La Toilette No 1 and No 2

I enjoyed using my oil crayons and watercolours to paint these expeimental works on black paper. I used white gouache to create a strong contrast and add strong design elements to the composition

Not Chosen for Exhibition... Ah well!

Poole Open 2014. I enjoyed the challenge but was rejected and now dejected! Anyway, I enjoyed painting it and it has pleasant associations for us so will be hung on our wall. I like the dog too!

Here's my entry

Charente Maritime Pastels

I was looking through my portfolio today and found these pastel studies of scenes in the Charente Maritime. 

I though they made a rather interesting set of work

The sunflowers were captured in the evening light. 

The third landscape is imaginary and was preparatory work for a larger painting.

Poole Open Competition ...Dog Studies

I have just entered the Poole Open 2014 Competition. I painted people enjoying themselves on the shore of Poole Bay. It was interesting to work on as it was quite a large canvas and I had to distort the perspective of the bay to get all the images in that I wanted to show...boys kicking water and splashing each other, people messing around with boats, Jen in her ladies team canoe racing boat, Jon windsurfing..

They are tiny 3.5" x 2.5" studies


I wanted a dog in the foreground with a stick or ball so I did some small studies... I really enjoyed them as a subject but it was a challenge to get them looking friendly and not evil, especially as they were showing teeth.

They are painted in acrylic on heavy watercolour paper.

Competition judging is on friday.



Heres a larger a3 pastel study of a dog I did a couple of years ago in my sketchpad when I was practising drawing fur. There is an owl's eye too that I found in my sketchpad which I did at the same time. Amazing feathers on an owl.