Hestercombe exhibition

Well, my exhibition is up and has been running for a week now. I have had lots of very positive and encouraging feedback. I was demonstrating last Sunday from 11am until after lunch.   Lots of people came to peek over my shoulder and make kind comments.

I will be there again this Saturday and Sunday (as long as it is not tipping it down), so if you are in the area please do come in and have a chat. I have some cards and mounted photo-prints for sale while I am there. (Free entry to the restaurant, shop and gallery area).

'Inscrutable' For Sale at Hestercombe

Give a dog a home!

I found this on Sue Clinker's blog and thought it deserved to be shown again, so thank you Sue. It will bring a lump to your throat and may even make you shed a tear. I make no apologies. These chaps need all the help they can get.

Sunlit Hare

This is the last one for my exhibition, which will be at Hestercombe Gardens, Taunton for three weeks from June 18th. 

This is a bit of a departure from my usual detailed work, but I like the colours and looser style....I might persue it a bit more in the future.

Leopard - 'Concentration'

I started this one a very long time ago and always meant to get around to finishing it. My upcoming exhibition got me motivated and here it is.

Measures around 14" x 16" using pastels -Derwent and Faber Castell Pitt pencils and some softer sticks for the background. Support is maize coloured Clairfontein Pastelmatt.

'Heavyweight' on Derwent's watercolour pad

I am really chuffed to see my Rhino painting 'Heavyweight' used on the new Derwent range of watercolour papers. It was done using their new (well, relatively new) range of water-soluble pencils. I am really pleased with how it looks.

The first Swallow

I saw the first swallows arriving in Somerset last week while out walking Tilly in the fields. It was a fine afternoon, briefly between showers. A small group of  4 or 5 were skimming across the fields taking advantage of the sunshine and picking up the odd insect to get their strength up for bringing a new brood into the world. It is difficult to believe that they had just completed a huge marathon all the way from South Africa.

Boxer Blaze

This is my latest commission. Her name is Blaze and sadly recently passed over the Rainbow Bridge. Luckily I had a great photo to work from which made my life so much easier, and her owner happy that I could do a good portrait for her.

Please people, if you have a beloved pet, take loads of really good photos while they are in good health, you may not want a painting now but you never know how you will feel when they go.  I have had to turn down a number of commissions because of really terrible photos and it is too late to do anything about it. The disappointment is sad to see.

Measures A4 and is done on maize Pastelmat using coloured pencils and solvent.