"Across the Bay" -Win a framed print of this painting today!

If you walk to the end of the Esplanade, you will find a secluded little garden with a stream running through it, giant fan plants , a couple of wooden benches and a perfect spot to get out of the wind. If you  look back across Woolacombe Bay, you can see Baggy Point and Hartland Point, projecting out to sea like grand old men.

I often take a painting kit out there and sit and sketch the view. this one is titled, " Across the Bay" it's 9 x 6 inches . Subscribe to my blog and get entered into a draw to win a free framed print of it. I'll draw the lucky winner out on Friday.

Have a great day!

"Majestic May" oil painting outdoors in Devon

"Majestic May" today's little oil study for your viewing pleasure, was painted on a still May morning with not a soul on the beach,the light on Morte Point truly was majestic!

9 x 6 inches £60

"Morning Beachgoers" plein air oil sketch

" Morning Beachgoers" oil on panel 9 x 6 inches. Sold.
Painted early on a July morning the beach was under threat from an encroaching sea fog, luckily the sun burnt through and the day was a beauty, with a warm wind blowing across the sand.

"Summer in the Bay" - plein air oil painting in Devon.

Today, I'd like to start making some room in my studio for the new paintings that I am working on, so I would like to offer you a chance to purchase some of my outdoor oil field studies/sketches.
Today's little gem is called "Summer in the Bay" and was painted out on Marine Drive, at Woolacombe Bay in North Devon. It measures in at 9 x 6 inches , oil paint on a wood panel, all ready to hang, cost £60 plus £5 postage. If you are interested you can click on the "Buy Now!" button below, thank you and have a great day!
SOLD

" Lazy Afternoon " - almost painting out in the sunshine

9 x 6 inches oil on canvas panel. £400

"I was so enthusiastic about getting to the beach today to paint in this beautiful warm sunshine, that only after I had scouted out my spot , set everything up, squeezed out my paint, ordered a tea , worked out where to start, did I realise that I left my white paint at the studio! - Doh!! So, this little study was done from memory back in the studio. Funnily enough, before heading out, I was reading Kevin MacPherson's excellent book " Inside and Out " and he mentioned trying out an exercise where you studied a scene outdoors without a sketchbook or camera, then went back to your studio and painted it from memory. I thought that was an excellent idea, and one that I would do one day, i didn't quite expect to be practicing it half an hour later. Kevin was right though, it's amazing how much you remember, try it out sometime?"

The Hidden Valley - painting plein air out in the wooded valleys of Devon.

9 x 6 inches oil on panel. Click to bid.

" This location was a revelation to me, for years I have surfed and walked along this stretch of coast, and had always meant to go inland a few miles to see the wooded valleys where the rivers start and run there way down to the sea. After a good breakfast, the coast proved to windy and wet to paint at, so I ventured down to this valley with some artist chums, and lo and behold, the light was clear and the river was running strong after a few days of heavy rains.

Such a different discipline for me to paint lots of trees and running water after my coastal themes, but a good challenge and one that I will return to gain and again. For this painting , I pre-mixed pretty much all of the colours first, so that I could spend more intense study and painting time , without stopping and breaking concentration to mix colour.

Just as I was nearing the end of this painting a couple of hikers came and sat right in the perfect spot for their lunch, providing me with a lovely spot of red, to counter balance all of the green."

"Quiet Cove"

9 x 6 inches oil on panel £100

" September brings empty beaches and quiet coves. These two young shell seekers were blissfully searching the sand for their pieces of tide-strewn treasure."

" Late Summer "

9 x 6 inches oil on panel £100

" Last of the summer flowers, giving there warmth to the end of Summer, quieter beaches and a calmness to all things."

" Down the Valley "

9x 6 oil on panel £100

I painted this from the patio of " Greenacres" bed and breakfast here in Woolacombe , it has a stunning view down the valley, and on this morning it was especially pleasing. i started with an underpainting of mid-purple and then built up to the lights from the darks. It had a really tranquil feeling to it , especially as out of shot to the right, queues of beachgoers in their cars snaked down the hillside road to fill the beach carpark. One of this Summer's beautiful warm days.

Sun between the showers.

9 x 6 inches oil on board £100

SOLD

Paul Kenton, Shaun Latham and I went down to Combesgate Beach for a lovely little surf, then spent the rest of the afternoon setting up the easels and painting.

This piece was the result of that pleasant afternoon. The sun came and went and the ominous Summer clouds returned en masse.

The light was excellent though, and I really enjoyed capturing the  moments of sunlight on the ocean and headland inbetween the clouds and showers.

High Summer

9 x 6 oil on board £100
Sold

Painted from the flower gardens at The Watersmeet Hotel, Woolacombe. This was such a blustery day that I had to tie my back pack to the easel to stop it taking off. Well worth it for the intensity of light and colour in the ocean as it was whipped up in a very unseaonable Summer squall.

Mid-Tide Monday Lundy

9 x 6 inches , oil on panel £100.

Painted from the lawns of The Watersmeet Hotel, in Woolacombe. It was a perfect warm, Monday afternoon, the tide was dropping out and the reflections on the wet sand just shone. Pure Summer!