Snow by Duddington Bridge

                           Oil 9 x 12 inches. 

Painted using a photo taken during the beast from the east in 2018, I just loved that intense, reflected sunlight on the water, with jewels dotted all over the surface. The challenge with snow is getting the tones right – the brightest light was that reflection on the water, so everything else had to be toned down from that, accordingly.

#snowatduddington #snowscape #riverwellandinwinter #rutlandinwinter #wintrylandscape #winterriver #sheenonwater

Otis

Pastel 11 x 10 inches

Here's a recently finished Pastel portrait of 'Otis', my step-daughter's Border Terrier, done for her birthday. Otis is a flighty, full of energy terrier, never staying still for more than a nanosecond, so I wanted to capture that sense of urgency in him.

The Derwent in Borrowdale

                           Oil 7.5 x 10 inches.

 

One of the most beautiful parts of England, especially at this time of year - blues, reds, greens, oranges and yellows.

#riverderwent #borrowdale #englishlandscape #lakeland #lakedistrict

Great Langdale Cottages

                          Oil 10 x 14 inches. 

 New studio painting. Just liked the way the cottages were perched on the steep hillside, and the right-hand chimney was set against the lovely white side of the second cottage. Rather a complex frontage to sort out, and not at all simple to paint loosely, so I didn't! I wanted to capture all those bits and bobs to set a jumble of shapes in contrast to the stark mountains behind.

#greatlangdale #lakedistrict #langdale #lakedistrictpainting

Barrowden, from Morcott Windmill

                           Oil 12 x 17 inches

 

A recent commissioned painting, with the view from the top of Morcott Windmill - not a view many people have! #barrowden #morcott #rutlandlandscape

Over the Valley, Burbage South

 

Oil 9 x 12 inches

 

Another painting from the recent trip with artist friends to the Peak District. This was the last painting of the day, hurriedly drawn and the basics sketched in with oil and finished in the studio. I was somewhat hampered by leaving my specs in the car after trekking up to the venue, so the first painting, 'Rock Formations and Millstones, Burbage South' was a double challenge in the ferocious wind and being semi-blind! This second effort was a little easier having tucked myself out of the worst of the wind and trekked back to the car to get my glasses! The figure, perfectly placed for the composition, is fellow painter, Ian Leyton, who was painting down below me.

#peakdistrict #peakdistrictnationalpark #burbageedge #burbagesouth #burbagesouthboulders #pleinairpainting

Nelly

 

Here's a recent commissioned painting of 'Nelly' for a lovely couple, entailing a lot of subterfuge from husband, but successfully received for the lady's Birthday today! Oil, 11 x 9 inches

#dogportrait #oilpainting #blacklab

*GIVEAWAY!*

Over on my Instagram page, https://www.instagram.com/peter_barker_artist/ and on the gallery Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/peter_barker_fine_art/ you can win a £250 voucher to spend on one of my paintings! All you have to do is

1 Follow @peter_barker_artist and @peter_barker_fine_art Instagram pages if you don't already.

2 Like the Giveaway post.

3 Comment and tag two friends - any extra tags count as extra entries.

And, if you share the post on your story it will count as an extra entry and remember to tag me so I know.

Promotion ends at 9pm on Sunday 11th October, and the lucky winner will be picked at random and announced here and on Instagram soon after - GOOD LUCK all!

Tintern Abbey

                         Oil 12 x 17 inches

 A dream subject, looking straight into the sunlight, with the abbey ruins silhouetted against the backdrop of distant blue forest, and twinkly jewels of sparkles on the water. I used my artistic licence and moved a couple of the willows in the foreground for composition's sake. Of course, many of you will remember Terry Wogan and Pauly Walters' joke..."Tintern Abbey" (said in a West midlands accent)...to which the reply was "'tis"...

Rock Formations and Millstones, Burbage South

                               Oil 9 x 12 inches. 

 

Finished in the solace of the studio after painting in a hurricane at last week’s paint-out with Terry Preen, Jenny Aitken, David Curtis, Chris Slater, Matt Dnahsnam Kay, Ian Layton and Tim Rose.

Even though the temperature was about 18 deg, it was incredibly cold, and as the wind got ridiculously strong, it was impossible to do anything approaching a delicate brushstroke, so much as I would like to have finished it in situ, it was impossible. The calm of the studio is perfect for adding final touches, like the figure to give the monumental scale of the rocks.

Cottages at Grasmere

Watercolour 9 x 12 inches

 

I didn’t quite get the shaft of light on the hillside above the cottages, which was the hook to paint this view. I may paint it in oils, my default medium, although I enjoyed the tussle of watercolour, especially depicting the low cloud over the distant blue mountain, with the crisp edge disappearing into the cloud.

By Water Newton Mill

 

                  Watercolour 9.75 x 10.5 inches

 

Another attempt at this wonderful, delicate medium!

So difficult to handle the paint, and so difficult to paint trees, and so difficult to paint water – used a ghost wash of colours, keeping the paint wet as it drifted down the paper, changing the washes every second or two to reflect the buildings and trees, then working back in when the initial wash was dry – phew, new respect for watercolourists!

Teasels and Bales over the Welland Valley

Watercolour, 7 x 10 inches

Still dabbling with the liquid medium…just a smaller one this time on Arches paper, which is a joy to work on – seems to have more size on the surface than the Waterford paper of my previous couple of paintings.

Going to try Canson paper next…

 

Farmstead, Great Langdale

                   Watercolour, 7.75 x 11 inches

 

Playing around with the watercolours again – just fancied doing a Lakeland subject, with a white cottage and some gorgeous Herdwick Sheep. I love this breed with their stout legs, built for the fells.

Hay Bales at Preston

                                      Watercolour 7.75 x 11.5 inches

 Another watercolour effort - such a different discipline to oil or pastel painting, like painting upside down, reserving the lights at the start,rather than working from dark to light. Quite enjoyed it though!

A View of Semerwater, Yorkshire Dales

                                          Oil on board, 12 x 17 inches. 

I painted this one from a reference photo. What's not to like about this view - beautiful, lone Oak tree on left mid-ground, rolling hills, dramatic sky, sunlight on the distant fields above the lake, the lake itself, and some foreground sheep (artistic licence).

Across the Chater Valley, Lyndon

                                  Oil 7.75 x 14 inches. 

Driving home the scenic route from golf last Friday, my eye was caught by the gorgeous blue/mauve of the distant trees on the road from Lyndon. I was starving, so raced home, grabbed a quick sandwich, then shot back with my kit, parked up and walked back to get the optimum view and quickly got started using a slightly more letterbox-shaped board. It was difficult to get a good composition, because the downhill road was going straight out of the picture plane, so I positioned myself looking through a gap in the avenue of trees. Purely by accident, my car was in the perfect position to stop the eye and poke it back into the picture.

'Bea'

 

                      Pastel 11.5 x 10 inches

A recent commissioned portrait.

The Winding Welland

                      Pastel 13 x 19 inches. 

This started life as a demo sometime last year. I had forgotten about it after stacking it in my custom pastel storage boxes, so I completed it in the studio yesterday.

Summer Breeze, near Elton Mill

               Oil on Board, 18.5 x 24.5 inches.

I just fancied doing a larger painting for this gorgeous subject - hogweed amongst the foreground vegetation, swaying Poplars, scudding clouds and the breeze-ruffled river Nene - what was there not to paint!

Summer Evening, near Waternewton

Oil on Board 12 x 17 inches. 

I rearranged the trees on the opposite bank, just for composition purposes. The glinting sun reflecting in the water between the swaying reeds and Purple Loosestrife bottom right was the real hook for this painting of a warm, Summer evening down by the river.

The Nene from Wansford Bridge

Oil on board 12 x 17 inches. 

Wansford Bridge near Peterborough was built in 1577, is a listed building and consists of 12 arches. Only one car can pass at any time and there are several triangular pedestrian passes along it, from one of which I took this view. I started painting this very lossely, then tightened up as the painting went on, reverting to my tried and tested methos of painting trees, which works for me

The River Windrush by Widford Bridge

 Oil on Board, 10 x 14 inches

A commissioned painting by me, off to enjoy its new home, owned by a fly-fisherman who angles by this very bridge.

River Windrush, near Widford

Oil on Board, 10 x 14 inches. 

I've reverted to type with this one, using my old method of painting trees, which is fast, but gives a very realistic look.Work in progress...

Swan near Elton

 Oil on Board, 9 x 12 inches

Finally finished the 9 x 12 inch plein air oil painting I did last week, after days of hand-finishing frames. Must get out more in this glorious, hazy sunshine we've had between the deluges!

Early Morning Light, Portree

Pastel on Pastelmat, 19 x 27 inches.

Another possible entry for the RSMA exhibition. I just felt Pastel was a good medium for this subject, and so it proved. I just love trying to capture that intense glare on water and surrounds when looking straight into the sun. Perhaps the most enjoyable passage of this painting was the hill backdrop on the left, directly above the pure, reflected sunlight on the water. So much subtle colour and diffusion there - scrummy! And if you paint the sky the same, intense white, like a photo often captures, the effect is lost - only the sun itself is that light, so that was reserved for the reflection on the water.

English Longhorn

Pastel on Pastelmat, 19 x 27 inches.

This Pastel painting started out as a demo sometime last year. I had forgotten about it, and found it when I was getting a board out to paint a large marine Pastel, so have now finished it off. I do enjoy doing the occasional animal study, and I find Pastel a lovely medium for the job - it lends itself to painting fur, particularly.

Breakers at Broad Haven

Oil on Board, 9.25 x 13.25 inches. 

We (my lovely Jane and I) had a wonderful break over on the Pembrokeshire coast a couple of years ago, walking miles along the beautiful coastline. I took a few photos and this is a painting done from that time.

Hugh Town Harbour, St.Mary's

Oil on Board, 9 x 12 inches

From the trip to the Scillies last year, with my favourite light effect - looking straight into it! Just love those subtle blues and mauves

Harlyn Surf

Oil on board, 12 x 17 inches. 

 

Painting waves can be very twee if you're not careful, but they're just such gorgeous subjects, especially with sunlight straight ahead, piercing through the wave tops - couldn't resist! Lots of expressive brushmarks and observing the shadowed colours of the breakers is the key, then carefully placed highlights will then 'pop'.

#waves #breakers #harlynbay #surf #spume

Foreshore Activity, Burnham Overy Staithe

 Oil on board, 12.25 x 33.5 inches

 
Another painting for the RSMA exhibition, and this time I opted for the long, panoramic shape, to concentrate the eye on all the goings-on on the foreshore of this lovely place in Norfolk, full of painting subjects. Looking into the light, this provided dramatic light effects, with lots of little cameos all over the picture - just wanted to capture the busyness of a Summer's day out. #burnhamoverystaithe #northnorfolk #norfolkcoast #oilpainting #marine #seascape

Harbour Lights, Mousehole

Oil 10 x 14 inches. 

Quite enjoyed trying to get that half-light as the sun has dipped below the horizon, and the shop, car and street lights glow, with of course those gorgeous reflections in the water - great fun to paint.

The Harbour Gap, Mousehole

Oil 10 x 14 inches. 

Another marine subject for the RSMA show. There was a lovely light in the harbour when I took a photo for this painting. Mousehole just abounds with subject matter - at almost every turn is a potential painting.

Portree Harbour

Oil, 6 x 8 inches

I'm painting a few marine subjects for the Royal Society of Marine Artists exhibition later in the year, and this tiddler is the first. The lifeboat in Portree Harbour, painted from a photo I took a couple of years ago on Skye.

Deer at Wakerley Wood

Oil on canvas, 18 x 26 inches. 

Started this one a year ago and put it in the back of the studio, so dug it out and finished it. Woods are always great subjects to paint, and none more so than at the end of Winter, with a touch of frost on the fallen leaves, and arays of sunlight catching the tussocks and old stumps. I added the Deer for a bit of life and focal point, with the logs, sunlit leaves and branches pointing to that point. Almost every time I've been in the wood, I have seen the Deer, usually just their back ends as they scuttle off to safety.
Lots of texture in this painting - had fun painting the leaf carpet with a heavily-laden palette knife.

Hummikngbird Hawk Moth

Just been to the gallery to pick up a painting, and as I walked past the little garden in full bloom, I spotted this little guy - a Hummingbird Hawk Moth, a frequent day-flying Summer visitor to Britain, and a suspected resident now. I didn't have my camera with me, but luckily had my phone in my pocket, so managed to nget these three pics of him, hovering over W
allflowers, and sipping the nectar, never settling on a flower, just using his long proboscis, just like a Hummingbird does, hence the name. Keep your eye out for this beautiful little insect in your garden!

Self Portrait

Oil, 12 x 9 inches

Work in progress. Whenever I've done a self portrait, the result is always a miserable-looking convict! Painting yourself from a mirror is so tricky to pose anything else other than a really concentrating face; you're looking so hard at your visage, observing the shapes, the colours, the tones, the cools, the warms, it's just impossible (for me) to hold a happy-looking face. Strange light I painted in - there were what seemed almost like...grey hairs on my head.

Will have another look at it tomorrow morning in a different light to see if it needs tweaking...

The Windrush at Widford

Oil on Board, 10 x 14 inches. 

This is a commissioned painting for one of my lovely customers, completed in the studio. Spring, about now, when the leaves are shooting out with fresh growth everywhere, which I shall largely miss this year with the wretched virus that has disrupted all our lives.

Herb Robert by the Teign

Oil on Board, 7.5 x 14 inches. 

Still experimenting with methods and brushes in an effort to paint more loosely and painterly. Work in progress...

Near Sundown, by the Pillbox

Oil on Board, 6 x 8 inches

 
A fast oil sketch done in the studio today, using a photo I took a few weeks ago as I was driving home from the gallery - I spotted this glorious light effect at Morcott and thought it might make a painting, so here it is.

Oaks by the Brathay

Oil on Board, 10 x 17 inches

I painted this over the last couple of days, from my trip to the Lakes in November. I had just painted a small oil on site, facing in the other direction, then turned around and here was this most glorious view which just had to be painted. I didn't have the time there and then, so took a couple of photos and made this painting from them, and filmed the painting of the water. Many people who come into the gallery say they admire the way I paint water, because it's so difficult, and I always reply that painting water is the easy bit, it's trees that are difficult! So, I've posted a video of painting water in oils, and if you fancy sitting through 55 minutes of real-time painting, click on this link: https://youtu.be/8n7BgiZPibU

Dayburst

Oil on Board, 6 x 8 inches. 

I'm doing a lot of experimenting with my efforts to become more painterly, ie., getting the final result looking more obviously a painting. This seemed a good subject to try this out some more. I'm quite pleased with the result, especially the cluster of trees on the right, painted with a soft, flat brush, rather than the more spiky household brush I've used since Noah was a boy.