it too much!

Reference images for pet portraits oil/acrylic painting workshop.

These orchids live on my kitchen windowsill. I went for harder edges this time as I wanted to see what I, and others, would prefer but i’m still undecided!

I love finding all the pastel colours in the petals of ‘white’ flowers. I backlit the flowers to make them glow and started with a panel coloured with a midtone grey/blue.

I did this painting whilst isolating with Coronavirus, its about as bonkers as I felt after 9 days in isolation but I LOVE IT !!

I can’t decide whether ‘Matcha’s’ expression is one of tolerance or pleasure but they certainly make a very cute pair!

Brodies owner was determined to get me a good shot to work from, it makes such a big difference to work from a clear, well lit photograph. He finally cracked it with this shot!

Sometimes there are one or two key brushstrokes in a painting that make it really unique…I feel they connect the viewer to me- the artist, as you can literally feel how they were created and imagine yourself with my brush in your hand..

This commission was from a mum to her daughter who was missing her pup whilst away at boarding school…what a special gift.

It’s rare that I work rectangular but Kate’s was such a beautiful pose that it suited her to be tall and slim! The parquet floor was a gift I loved drawing and painting all the diagonals…i’ve got a thing about herringbone…I enjoyed integrating the colours in her fur with those on the floor.

We got this shot during a photoshoot in Jephson Gardens back in the summer (hence the panting tongues!)…Bronte was determined not to look into the camera in any of the photos but this one where their profile is the same angle works perfectly for a double portrait.

It may be December but its a balmy 12 degrees here! This spot is a short walk from my house and the local sledging area when it snows. I cycled up and got to whizz down the muddy bank into the middle of my view at the end!

Plein Air painting is a constant conversation between the landscape and your brush.  To interpret what you see and translate it onto the page in a way that keeps the essence of the landscape whilst satisfying your style.  You’ve got to be prepared to ‘loose it’ to make it better though!

Dahlias, Lilies, Roses. In loving Memory of my father-in-law Malcolm.