Skokholm Island Wildlife Paintings I had the pleasure of being invited back to Skokholm Island Bird Observatory, off the coast of Pembrokeshire, this year (May 2023) to paint the latest ‘rare bird’ to turn up on the island. The Tennessee Warbler was, as the name suggests a long way from home, when it was seen on the Welsh island last… Read More »Skokholm Island Wildlife Paintings
Skokholm Island Bird Observatory Artwork As is the tradition on Skokholm Island, where I spent 7 wonderful days last week (May 2022), the finder of rare birds paints them for posterity on the toilet wall (These days, due to renovations and modernisation of the observatory buildings, the ‘toilet wall’ is a removable board that hangs on the original toilet wall,… Read More »Skokholm Bird Observatory Artwork
Oil paint can be expensive, and the last thing you want is to waste it because it dries out on your palette in between painting sessions. Your paint drying out is of course a pain, but the fact you know it will dry can stop you squeezing out enough paint onto your palette in the first place, which then leads… Read More »How To Stop Your Oil Paint Drying Out On Your Palette
How To Get All The Paint Out Of A Tube Of Paint Whether you paint with oils, acrylics or watercolours, having to leave that last bit of good paint in the tube because you simply can’t get it out, is annoying. Even if paint was cheap, which it isn’t, it always seems very wasteful to me to start a new… Read More »How To Get All The Paint Out Of A Tube Of Paint
Oil Painting Videos, Painting Outdoors In Wales Filmed on my painting adventures, short plein air pochade box painting videos – Visit my Youtube channel to subscribe and watch more videos. Filmed on a blustery west Wales late summer’s day, high up in Pembrokeshire’s Preseli Mountains, near Dinas, which is not far from Newport Pembs. I have a clever little bracket that… Read More »Oil Painting Videos, Painting Outdoors In Wales
How To Get A Dent Out Of A Painting Canvas No matter how careful you are you’re probably going to hit or knock your canvases at some point and get a dent in them. As much you push the dent back out from the underside it won’t work, that’s because the fine canvas threads have been stretched in that area.… Read More »How To Get A Dent Out Of A Painting Canvas
This exhibition at Stiwdio 3 Gallery was by a group of local artists who form the Cardigan Art Society, including myself – “The Albion Exhibition” was to help mark Cardigan town’s commemorations of it being 200 years since the emigrant ship Albion left Cardigan for Canada in 1819. The exhibition opening was on Monday, 15th April from 6pm, and which… Read More »Stiwdio 3 Art Exhibition | Cardigan
BERGHAUS Advertising Artwork Project I was recently commissioned by the outdoor clothing company Berghaus to produce some original artwork for their 2018/2019 #timetogetout advertising campaign. They needed four original oil paintings featuring mountainous landscapes, to be used across all types of advertising media. Here’s the campaign as described by Chris Tattersall, head of brand management at Berghaus: “A major new… Read More »BERGHAUS Advertising Artwork Project
How To Repair A Damaged Or Ripped Canvas Painting No matter how careful we are with our artwork, canvas paintings can get damaged. Some of the most famous paintings in the world have sustained damage over the years and have needed repairs made to the canvas. What at first can seem like a complete disaster, is in fact usually repairable,… Read More »How To Repair A Damaged Or Ripped Canvas Painting
6 Tips That Will Save You Money When You Frame Your Paintings One of the biggest costs when exhibiting your artwork is the cost of the framing. High quality professionally made frames, which are exactly what you want, don’t come cheap. There are however some simple things you can do to keep those costs down and make the most out… Read More »6 Tips That Will Save You Money When You Frame Your Paintings
How To Protect Your Carpet/Floor When You’re Painting When I moved into my home in 2008 I decided one of the bedrooms was going to be my art studio. I was having carpets fitted throughout the house, and I spent a while thinking about whether I should carpet my new studio or not, or just leave the bare floor boards… Read More »How To Protect Your Carpet/Floor When You’re Painting
Life Line The new art student walks into the college studio and is confronted with a naked person. Here is nude person standing in the middle of the room, staring out the window and surrounded by about a dozen easels, occupied by some familiar people who are drawing intently. “Draw what you see,” says the tutor intermittently, “not what you… Read More »The Importance of Life Drawing | Guest Post by Artist Bern Ross
How To Varnish A Painting Let me start by saying, there is no actual need to varnish a completed oil painting if you don’t want to. Oil paintings dry to a very robust finish, and I know many professional artists that sell all of their paintings un-varnished. However, varnishing a painting can make a considerable difference to it’s final appearance; enhancing its darks and lights, evening… Read More »How To Varnish A Painting
How To Paint With Acrylics, Starting Out | Guest Post by Artist Karen Berisford Looking to start out with acrylic paints and not sure what you need or where to start? This article offers advice to those looking to start out with Acrylics and also offers further help and advice for taking your paintings up a notch. Acrylic paints are… Read More »How To Paint With Acrylics, Starting Out | Guest Post by Artist Karen Berisford
Last night I had arranged to give my daughter’s best friend some tuition. She’s crazy-keen on art and had been given some acrylic paints but didn’t really know what to do with them. I work in oils and watercolours. I have some acrylics but they remain unused in a drawer at the moment. I hoped this wasn’t going to be… Read More »The Painting Glass Is ALWAYS Half Full | Guest Post by Artist Ian Holtedahl-Finlay
3 Youtube Painting Videos Every Artist Should Watch Over the last 10 years Youtube has become increasingly popular worldwide, and is now the second largest search engine, after Google. For artists, Youtube in an invaluable source of information and education about every aspect of painting, drawing, sculpture, and every other art form there is. I’m sure that as you’re reading… Read More »3 Youtube Painting Videos Every Artist Should Watch
Why Is Northern Light Best For Artists? In the northern hemisphere, northern light is said to be the best light in which to create art, and this is true, but why is that? Initially, we might think light is light, right?! …so how can one direction of light be so much better than another? Here are a few reasons: Northern… Read More »Why Is Northern Light Best For Artists?
How To Make Your Own Painting Video Instead of painting today, I spent the morning trying out some new software called Youtube Movie Maker. This is FREE software that anyone can download, and enables you to create/make/edit YouTube video from your own videos/movies, pictures/photos, audios/musics, texts, lyrics, subtitles, etc. Get the software here. Once you’ve made your video, you can upload it… Read More »How To Make Your Own Painting Video
Fox Painting, Step by Step Demo Inspired by a family of foxes I’ve been watching playing and feeding in the field behind my house here in Cilgerran, I created this fox painting. It’s quite a large painting at 30×20 inches, and painted on stretched canvas. I’ve included the different stages the fox painting went through here as photographs, so you… Read More »Fox Painting, Step by Step Demo
Outdoor Painting in Wales (Plein Air) There’s nothing quite like painting outdoors, immersed in nature with the sun of your face as you paint. It’s a very different experience to painting indoors. One of the things you quickly learn when you paint outdoors is that you have to speed up. It’s all too easy when you paint indoors to take a long time… Read More »Outdoor Painting in Wales (Plein Air)
20 MORE Funny Art Quotes, Cartoons and Memes Following on from my post 30 Funny Art Cartoons, Memes, Images and Art Quotes below are 20 more funny art quotes, memes, cartoons and thought provoking images that I’ve come across on the web, gathered here for your enjoyment: ( All are PG safe for all ages ) 1) 2) 3) 4)… Read More »20 MORE Funny Art Quotes, Cartoons and Memes
Barn owls aren’t as widespread in the UK as they once were, diminishing suitable hunting habitat as a result of modern intensive farming methods being just one of the reasons. However, if you go to the right place at the right time of day, you have a very good chance of seeing them, and it’s always a complete thrill when you… Read More »Barn Owl Painting
Kingfishers are mesmerising little birds, usually only seen flying past at break-neck speed. Our local wildlife centre here in Cilgerran in west Wales has a healthy population of kingfishers and we’re lucky enough to see them regularly. I’ve painted kingfishers before, but this kingfisher painting was a little different and an exciting challenge. See below the stages as the oil painting progressed from start to finish…
I’m thrilled to have some of my work on display in New Zealand at the Marlborough Art Society’s Members’ Holiday Exhibition 2015/16. Exhibition Season: 19th December to 3rd January (closed Christmas Day and New Years Day): Open 10.30am – 4.30pm. Contact The Marlborough Gallery: 204 High Street P.O.Box 1136 Blenheim Marlborough Telephone : 00 64 (0)3 577 6784 Website :https://www.marlboroughartsociety.co.nz/ Email… Read More »New Zealand Art Exhibition – Xmas 2015
Cardboard postal tubes are great for posting anything that can be rolled, we’ve all seen them or have bought things that were delivered in them, but if you use tubes as a delivery method for your business, although they certainly do the job, the one big down side is that they take up so much room to store. Fortunately… Read More »How To Post Prints & Paintings Safely
30 Funny Art Cartoons, Memes, Images and Art Quotes We’ve all seen those art based funny images, memes, and info-graphics as we surf the internet. Some make us laugh, some make us sad, some inspire us, …and some just make us cringe. Below are 30 of the funniest and most thought provoking I’ve seen, gathered in one place for your… Read More »30 Funny Art Cartoons, Memes, Images and Art Quotes
Stainless Steel Brush Washer – Why It’s The Best Brush Cleaner You Can Get I bought a couple of Winsor & Newton brushes once, they cost me about five pounds each and I ruined them in about a week. Oil painters don’t need expensive brushes, watercolour painters yes, it definitely helps, but oil painters, no – That said, an oil… Read More »Stainless Steel Brush Washer – Why It’s The Best Brush Cleaner You Can Get
Commissioning your own painting is easier than you think, and the term ‘commissioning’ simply means that you contact an artist and ask them to create a painting specifically for you, whether that painting is a landscape, animal, portrait, or pet portrait e.t.c ..rather than buying a pre-existing painting that an artist has previously painted. 1) Why Commission a Painting There are many… Read More »How to Commission a Painting
Kingfishers ( Alcedo atthis ) are surely one of Britain’s most beautiful birds, and the Teifi valley here in west Wales has a very healthy population. Of all the UK’s birds the kingfisher is perhaps the most unmistakable for any other species, no other UK bird has the iridescence or blue turquoise colouring of a kingfisher. Usually seen near fresh water… Read More »Kingfisher Photographs & Video
As an artist I love painting wildlife, but you can’t beat just watching wildlife and being immersed in nature. I’m lucky, in that I live within a couple of miles of one of the best places I know to do just that; The Welsh Wildlife Centre here in Cilgerran, I’ve seen otters in the wild twice in my lifetime, despite… Read More »Otter Photographs and Video, Welsh Wildlife Centre
This year the Pwerdy Powerhouse in Llandysul, Carmarthenshire is having it’s first large summer art exhibition, where over 100 local artists, including myself, are exhibiting their artwork for a month. It’s the biggest art show west Wales has ever seen, and was opened by local girl and Welsh celebrity, Sara Edwards. The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday, from the 4th… Read More »Pwerdy Powerhouse Llandysul – Summer Art Exhibition
This year the Cardigan Art Society are holding their summer exhibition at the Mwldan theatre in Cardigan. It’s a amazing show, with many talented artists taking part and a wide variety of styles, subjects and mediums on display. Some of the artists exhibiting are: Myself, Glenn Ibbitson, David Clinch, Dick Evans, David Beattie, Carole King, Helen Rowlands, Lyndon Thomas & Marion Vare… amongst others. Cardigan Art Society is… Read More »Cardigan Art Society Summer Exhibition
Why A Glass Palette Is The Best Palette You Can Get The one thing I would recommend ever artist use is a glass palette. You can buy one from a art suppliers, or like me, make your own for free. Find out more below: A glass palette is superior to a wooden or paper palette in many respects: It’s easy… Read More »Why A Glass Palette Is The Best Palette You Can Get
Skomer Island’s reputation as a sea bird paradise is world renowned, and although I’ve lived in West Wales most of my life I’d never managed to make the short boat trip over to see the puffin, until this summer, when I have been lucky enough to visit twice. In June and July the puffins come to Skomer to breed, and… Read More »Skomer Island Puffin Watching
I was recently commissioned by the Elenydd Wilderness Hostel Trust to paint ‘Ty’n Cornel’, one of their hostels high up in the Cambrian Mountains of Mid Wales. Ty’n Cornel has been called the most remote hostel in Wales. It lies next to a stony track across the mountains, from which there is little sign of the hostel until you round… Read More »Elenydd Wilderness Hostels Painting Commission
I’m thrilled to now have a selection of my original artworks and fine art prints permanently on display and for sale at the Welsh Wildlife Centre in Cilgerran, Pembrokeshire – you’ll discover local welsh landscape paintings as well as welsh wildlife paintings, including my recent Skomer puffin paintings. This stunning centre in the peaceful Teifi Marshes nature reserve is fantastic for… Read More »Welsh Wildlife Centre | Art For Sale
I’m thrilled to now have my work exhibited at the Pendre Art Gallery in Cardigan. Situated at the top of the main shopping street in Cardigan, the Pendre provides a window on the world of contemporary art in West Wales, and is a stylish gallery and café. Pendre Art Gallery in Cardigan, West Wales. Exhibiting at the Pendre Art Gallery… Read More »Pendre Art Gallery in Cardigan
We recently took a boat trip to wonderful Skomer Island, an island off the coast of Pembrokeshire, here in west Wales. Skomer is known as one of the best places to see puffin worldwide, and we weren’t disappointed; there was literally 10’s of thousands of nesting pairs. Suitably inspired, I’ve been busy painting puffins ever since, using some of our photographs taken… Read More »Puffin Painting in Oils, Stage by Stage.
How To Photograph Your Artwork And Get Professional Results With all the advanced camera equipment around today you’d think taking high quality photographs of your paintings would be an easy thing to do, in fact it’s more difficult than it first appears. The quality of your final image is going to be somewhat dependant on the quality of your camera… Read More »How To Photograph Your Artwork And Get Professional Results
How To Use A Pochade Box, And Where To Get One What is a pochade box? Unless you paint, you’ve probably never heard of one, but the term ‘Pochade’ is derived from the nineteenth century French verb Pocher, meaning to sketch. A pochade box is essentially a small box, usually made of wood, that has 3 unique properties. 1. It… Read More »How To Use A Pochade Box, And Where To Get One
Working in a complete shambles of a studio might feel very ‘arty’ and freeing, but if you’re trying to run a successful business and keep your paintings and your painting gear in top condition, it’s not the best way to go. We’ve all seen photographs of Jackson Pollack’s studio ( crikey! ) – ( Jackson Pollack at work in his studio ) …and check out Francis Bacon’s studio (… Read More »Why You Need To Keep Work Space Tidy
How To Transfer A Photograph To Your Canvas or Paper For Painting So you’ve just taken the most amazing photograph of a Tiger at the zoo and you would quite like to paint it – great! Now if only there were an easy way of transferring your tiger photo onto your canvas/paper so you can, and that didn’t involve a… Read More »How To Transfer A Photograph To Your Canvas or Paper For Painting
10 Great Tips That’ll Help You Get Your Art Accepted Into A Gallery Getting your artwork on display to the public for the first time can seem very daunting, and the thought of wandering into a art gallery carrying some of your prized paintings, only to have the proprietor give them a cursory glance and turn you down, can be very… Read More »10 Great Tips That’ll Help You Get Your Art Accepted Into A Gallery
Like most other professions, hobbies or pastimes, oil painting comes with a overwhelming array of extra equipment, accessories and latest must-haves, that some people will say you need if you’re serious about making great art. Like most other professions, hobbies or pastimes, you need very little of it. In fact, you can be at a distinct disadvantage if you own… Read More »How To Start Painting With Oils – 3 Things You Need
Hi Everyone, and a warm welcome to my painting blog. You may have gathered from elsewhere on my website, that I was overseas painting in New Zealand for a few months over Christmas and New Year. I’m back in my studio in West Wales now, and although as keen as ever to get back into it, I decided that my studio… Read More »How To Paint Loose Paintings.
