Lyme Regis coastline

Some paintings just come naturally, effortlessly, as if the hand had a life of its own. Well, this is NOT one of those! I really struggled with this one and kept retouching it days after days but I've decided it's finished now, although I can't tell if it's any good as I probably need to take more distance to it now...

Lyme Regis coastline    oil on board, 12"x10

It's based on some sketches and photographs taken at the same time as the picture for my other Lyme Regis painting posted a few days ago. Here is below the main photograph I used although I changed the whole colour balance of the scene:

Summer evening at the Lansdown golfcourse, Bath

Here is a quick study I just finished based on some sketches and photographs I took last summer as I was accompanying my boyfriend during his golf practice. He probably was a bit annoyed I would rather sketch and photograph the landscape than check out his great swing!

Summer evening at the Lansdown golfcourse, Bath   oil on board 10"x8"  

Landscape in the Mendips

I just finished a painting of a view in the Mendips. I had great fun with the treatment of the sky and the fields in the distance. I used big brushes and a small canvas in order to keep it spontaneous and exciting.

Landscape in the Mendips    oil on board, 10"x12"

It all came from a quick snapshot I took from the passenger seat window of the car as we were driving through the countryside in the Mendips last Autumn.  This beautiful scenery took me by surprise and I'm grateful my mobile phone's camera managed to take a decent picture although the car was moving rather fast (see below). This was a great starting point for a painting and kept me busy in the studio during those last rainy days.

Seascape

I've been working yesterday on a seascape from a photograph I took last year during a week-end in Lyme Regis. I wish I had done it on the spot but you can't always have your material on you.
Here is below the finished painting:

Boats entering the port, Lyme Regis    10"x14"

And below is the original photograph I worked from. As you can see, I've changed a few things. I took some liberty with the clouds and water reflections and I also decided to remove the left part of the port and amend the position and numbers of the boats to make the composition work better (I think?).

A painting for Christmas

Just a quick post about a painting I recently got commissioned for. A very nice chap contacted me a few weeks ago to do a painting of his lovely house in Essex so he could give it as a present to his fiancee in time for Christmas. I was very excited by the project and managed to finish it on time (just! - my last brush strokes were done at 2am before the delivery day!), and although it has been done from photographs, I hope I have managed to convey the feel of the place. I'm happy with it and the owners are happy too so it was a great way to finish the year on a high!

My little studio...

I haven't had much time to do more paintings lately (too busy eating turkey, unwrapping presents, watching "The sound of Music" or finishing the Quality Street chocolate box) so I though I'll do a quick post about my studio in my home in Bath.

Here is below my small but very much loved painting studio. 

I tend to fill every inch of the wall with paintings or references I printed for inspiration.

Below is what I call "my organised mess". On the wall, amongst Renoir, Klimt, Seago and Degas's masterpieces the everlasting romantic in me couldn't resist sticking a picture of Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh's legendary kiss!

Below is a close up of my painting palette. For colour harmony purposes I use quite a restricted range of colours which includes mainly Naples Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Burnt & Raw Umber, Burnt & Raw Sienna, Cadmium red, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue and Titanium White.

When I paint, I love to get a bit messy and get my fingers full of paint so I wear this smock shown below to protect my clothes and also use it to wipe my brushes. It does look a bit cliché but does the job!

Snow snow snow!

What a nice surprise to wake up on Saturday morning with my garden covered in snow. I spent all day thinking of going out to make a painting but got to the end of the day and realised I was about to miss my chance. I decided at the last minute to catch the last moments of the amazing sunset and did a quick 20 minutes study from my living room window (not crazy enough to go outside in the freezing cold). Here is the result:

My garden in the snow

Still in the snow topic, here is below an other winter landscape study I did a few weeks ago, this time from a photograph. A bit like the white flowers, I find the snow a very satisfactory subject to paint since it changes colours depending of the light. I'm hoping I will be able to do more snow scenes over the Christmas break...

Winter scene

Copying the Masters

Over the last few years, I've found quite helpful trying to reproduce my favourite masterpieces from Masters such as Seago, Degas or Turner. It helps me to get more familiar with their techniques and color palette. I can never make it anywhere near as good as the originals but still wish I came up with the concept and composition myself!
Here are below a few of my attempts to copy the Masters...

 Reproduction of Calm Morning, Pin Mill (Edward Seago)

Reproduction of Endeavour at St. Benet's Abbey (Edward Seago) 

Reproduction in pastels of a detail of
The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons
(J.M.W.Turner)

Reproduction in pastels of Yacht approaching the Coast
(J.M.W.Turner)

The beautiful city of Bath

I'm very lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places in England (if not in the world!) which is Bath in Somerset. The graceful architecture, the honey-coloured stone of the buildings, the beautiful River Avon and the stunning hills and panoramic views make this city a perfect and inspiring place to paint. Obviously I'm not the first one to notice it since Bath has an history of great painters such as Walter Sickert, JMW Turner, and more recently the truly talented Peter Brown or Adebanji Alade.

I have been painting views and cityscapes of Bath for a few years now and still feel there is so much more to explore! 

Here is a selection of some of my latest Bath paintings...

Morning light, Union Street, Bath

Misty morning on Pulteney Bridge, Bath

The Avon, Bath, on a hot summer day

The Royal Crescent, Bath, on a frosty winter day

London Road from Cleveland Place East, Bath

White Flowers

Lately I have been particularly inspired by flowers. And for some reasons, specially white flowers. Maybe because they reflect the light so well and end up shining with plenty of colours. When I paint, I try to create the main work in a few hours maximum to keep the spontaneity and freshness about it.

Small White Renoncules

White Roses

Renoncules in a green vase

Bunch of White Flowers

And this is me painting the "Bunch of White Flowers"
at the Bath Artists Studios with the Painting Group I joined in Bath.

First post!

Welcome to my blog! I will try here to share my love for painting, my influences, my inspirations and all the trials and errors that come with it. I hope this will be a chance to get in touch with other artists and exchange tips and advice. I will show here the progress of my studio work and also the result of plein air sessions. Comments welcome!