Viridian Gallery 'Mountain High' exhibition.

Mountain High 

Saturday 23rd April – Sunday 5^th June

Viridian Gallery Keswick 

I have  exhibited at Viridian Gallery for nearly fifteen years and was delighted to be asked to paint a collection of work for the Spotlight on Exhibition 'Mountain High'. From an early age I discovered a  great love of painting outdoors, Enjoying  walking amongst inspiring high fell and mountain scenery led me to paint what I really love, capturing dramatic light conditions on lakes, mountain ridges and tarns, especially in winter moods. 

After a break of eighteen months living in the French Alps, I have come back to the Lake District with fresh eyes full of inspiration for painting the scenery I truly love. Walking in wild winter weather to locations, feeling the conditions and taking in the magnificent atmosphere of the Lake District all have a direct response on my paintings. Using mainly Pastels has helped to create vivid yet muted beautiful colours of Lakeland fells in my new work. I find working with Pastels is a direct and tactile approach and gives me confidence and also pure joy in painting dramatic valleys, high mountain tops and capturing the light playing with the Lakeland fells.

Into Langdale 

Pastel

Ullswater 

Pastel

Blencathra

Pastel

Along the Ridge

Pastel

Bluebells

Oil

Golden Leaves pastel Demonstration

The last of the Golden leaves are hanging on for dear life against Storm Abigail.

 But what better way to spend an afternoon, especially when it's purely horrid outdoors.

 Painting bright Golden colours in an Autumn  woodland scene, pop some music on, have the kettle ready and away we go.

Stage One 

Tape down a piece of Clairefontaine pastelamat white pastel paper onto a board. 

Add some watercolour washes, not too wet, less water and you seem to have a touch more control. 

Splashes of Red, Yellow and Blue, let them merge together to create beautiful colours.

Leave to dry or speed it up with an hairdryer. 

Stage Two

The Background, I find is a good place to start when adding pastels. Think cool colours, tonal values  and less detail. Leave those bright colours for the foreground trees and path. Composition needs a little thought, I like to see a way through a painting. The light at the end of a tunnel, a fence dancing along the side of a field or maybe a couple out walking their dog. The choice is yours. 

Stage Three

A liitle blending in places to get rid of too much detail, I find a colour shaper ideal for this. Pastel pencils could also help to indicate thin branches along the way. Shadows will help to show the time of day and a bright area bathed in sunshine always makes my heart sing! A few more leaves floating down before the storms appear and the painting will begin to come to life

Golden Leaves painted in Pastels

If you fancy learning the joys of pastel painting why not sign up for my online course.

 Containing six projects and step by step instructions, a material list and personal feedback.

A perfect gift for the want to be artist

Pastel Online Course

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Autumn Pastel Demonstration

Rydal Water

Stage One 

I started with an under painting using watercolours on a piece of Pastelmat. I'm quite surprised at the effects you can get with this brilliant paper, but a word of warning you don't have much control with the watercolour wash, but this can make happy effects!! My giant cauliflower back run in the front of the lake was one such happy effect!

Once the paper was bone dry I then applied pastel in the background, wanting to give a soft hazing atmosphere on a cool Autumn morning.

Adding the Pastels is such fun and so tactile. Cool Blues and Greens in the middle distance and just a touch more detail. Leaving the front Island of Autumn colour, to take all the glory.

Stage Three

Nearly finished just a few more marks and thinking about the bottom right hand corner.

It's good not to rush!!! I'll let it sit happy on the easel and wait for a thunderbolt moment to strike.

Fancy painting in Pastels?

My six project course with personal feedback will show you everything you need to know.

Pastel online course

Summer meadow Pastel

Summer Meadows

in Pastels

Size 7 x 9 inches

Fisher 400

 

I love working in Pastels, but yesterday I had a real battle in this pretty flower meadow.

Below is the first painting, I was unhappy with this scene, I know certain things didn't work.

But I didn't want to give up and surrender defeat to the pastels.

So I looked hard and realised the composition and tree could be corrected, I also wanted to paint different hues in the meadow, and not too many bright Greens.

 

So with a stiff brush I removed plenty of pastel, changed the shape of the tree, added more light in the back field to try and give more distance to the scene.

The flowers became smaller instead and I thought much more about mark making, softness and colour harmony.

 

I am much happier with the top finished painting and it's much more challenging to go back to the drawing board and learn the basic skills.

 

 

Trying out different compositions, trying hard but not getting there!

Derwentwater Lakeland print

 

Derwentwater

 

Painted in Pastels

 

Signed Limited Print of 200

£50 P&P

 

 

Had loads of fun painting this beautiful scene, with

Unison pastels on Fisher 400 paper.

I know this special place so well and I think it really helps when painting, plus I love the view, all good ingredients when tackling a subject.

 

A few Wainwrights in the scene Great End, Glaramara, Castle Crag, Kings How, High Spy and Maiden Moor