I loved painting at junior school, and the teacher loved my paintings. She said that I ‘had an eye’. I didn’t really know what she meant, as I thought I had two, but was glad that she liked them.
At my senior state school, we were given a choice of art or wood work. I chose art, but after 2 weeks my teacher asked me to transfer to woodwork, as he thought my efforts in art were poor and would lead nowhere. The downside? I didn’t paint again for 50 years. The upside? I made a coffee table that we still use today.
I paint mainly in acrylics, on inexpensive canvas boards. I make so many mistakes, acrylic allows me to correct them quite easily, or just paint over the error in ‘ground’ and start again. I am VERY slow, so tend to use photos and colour notes for landscapes The photographs are NEVER what you actually see with your eyes, either in perspective or colour, and we all have to be aware of that, and work around it.
The still life paintings, like ‘Hag Stones and Oyster Shells’ and the ‘Espresso cups and a Jug,’ I do paint from life. The first painting in the series, an avenue of small trees in a garden, I did paint from life, as it’s our garden, but it took a couple of hours on 3 successive mornings as the light changed so fast, and I take so long!
Walked past this scene on the way to an exhibition at the Russel Gallery, a fantastic small gallery in Putney. Loved the light of a mid-day autumn sun coming through the trees.
A Suffolk icon, the hag stone is supposed to keep witches away. I loved the juxtaposition of the beach-smoothed stones and the jagged oyster shells.
We only ever go to Venice in November, after an Italian friends’ tip. The light there is fantastic, here a dipping sun in the afternoon haze. I’m ashamed to say it’s painted from a photo, as most of my landscapes, but you only get this view from the Vaparetto, so ‘plein air’ not an option.
Just a scene from a summer dog walk, but Suffolk skies seldom disappoint.
Another visit to the Russell gallery, and the view from the bridge in fig 2. A storm was brewing over the flats and new buildings further down the Thames, irresistible.
One of my favourite places in the world, the jumble of old fishing sheds, wrecked boats, yachts masts, and bins always fascinating to look at. I’ve painted it in all weathers, this one a summer morning.
This is Lynn, my wife, patiently waiting for me in Amsterdam. It had snowed over-night, we had an early morning start, and the low morning sun slanting down the canal side street was fantastic for ‘contre jour’ effects.
Not everyone’s idea of beauty, a traffic jam, but the way the grid road system works, when the traffic lights go red, all the car brake lights go red too, right up the block, and the sky becomes pink!
Another from life, just because I thought they were beautiful, and the solid pewter mug helped offset their fragility.
We are very lucky to be near the Fitzwilliam Museum, I go a lot, a great painting collection, free of charge to all. I’ve painted this view in all weathers. Not sure why it ‘hooks’ me, but it does.
A simple little still life, I liked the colours of the cups on the breakfast tray, so painted them! The spoon was an interesting challenge, which I’m not sure I pulled if, but hey ho.
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These paintings are beautiful!
Thrilled that you love them Vera! Melanie
Hi Rob,
Congratulations on the show . I enjoyed the bio, very. Straightforward for a change. The paintings look really good , especially the Renditore , the oysters remind me of. James Ensor which we will be seeing in Brussels.
Love to you and Lynn
Lovely collection and great write up- a good eye indeed. A real treat to find online and I love how you captured Lynn too. I am glad you take your time as the result is worth it. Your landscapes capture the vastness of the sky often lost on paper.
All my best, Mary
Thank you so much for a wonderful comment Mary! We are thrilled you enjoyed the post and Artwork by Rob.
Melanie x