Work on The Bath Art Prize has begun...

The Bath Prize is a relatively recent Art Competition in which anybody can enter so long as you produce a piece of art that features the location (in the city of Bath) allocated to you. The location is different for everybody so the final exhibition of selected works is guaranteed to be varied. It's a great idea and Bath is such a lovely place that I can't possibly resist, all that Georgian architecture, how could anybody?

Below are my first stages for my entry. I was given George Street which is not the most picturesque of Bath streets but certainly offers many challenges. I opted to show both ends of the street in one image because I like to make things difficult for myself. As you can see in the thumbnail and final pencil work I've employed a convex lens effect to bend the straight road and buildings round to achieve this. The magpie is a device to lead the eye along the street and up to the sky hopefully give a sense of depth. I like to think the bird is the same animal just seen at different stages in flight swooping through George St and then shooting towards the sky.

The final painting is going to be huge so I'm going to have to put a lot of hours into this one.

I'm on MAKING A MARK

This week I was lucky enough to be shown (thanks Dad) Katherine Tyrrell's wonderful treasure trove of a blog Making A Mark. Their are so many articles and links to UK based art information that it has been a bit of a revelation. The vast majority of art blogs I know are written from a US perspective, which is by no means a bad thing but it's nice and very helpful to read about things happening in your own country every so often.

I left a comment on her piece about the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition and she offered to add my selected painting to her post. To see it click here.

Thanks Katherine!

Selected For The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition!

Hurray!!! I found out while still on holiday that 'Cracked Matador' was selected for the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition and exhibition at The Mall Galleries London SW1. The exhibition runs from the 12th-18th September 2011, I believe prizes are given that week then selected highlights of the competition go on tour around the UK Smith & Williamson offices.

'Cracked Matador' 46 x 59cm

I am so pleased to be considered at all, especially with this being my first ever entry. I know of the high standard the competition demands so it's an absolute honour to have my work hanging alongside internationally respected watercolour artists.

I shall keep you updated.

Memories Of The Lakes

I don't sketch from life nearly as much as I should but during my trip to the Lake District I managed to do a rough drawing in my A5 sketchbook of the village I was staying in. The view is the main (pretty much only) street in Hesket Newmarket which boast a lovely post office and most excellent pub owned by the local villagers. On my first night there Sir Chris Bonington was to be seen having a quiet drink, apparently he's a regular.

The sketch was done on a sunny afternoon. Suzanne and I were having a well deserved rest after scaling Carrock Fell. We got talking to some of the locals including a man designed christmas cards of Hesket Newmarket to be sold in aid of charity. He also auctioned the original artwork every year to the same ends.

Needles to say we had a brilliant, if sometimes wet time!

View from the top of Carrock Fell looking back towards Skiddaw. 

We were fortunate the sun chased us back down the hill.