The Castlepoint Lighthouse stands on a rugged area of coast on the east coast of New Zealand near the bottom of the North Island & although I have never visited the site, I have heard much about it. I was interested in painting this iconic...
I have finally started on a new painting! With the help of family, I have chosen to paint a scene from the Wairarapa, the famous Castlepoint Lighthouse. This is a beautiful scene but one which presents fresh challenges for me, all of which I am...
Work has been a bit slow on this project as we are still getting through all that has been involved in moving house & in setting up home again! What has encouraged me has been the positive comments folk have made about this painting when...
I have just blocked in part of the first layer of a new painting that I am excited about. The intense sky is a feature & the lonely image of an old dinghy amongst the sand dunes & sea grasses makes an interested subject....
In January 2019, the lady owner of Fernielea Café in Coatesville agreed to have my paintings on display as she liked my paintings & believed that having them on her walls would add to the ambiance of the café which they did! The café changed...
Heading down the back straight. Still some details to finish in the water in the foreground & with the grass in the foreground, some more layers in the clouds, some more contrast in the grass hill area in the middle of the painting &...
Making progress! Several layers of sky top go but getting there. Blocked in the trees & I’m looking forward to the details in the trees & in the painting in general....
It seems that some kind folk check out my website from time to time to see if I am actually doing any painting! Thanks so much & I’m sorry that there has been very little activity in the last way too many months. Anyway, I finally have...
I have started on what I think is a very interesting landscape with a waterfall in the middle distance, lots of different trees & best of all, I have added a man walking his dog & they will be seen as this painting advances!! This is a...
I have made changes to the composition of this painting because the scene had a very over-crowded & busy background & it was hard to find a focal point. This simpler composition works well I think & gives a better perspective...
I’ve finally made some time for moving on with this interesting project. It will take some time to get the waterfall done as it is not a rushing flow so there is a lot of detail to put in but I am looking forward to spending the time...
A new painting from my local area that I have taken an age to get too!! So far I have done the initial “block in” which basically is about getting all the elements in place & in proportion as well as covering the white of the...
Traditionally, oil paintings have been painted on linen canvas stretched on a wooden frame, sized with rabbit skin glue, and primed with white lead. But there are a few drawbacks with this traditional material. Firstly, it is relatively fragile...
I haven’t done a whole lot more with this painting unfortunately but I have “blocked in” the horses & I have done some base work on the grass & adjusted some colours & details on the mountains. Looking forward to...
Sadly, progress has been slow on what should be an attractive painting! This has not been due to the subject matter at all but rather the busyness of life and, if I’m honest, a lack of discipline on my part in setting time aside to paint....
A new painting from the South Island of New Zealand & my first effort at painting animals in any detail! This painting is from a photograph taken by Brent Smith that I am using with permission. You can visit his amazing website at...
Nearly finished. A couple of lovely poplars mid left & some sheep in front of them, some fence posts & then the shrubs etc. around the fence at the front. Awesome scene! You get some idea of the immensity of the hills & the vastness...
My new painting is of a stunning scene in the beautiful Wanaka area. with Lake Wanaka centre right in the pic. I think that this is a beautiful scene of a beautiful area. I have gone back to a smaller canvas 450 x 600mm) as I think that size...
Getting there! Just some work on the fore-ground – the bridge, the water reflections & the foliage to the right of the bridge plus some further details in the trees – but nearly there with this larger painting. At 610 x 813mm (24...
I am making progress on this challenging painting of the various layers of autumn trees in this beautiful Christchurch Gardens scene. Working on a larger painting has been a learning process but it should be a worthwhile experience as I think...
I have started a new painting of a beautiful autumn scene in the Christchurch Botanical Gardens. This painting is the largest I have worked on measuring 610 x 813mm (24 x 32 inches). Most other paintings have been 450 x 600mm so this is quite a...
I have finally made some progress on painting this beautiful scene of Lake Matheson (the “Mirror Lake”) near the Fox Glacier in the South Island of New Zealand. My aim is to complete this painting in the next 10 days with time spent...
I have started on a new oil painting of Lake Matheson (the Mirror Lake) showing the beautiful reflections and colours that can be found on the right day, in the late afternoon. For some reason I found it difficult to “block in” the...
I have two paintings on display at the Estuary Arts Exhibition in Orewa. This excellent exhibition runs from 6.00pm on Friday 30th July with the Official Opening & Awards. the exhibition closes on Sunday 29th August, 2021. If you are in the...
I’ve finally finished this interesting painting except for the varnish coat & then the framing. It has been a challenge to find time to work on this painting, especially when I was struggling with elements of the painting and trying to...
I took this photo some years ago in a place called Tophouse which is an historic site situated above the Wairau Valley in the Saint Arnaud area of the Nelson Lakes. The old cart has finished it’s work and is now watching over the valley...
I am well underway with a new painting (in oils) that I am excited about. It will be called The Narrow Gate with reference to what Jesus declares in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that...
I now have two paintings on display and for sale in at the The Wine Box Café and Restaurant at 239 Dairy Flat Highway, Albany Village, North Shore, Auckland. The restaurant is in the quaint building that was the Albany Pottery studio and shop. I...
Progress is slow and steady on this painting of the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd in Tekapo. I’m enjoying this first painting in oil paints although I will need to change the brush cleaner that I have been using! It is non-toxic but...
Yeah, painting in oils! I’m so enjoying this medium as opposed to the acrylics I have been using. As you can see, there is still some work to be done on the Church & on the shrubs but I have managed to get quite a bit done. The detail...
I have done the “block-in” for a new painting of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Tekapo. This will be the first painting that I will complete in oil paints which I am excited about. Watch this space to see how everything progresses!...
I have one painting (Sunset at Milford Sounds) in a members exhibition at Mairangi Arts Centre and three paintings (High Country Farm & Gate, Whangarei Waterfalls and Te Werahi Beach) in a members exhibition at the Estuary Arts Centre. The...
I am thrilled to have been selected to exhibit in the annual NZ Art Show which this year is online because of the Covid-19 issues. The NZ Art Show website states: The 2020 NZ Art Show was cancelled in response to Covid-19. However, to show...
I have been really concerned about the quality of pics that I have been able to post on this website, especially those pics that relate to my paintings. My concern was that I want to display my paintings well, especially because I am looking to...
I am one of forty artists who are being exhibited in the Artists Revealed Exhibition this month at the Mairangi Arts Centre! My painting entitled “High Country Farm & Gates” is the painting I am exhibiting (see below). The dates...
It seems that a lot of artists need a portable spray booth. Those who spray or paint varnishes on their paintings usually have issues with fumes and also with wind blowing the spray around. I would like to share my solution with you which is...
My new glass palette works extremely well! My plan is to put together a Youtube video with details of how I made this pallet and the materials used. I am thrilled with how it works for paint mixing and for cleaning up afterwards! I had been...
I have three paintings on display at the Estuary Arts Exhibition in Orewa. This excellent exhibition runs through until September 1st, 2019. Exhibiting my paintings has been a valuable experience and has opened up a couple of doors with some...
It has been confirmed that I have been selected to exhibit my painting Aoraki/Mt. Cook Autumn in the Mairangi Arts Centre’s Members Exhibition. YEAH! Also I will have three paintings (Maple Glen Delight, Waitomo Farmland In Autumn and...
Friday 25th January, the first two of my paintings are being exhibited and are on sale at the Fernielea. Café in Coatesville, Auckland. A scary moment but we will see what happens. The café owner was very encouraging and very surprised, which is...