Category: Art General

29 June 2026

In Memoriam

In the last few weeks we have lost two of the greats from the art world. The first one needs no introduction, and was internationally known. The second is someone who you may, or may not, be as familiar with, but whom I believe deserves due recognition. The first of those, David Hockney, came from Bradford and rose to fame...

Categories Art General Comments: 0

28 December 2025

40 Years and Counting…

January is traditionally a time for reflection. I’ve never been one for New Year resolutions (mostly because I’m rubbish at keeping them), but I do find myself diligently ticking off the years since I began my journey as a full-time artist. Last month, I passed the 40-year milestone, and I’m still waiting for the little tap on my shoulder and...

Categories Art General/Observations Comments: 0

28 September 2025

Should Tutorials Be Graded

I’ve been running my online tuition site now for many years (next year will be its 23rd year of being live). It started out from humble beginnings, and an early setback meant I nearly gave up on it altogether, but I’m pleased to say that it continues to thrive to this day. In case you’re wondering, my early setback was...

Categories Art General/Watercolour Comments: 8

30 March 2025

The Value of Research and Planning

This is a watercolour painting I did of Mousehole Harbour, in Cornwall, some years ago. Cornwall is a long way from West Yorkshire, which means it isn’t often I get a chance to visit, so it was with great expectations, last month, that we took the campervan down that way for a week’s touring; one of the prime locations we...

Categories Art General/Locations/Techniques/Tips/Watercolour Comments: 2

27 November 2024

Managing Expectations

I’ve built two sheds in the garden recently. The assembly of which was quite a different experience in each case. Both sheds were delivered in sections that needed to be put together; the first shed bolted together quickly and easily, thanks to a well thought-out construction and clear, concise instructions. The second shed (technically, a small summer house) rang little...

Categories Art General/Observations/Watercolour Comments: 4

29 October 2024

Artist or Text Prompt Engineer?

The development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) marches on at a breathless pace and the existential threat to traditional artists become even greater. Or so it would seem if the news is to be believed (and lets not even begin to start looking at the rise of fake news…). Before I go any further, I feel I should reassure the reader...

Categories Art General/Art Trends Comments: 0

29 September 2024

A One-Off (or is it?)

I hate writing things out on the laptop, losing it through some technological aberration and then having to type it all out again from scratch. It’s never the same the second time around. These blog posts are a good case in point; I write as I speak (and think), and apart from some minor editing for grammar and spelling, the...

Categories Art General/Art Shows/Watercolour Comments: 0

27 August 2024

Lightweight En Plein Air Travel Easel

I’d like to start by sharing a few sizzling action shots from this year’s Alpha Painting Holiday in Dartmoor, in June, in which the group spent the week painting in some fantastic locations, and enjoyed wall-to-wall sunshine. En plein air watercolour painting brings its own challenges; rain showers can mean having to pack away quickly and making a dash for...

Categories Art General/Materials/Tips Comments: 0

29 January 2024

Where Reality Meets Imagination

There’s a place – which doesn’t have a name as far as I know, but it perhaps should have – where the reality of source material ends and the imagination begins. It’s un-chartable, yet fully explorable and malleable… and in some ways, it’s also where much of the magic happens. I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. Firstly, with...

Categories Art General/Composition/Watercolour Comments: 0

28 September 2023

Free or Premium?

I consider myself to be reasonably generous when it comes to sharing my skills. I’m always happy to discuss my processes, and if someone asks me how I created a particular effect, I will generally spend as much time as is necessary, or appropriate, to explain how it was achieved. In part, this is down to remembering how it was...

Categories Art General/Art Trends/Observations Comments: 4