Sunset by The Windrush

Oil on Board, 10 x 14 inches

On my return trip from Devon last week, I stopped off at Burford for a walk along the River Windrush before sundown.  The water was high, a Barn Owl was already patrolling the glorious Buttercup meadows silently like a ghost, the sun was setting and two Swans glided along the river.  This spot made a great composition, with a nice S-shape to lead the eye through the painting.

Incidentally, isn't the Windrush just a perfect name for a river?  I came across it when I was very young, as we had a painting of the river done by Horace Gillett, my grandfather's sister's son, which makes him my cousin, or second cousin.  Either way, Horace was a very fine, classical watercolourist, only an amateur, but easily good enough to have made a living from it, had he so desired.

Self Portrait

Oil on board, 10 x 8 inches

Just to ring the changes and keep my creative juices flowing, I thought I would paint a self-portrait, using looser brushstrokes than I normally do with my landscapes, with a few palette knife swipes too. I don't usually look this serious, but it's damned difficult to look relaxed when you're concentrating on painting yourself - you try it!   

I've long wanted to paint in a 'looser' manner, but I tend to naturally gravitate towards a 'tighter' rendering, but I may try a slicker, more painterly style with my default subject matter.  I do paint a few plein air paintings and I intend doing a lot more in future, so a quicker method would enable me to complete bigger pieces on site, so watch this space.  I'll await any comments, good or bad!

Enter Stage Left

Oil on Board, 9 x 12 inches

Well, my break is over after my Devon exhibition and it's back to the grindstone to paint another 35-ish new paintings for my solo show in November at the John Noott Gallery in Broadway.

So, this is the first off the production line, depicting the river Welland just down the road from me, looking from a little hump-back bridge by the old Wakerley Station.  As I was looking at the scene, a Ewe and her two lambs wandered across the bridge of grass to have a drink from the sparkling water, providing a nice little bit of life for the painting.

I was hoping to get one or two en plein air oil paintings done in Devon last week, but having loaded up the car with my tripod, rucksack, brushes, spirit, I found that I had left my pochade box with all my boards and paint at home....the best laid plans.  I did have some watercolours with me and attempted one daub on site, but having not done one for over three years, I'm very ring-rusty.  Lots of people have said how much they like my old watercolours, so I shall endeavour to have another go soon.

Exhibition Video

During the Private Viewing of my Beer Exhibition last Saturday, Tim Saunders, husband of Caroline Saunders who has written an article on me to appear in 'The Artist' magazine in July, made a 15 minute video, featuring a conversation with Mike Lambert, owner of Marine House Gallery and me, which you can see on YouTube by clicking on this link (appears in a separate window): 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipSnVn3aKDU&feature=youtu.be
There's quite a lot of background noise from the thousands of fans in the Gallery, including Harriett, Tim and Caroline's delightful baby daughter, so you can't hear me very clearly, and I look a right grinning twit at the start of the interview after Mike introduces me, but if enough of you watch it, it might go viral...........

Exhibition Update

Just a note to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who came to the Private Viewing of my exhibition last Saturday 5th.  It was a great ego-boost, after ploughing my lonely furrow in the studio or on site, to meet so many of you and hear your lovely comments and especially to see your money become detached from your wallets and purses! 

You can view all 36 paintings in the show below (click on any image to view at full screen), and prices and titles on the Marine House Gallery at
http://www.marinehouseatbeer.co.uk/catalog/artist.php?artistid=356&galleryid=22
If any more of you are interested in making the wisest purchase of your life, please contact the Gallery direct on the home page via the link, thank you!

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Exhibition

To all my patrons and friends, if you will be attending the Private Viewing tomorrow, Saturday 5th May from 11am - 5.30pm, thank you, and I look forward to seeing you.  Please don't create an ugly scene by clammering for an autograph - just form an orderly queue and wait your turn one mile up the road.  Seriously, your patronage and support are very much appreciated and it will be great to meet and greet you in lovely Beer in Devon.

I'm hoping that the person or consortium who bought Eddie Munch's 'The Scream' for £74,000,000 will attend and find something to invest in...............

'Maisie'

Pastel 16 x 13 inches 

I painted this portrait of this very distinguished, regal lady last week in the middle of completing the final few Oils for my Devon exhibition.  Normally, painting commissions during exhibition work is impossible, but when I visited Maisie in her home, I was blown away by seeing my paintings on virtually every wall in every room!  It was like an entire Peter Barker Retrospective exhibition in one house!  I was so humbled that her owners were such avid fans and collectors of some 40-45 of my efforts over the years, that I just had to fit Maisie in to my schedule somehow for her master's 50th birthday.

Her mistress kindly granted permission for her inclusion on my Blog, saying that Maisie is a real tart and craves attention and would love to 'go viral', so here she is, launched on to the internet!

Fresh Snowfall

 Oil on board, 6 x 8 inches  SOLD

I had a special request to paint a snowy subject in this size, so here it is. I do love wintry scenes; the almost monochromatic colours, but with subtle shifts of tones. We don't get many opportunities to paint snow in this country, but when it comes, it has a special allure for me.  This is my local river, the Welland, by the shallower rapids where I frequently wade across when it isn't in spate as it is here. I particularly loved the mauve far bank, thrown into shadow by the bright sunlight, especially the triangle-shaped old fencepost and vegetation.

This is the last painting for my exhibition at Marine House Gallery in Beer, Devon next month - 36 in total - I'm like Ken Dodd - I never know when to stop.  My hand has been a blur these last few months, and now I can sit back and relax for a day and do my VAT Return, lucky me, before starting on the next exhibition later this year.

You can see all the paintings in the Marine House exhibition, starting Saturday 5th May, by clicking this link to the Gallery's website:

http://www.marinehouseatbeer.co.uk/catalog/artist.php?artistid=356&galleryid=22

Autumn Oak

Oil on Board, 6 x 8 inches

This magnificent English Oak in its glorious Autumn garb made a lovely little cameo, set against the backdrop of the bluey-grey distant trees. I dotted in a few sheep to add a little interest, but the simplicity attracted my eye.

Field of Scarlet

Oil on Board, 6 x 8 inches

I know, it's a bit twee, but this was one of those "have you seen that poppy field" fields near my studio - one that everyone talks about and you can see for miles around.  I just had to paint it.  

Not much to say about it really - it is what it says on the tin. I made use of the cloud shadows throwing transitory darker bands across the distant fields and just over the horizon of scarlet blooms on the right hand side, just to break up the monotony.  In fact, I nearly called it Cloud Shadows, but that would have been a bit too deliberately obtuse I think.

Quiet Spring Day

Oil on board, 6 x 8 inches

The gentle Spring sunlight pervaded the wood, providing soft shadows.  This is the sort of light I love, rather than strong sunlight that gives harsh shadows and strong contast.

I changed the actual scene a little, moving the woodland path so that it didn't go straight out of the picture plane, and also put in the Silver Birch (which are great fun to paint) that wasn't actually there.  

Marine House Exhibition

There are still four more 6x8 paintings to complete for my exhibition next month at Marine House Gallery in Beer, but all the paintings you have seen on my Blog recently, are now for sale and can be seen on the gallery's website (2 pages) by clicking on this link: 

http://www.marinehouseatbeer.co.uk/catalog/artist.php?artistid=356&galleryid=22 

If you are intending buying one of my masterpieces, and I'm pleased to say that they are already selling well on the day the Invitations will have been received by those of you who wanted one, please don't delay if you have a favourite and thank you very much from the bottom of my ISA!

Grazers by the River Coly

Oil on board, 6 x 8 inches

It was a rather dull, overcast day when I found this view of the River Coly in Devon, so, using a bit of artistic licence, I brightened the scene up a bit with some blue sky and cumulus clouds and a little more light on the fields and trees.  You can probably do that with Photoshop, but I prefer paint!

 

Evening Light, Beer Beach

Oil on Board, 6 x 8 inches  SOLD

This little painting was painted en plein air last month towards the end of the day, from a steep walkway looking down on the shingle beach, as the late evening sun dipped behind the instantly recognisable chalk cliffs.  I worked at a frantic pace, without any preliminary drawing, straight in with the paint to get down the shape of the cliff and the sweep of the beach and boats.  I largely finished it on site, apart from the boats and other bits and bobs, which I completed back in the studio.

Waders on the Strand, Towards Seaton

Oil on Board, 7.5 x 10 inches  SOLD

This was in the early afternoon, with an amazing light effect looking towards Seaton from Axmouth.  A dark, cloudy sky with a few holes where the sun was bursting through and for a moment the Axe estuary was lit and the mud glowed brightly in the subdued atmosphere.  It was one of those fleeting light effects which I snapped quickly with my trusty digital camera and from which I had to make a painting.

Hundreds of waders and gulls were feeding on the strand restaurant, lined up all along the water line, taking their fill of the bounty beneath the mud - a bit like the fish and chip shop on a Friday night.  I particularly liked the greenish sunbeam in the left third of the painting, which I put in with a touch of Viridian.