Blog

Passed Cambridge Contemporary Art yesterday and there was Contemplation Bay in the window.

Contemplation Bay is an oil on canvas of 120 x 80 centimetres.

The new exhibition at Cambridge Contemporary Art starts today 1 June 2013.

I have seven new paintings available to purchase. Prices range from £350 - £1300.

Beside the Sea

01 Jun 2013 - 23 Jun 2013

As Cambridge is so far from the Coast, we've brought the Coast to you!

Denise Brown	Richard Goodwin-Jones	Gwili Pottery	Sarah Hillman
Jane Hollidge	Lorraine Izon	Natalie Aird	Moira Hazel
Rebecca Barnard	Alice Cescatti	Louise Collis	Ross Loveday
Shazia Mahmood	Katty McMurray	Lisa Paston	Barbara Peirson
Ted Toms	Jo Tunmer	Trevor Woods	Fiona Carver
Clare Halifax	Stephen Robson	Valerie Sims	Kevan Hopson
Michael Lythgoe

Contemplation Bay is one of two 100 x 80 cm canvasses that will be available to purchase at Cambridge Contemporary Art from 1 June 2013.

Contemplation Bay

Both the large canvasses were started at the end of 2012 and challenged me continually. Sometimes I have layered paint for an entire day only to remove it all at the end because it wasn't right.  This can be very frustrating but it is all part of the process of painting.  It can't be hurried.

The collection of coastal work for the exhibition is about what being by the sea means to me.  It makes me feel contentment, joy and wonder.

Coast Watch

At the end of May I will be delivering new oil paintings to Cambridge Contemporary Art for the opening of the Besides The Sea exhibition.  So if you are in Cambridge from 1 until 23 June 2013 pop in and immerse yourself in my new work.  The inspiration for the collection has been Northumberland, Devon and Norfolk.

I am often asked how long an oil painting takes to complete.  To give you some idea the collection of nine paintings (7 wood panels and 2 large canvasses of 120 x 80 cm) were started in December 2012.  Two are yet to be finished.  I did take a few weeks off to complete my Sahara trek and indulge in a 4 day cheap break to Paris in April, but other than that it has been endless layering of oil paint for months. Enjoy.

A recent commission for prints based on Cambridge scenes has resulted in a new body of work entitled Cambridge Walkabout.  This is still work in progress but I hope to have the new collection ready to be seen at Cambridge Open Studios in July.

The mixed media collection is a new departure for me. I would love to have feedback on the new work so please let me know what you think.

The Annual Cambridge Drawing Society Exhibition starts today at The Guildhall, Cambridge.

I have two original hand painted solar plate prints on display.  One of them, Summer Punts, is from a new body of prints, entitled 'Walks Around Cambridge' that I am currently working on.

The exhibition is open from 13 - 20 April from 10 am until 5.30 pm.

I spent last week sketching in the Sahara Desert.  The challenge was to trek 100K in five days raising funds for my chosen charities - The British Heart Foundation and The Joe Herrington Memorial Fund.  My sister-in-law also kindly donated to the American Heart Association in my name. We actually walked 112K in sometimes 39 degree heat.  I will be writing a fuller account, with photographs on my trek page.

Funds raised:

BHF -    £7,405

JHMF - £2,245

AHA -   $100

Along the way I sketched as much as I could.  It was a challenging environment to work in and I could only sketch when we stopped for a break or back in the camp. Here are a few of the sketches.

I have several work deadlines during the next twelve months but I will be working on a body of work from the trip alongside other commission and exhibition commitments. I will be participating in Cambridge Open Studios this year so if you would like to see the sketchbook, and work in progress visit me in my studio then.

This is the last week of the exhibition at Over Gallery, 25 High St, Over, Cambridge.

You will still be able to see a small selection of work after the end of this week along with my greeting cards.

It is a lovely gallery space run by Helen Taylor. For opening hours please email Helen at yes.helen@gmail.com

Oils

I am now venturing back into the studio as the snow has cleared and it is a little warmer. Work will begin for exhibitions at Cambridge Contemporary Art. The theme is Besides The Sea.  Having just returned from a weekend away with friends on the Norfolk coast I have some inspirations to start with.

Prints

I also have a commission that has just come in for a series of Cambridge City solar plate prints.  So I'll be out and about with my camera during the next few weeks.

Over Gallery

My work is still on display (apart from the ones that have sold) at Over Gallery.  For more information please call Helen Taylor on 01954 230997.

Last night I visited our lovely elderly neighbour who had been admitted to Addenbrooke's Hospital.  We took the stairs as it was just one flight up.  And there they were.  Content, Ebullience and Expect.   I really love the fact the large, oil on wood paintings are tucked away so people are surprised when they come across them.