Are you getting that Spring feeling?

Do you get that pleasant feeling when the calendar flips over to the first of March? It's starting to get lighter and brighter every day and the creative wellspring is rising. I'm itching to get outdoors and paint again.
It feels like I'm ready to burst with ideas and places to paint this year. Winter has a habit of doing that to a creative soul, which is one of the positives of being cabin bound for a good few months.

I hope you get some of that Spring feeling today!

Steve PP.

"Lundy Lovers" watercolour 12 x 9 Arches paper £145 framed available from 

Steven Pleydell-Pearce Fine Art

"Peaceful Spring Morning"- plein air watercolour painting on the coast.

"Peaceful Spring Morning" Barricane Beach, Woolacombe, Devon. Watercolour on rough paper 12 x 9 inches.

Getting up and out early , more often than not has it's rewards, beautiful light, peace and quiet and an empty beach. This lucky fisherman got all of those this morning, he truly looked at peace with his lot as he went about setting his bait and casting out, then patiently sitting and waiting for a bite.
Spring truly has sprung! You can see the final painting on my Fine Art website here.

Enjoy your Spring day!

Tunnels Beaches

© Steve PP

How is it that you can live somewhere for years and not have visited somewhere on your doorstep that just blows you away? That happened to me this week when I visited Tunnels Beaches in Ilfracombe. Like an Aladdin's cave that opens out onto secluded pleasures is the feeling you get there. It's steeped in history too! Take a trip and enjoy, it will make your day!

Oil on canvas 100cm x 50cm

Have a great day!

The Western Front / Searching for light- why outdoor painting can be so challenging.

"The Western Front "

14 x 10 inches oil on board £150

"Searching for light"

9 x 6 inches oil on board £100

When you hear other artists saying that you need to be able to observe and paint quickly, when painting on location, they are absolutely right. I started on the 14 x 10 painting in the morning, under well lit bright , sunny conditions, but with a large weather front out West in the Atlantic.

By the time I had started my next painting, the cloud had completely covered the location, and dampened down the light so far, it was hard to pick any highlights out of the flat, greyness. The dunes held onto some brightness with the dry pale sand and the burnt reds of the ferns warmed up and otherwise uninspiring scene. So speed is of the essence, but only if you observe accurately, haste shouldn't replace good colour and well placed paint, but economy of detail certainly helps the quicker process, helping you capture the moment.

Happy painting!

" Cross that Bridge " Painting instinctively.

9 x 6 inches Oil on Board £100

" Sometimes ,it's really enjoyable to paint with half closed eyes, just to get a spontaneous feel for colour and shapes. I love how it knocks all the detail out of a scene, which in turn frees you up to paint simpler shapes and concentrate on the colour and tonal value more. This scene was painted at the Lyn valley in North Devon, a beautiful spot!"

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."

Downend to Baggy

24 x 12 inches oil on canvas £230 sold.

Easel set up high in the dunes at Croyde Bay looking out across the beach to Baggy Point, as the surf goes into it's infamous low-tide set up.

Before the Stampede

10' x 6" Acrylic on Canvas £50

As the August Bank Holiday swings into full steam, the beach gives an early morning stretch of it's sandy expanse, before it plays host to it's many admirers

Watery Point

My first watercolour and gouache, in a new moleskine watercolour sketchbook.........took me approx 30 mins , sitting in my car after checking the surf and walking the dog.

I like the immediacy of the quick drying paint, great for quick studies and sketches.

The inspiration came from Nathan Fowkes' fantastic work over on his blog LAND SKETCH,pop over and have a look , amazing and very inspiring!