I've created a new post because my previous post contains literally hundreds of paintings. (Please take a look below.) Left click on pictures to see enlarged version.
I hope my new paintings will have a fresh, and more painterly style.
13th November. I had the wonderful opportunity to paint this striking Japanese lady in a 2 hr portrait class...so I painted her twice!
This second painting is only a 45 minute sketch on a painted board.
A second painting of Amy, done from a very similar photo to the one I worked from on the painting below. The hair didn't work out so well, but it did contain some interesting dribbles!
27th September. Time I got back to painting now that Autumn's here. This is a sketchy oil painting of Amy. I like the dashes and flicks of light that keep the painting lively while bringing the focus towards the eyes.- Done more by accident than design!
Mike, painted 30th June. I liked the scrubbed green background...it also looked good in the highlights of the face.
Joe...I can't resist those dribbles of paint.
16th May, at the portrait class. Tony...he's got great eyebrows!
Amy, in that hat again.
Zoe, a lovely redhead. I think this picture needs more work on the background and blouse.
I painted this portrait in the morning when there was a lot of cool lights coming through the window. I liked the sketchyness of this picture.
A quick portrait of John painted in the afternoon.
22nd April. John, painted at my Tuesday life class. I'm still exploring an approach that involves lots of loose sketchy lines in the underpainting. This gives energy and liveliness to the finished picture...I hope.
and it's Jack again. This time I painted him on an old canvas that had random areas of red and green already on the surface. It made for quite a 'rich' warm finish.
This was my second painting of Jack. As you can see, he's a wonderful subject.
Jack. Painted 11th April. I was going for a scribbly style..part drawing , part painting, in order to capture the sensitivity of Jack's face.
Patterns of sunshine.
Two of my favourite people.
9th April, Abbey's back...in a new pose. I tried to focus on the head and chest area as this is where the light fell most strongly.
I really enjoyed painting a portrait of Abbey on the second week of this pose.
21st March. The portrait class painting of Luke. This has extra random colours and splodges because I was painting over an old painting. I rather like the effect.
Tuesdays life class. I was really pleased with this 4 hr painting of the model, Abby. It's quite dynamic and loose yet reasonably accurate.
I've been working on this painting for a few weeks now, and I think I'm nearly there. I may yet soften the window frame a little so that the viewers eye is focused on the boy. I liked playing with a range of muted colours on what was essentially grey walls.
18th March. This is not quite finished as I'm not keen on the colour of her jumper. I'll probably mute it a little by using a glaze.
Annie. 7th March. Painted from life in about 4hrs. I was pleased with the overall mood of the picture as it's quite atmospheric...but that left arm..argh..It's looking very stiff and unnatural.
Amy baking. I loved the rich colours in this painting...but I think there's still a lot of adjustments to make. I'll probably fiddle with it for a few more weeks.
Henry, painted last Thursday in my portrait class. Again, I'm going for more of the subject in order to create a 'character'.I loved painting his thick muscular arms.
5th March. I'm going for a softer approach in this weeks life class.
27th Feb, life class. I've recently started painting nearly whole figures, but at a smaller scale as each brushstroke is more clearly visible. I liked the cool lights.
27th Feb. Amy in her fairy outfit...It seems fairy clothes are rather cold in winter so she has a thick winter woolie underneath!
6th Feb. this painting is unfinished. I thought I'd try scrubbing a thin layer of colour onto the canvas first , then develop the picture on top using thicker oil paints...its ok so far...I'll post an update when its finished.(If I don't wreck the thing!)
This was painted at my portrait class a couple of weeks ago. I tried a soft and sensitive style. The 2 paintings below were painted at the life class. Tues 5th Feb. They are or the same man, Martin. The first is the best likeness.
I was going for a more energetic and strong effect in these portraits.
Again I've gone for thicker paint, rich colours and obvious brush strokes. I love this approach, but I'm not entirely happy with the facial features, so I'm going to try again. If I like the end result I'll post it in a few days.
First life class of 2013. This picture's got all sorts of problems that I may be able to fix, but I liked it anyway for its softness and colour range.
Jan 20th 2013. Here's an oil painting version of Amy, same picture as I did in pastels not long ago. I enjoy trying different approaches to the same picture as it teaches me stuff. Like the fact that I prefer the versatility of oils,the sensitivity of the brushstrokes and the mood they create.
This is one of my favourite portraits because its painterly and strong. I painted it in oils at last weeks portrait class.
12th Dec. A rare pastel portrait. I find it harder to be loose and creative with pastels, but they do leave a soft and glowing image.
5th Dec. Art class. I've just moved round a little from last weeks pose.
28th November
I liked the splodgy brush strokes here.
18th October. I'm working on a pictue with a lovely evening light coming from behind. It still needs work but its nearly there.
2nd October. Jamie again from a different position. This one needs finishing off, but I quite like the more obvious brushstrokes in this version.
25th september. First week back at life classes after the long summer break. ..Its so much fun to be back!
Finished painting of Jamie. I was pleased by the strong lights and darks in this picture. It makes a strong image.
This is a portait of Tilly, painted last April on my course in Italy with Andrew James. It has finally arrived in the post as a rolled up canvas and has brought back happy memories of a blissful week.
2nd September. A portrait of Colette painted from life. She had wonderfully celtic colouring.
8th August. I haven't blogged for afew weeks because life got a bit busy for a while. Must try to do better! I surprised myself a couple of weeks ago by painting flowers (evening primrose) in a fluid painterly style. I've always struggled with still life and was quite pleased with this effort.
17th July. Here are six new pictures that I've been working on in the last couple of weeks since the life class stopped for the summer. Some are not quite finished...I spend weeks looking at them upside down and in the mirror..tweeking them here and there until I finally decide they're rubbish ..and throw them out! Well, I throw some out.
Oops, I didn't photograph this painting straight!
I was going for a subtle portrait here in shades of grey over a burnt sienna underpainting.
I think Amy's right hand is the best bit in this painting.
This is another painting of Amy in this lovely toddler stance. Iwas never happy with the background before , so this time I kept it simple and tried to emphasis the pose.
Lucy in her 'father christmas' hat, painted onto a hessian canvas.
I really enjoyed painting a portrait of Martin at Tuesday's life class( 3rd July). He has a strong but very expressive face that I tried to describe with colour and simple brush strokes that are left...not blended.
I've just remembered how much I like leaving part of the canvas unpainted.
28th June. This wasn't a great pose but I liked the painterly style. I'd like to try and keep more of the sketchy styleas seen in the bottom quarter of the painting.
I really love painting my grandkids...but I'm looking forward to getting back to life classes soon!
24th June. I think I've finished this painting of Amy and Joe watching TV.
Mick, painted at portrait class on 14th. He has an interesting face full of character.
17th June. I'm still working on the picture below this one, but meanwhile I've quickly done another portrait of Amy...I could paint this little face forever!
Yet another painting of Amy that I'm working on at home.I've photographed it at this early stage to show the scribbly underpainting stage. I'll put the finished version up when its done.
8th June. Second portrait of Bill painted in yesterdays portrait class.
This is a new sketchy oil painting that I'm working on....trying to catch the sunlight.
6th June. Finally, here's the finished version of Amy by the book shelves. I quite like the 'chunky' way paint is put on in some places.
The fabulous face of Bill, an opera singer.
2nd June. This is not the finished painting from the picture below...Its a sort of practise painting from a similar photo. I like having several goes at a picture...hopefully I'll finish the other painting soon, having learnt a few things from this one.
Recently I've started to work on the underpainting of a picture in far more detail. This is the stage in which I paint quickly and loosely with thinned oils. It allows me to plot the main colours and tones without getting too hung up on accuracy. Also you get some lovely glowing colours, interesting textures and crisp edges at this stage. The plan is to work into this surface with thicker oils, but to leave some of the lower layer showing in some places...I hope it works out.
Here's a painting that I'm still working on. I think the blues on the door need to be knocked back and made more neutral, the floor is unresolved and Amy's sleeve is too shapeless. If all goes well I'll put the finished picture up nextweek (or later)
Amy.
24th May...portrait class. i was attempting the 'whole picture' thing in just a couple of hours.
I hope my new paintings will have a fresh, and more painterly style.
13th November. I had the wonderful opportunity to paint this striking Japanese lady in a 2 hr portrait class...so I painted her twice! 
This second painting is only a 45 minute sketch on a painted board.
A second painting of Amy, done from a very similar photo to the one I worked from on the painting below. The hair didn't work out so well, but it did contain some interesting dribbles!
27th September. Time I got back to painting now that Autumn's here. This is a sketchy oil painting of Amy. I like the dashes and flicks of light that keep the painting lively while bringing the focus towards the eyes.- Done more by accident than design!
Mike, painted 30th June. I liked the scrubbed green background...it also looked good in the highlights of the face.
Joe...I can't resist those dribbles of paint.
16th May, at the portrait class. Tony...he's got great eyebrows!
Amy, in that hat again.
Zoe, a lovely redhead. I think this picture needs more work on the background and blouse.
I painted this portrait in the morning when there was a lot of cool lights coming through the window. I liked the sketchyness of this picture.
A quick portrait of John painted in the afternoon. 
22nd April. John, painted at my Tuesday life class. I'm still exploring an approach that involves lots of loose sketchy lines in the underpainting. This gives energy and liveliness to the finished picture...I hope.
and it's Jack again. This time I painted him on an old canvas that had random areas of red and green already on the surface. It made for quite a 'rich' warm finish.
This was my second painting of Jack. As you can see, he's a wonderful subject.
Jack. Painted 11th April. I was going for a scribbly style..part drawing , part painting, in order to capture the sensitivity of Jack's face.
Patterns of sunshine.
Two of my favourite people.
9th April, Abbey's back...in a new pose. I tried to focus on the head and chest area as this is where the light fell most strongly. 
I really enjoyed painting a portrait of Abbey on the second week of this pose.
21st March. The portrait class painting of Luke. This has extra random colours and splodges because I was painting over an old painting. I rather like the effect.
Tuesdays life class. I was really pleased with this 4 hr painting of the model, Abby. It's quite dynamic and loose yet reasonably accurate.
I've been working on this painting for a few weeks now, and I think I'm nearly there. I may yet soften the window frame a little so that the viewers eye is focused on the boy. I liked playing with a range of muted colours on what was essentially grey walls.
18th March. This is not quite finished as I'm not keen on the colour of her jumper. I'll probably mute it a little by using a glaze. 
Annie. 7th March. Painted from life in about 4hrs. I was pleased with the overall mood of the picture as it's quite atmospheric...but that left arm..argh..It's looking very stiff and unnatural.
Amy baking. I loved the rich colours in this painting...but I think there's still a lot of adjustments to make. I'll probably fiddle with it for a few more weeks.
Henry, painted last Thursday in my portrait class. Again, I'm going for more of the subject in order to create a 'character'.I loved painting his thick muscular arms.
5th March. I'm going for a softer approach in this weeks life class.
27th Feb, life class. I've recently started painting nearly whole figures, but at a smaller scale as each brushstroke is more clearly visible. I liked the cool lights.
27th Feb. Amy in her fairy outfit...It seems fairy clothes are rather cold in winter so she has a thick winter woolie underneath! 
6th Feb. this painting is unfinished. I thought I'd try scrubbing a thin layer of colour onto the canvas first , then develop the picture on top using thicker oil paints...its ok so far...I'll post an update when its finished.(If I don't wreck the thing!)
This was painted at my portrait class a couple of weeks ago. I tried a soft and sensitive style. The 2 paintings below were painted at the life class. Tues 5th Feb. They are or the same man, Martin. The first is the best likeness.
I was going for a more energetic and strong effect in these portraits.
Again I've gone for thicker paint, rich colours and obvious brush strokes. I love this approach, but I'm not entirely happy with the facial features, so I'm going to try again. If I like the end result I'll post it in a few days.
First life class of 2013. This picture's got all sorts of problems that I may be able to fix, but I liked it anyway for its softness and colour range.
Jan 20th 2013. Here's an oil painting version of Amy, same picture as I did in pastels not long ago. I enjoy trying different approaches to the same picture as it teaches me stuff. Like the fact that I prefer the versatility of oils,the sensitivity of the brushstrokes and the mood they create.
This is one of my favourite portraits because its painterly and strong. I painted it in oils at last weeks portrait class.
12th Dec. A rare pastel portrait. I find it harder to be loose and creative with pastels, but they do leave a soft and glowing image.
Our Amy, in the evening light.
5th Dec. Art class. I've just moved round a little from last weeks pose.
28th November
I liked the splodgy brush strokes here.
18th October. I'm working on a pictue with a lovely evening light coming from behind. It still needs work but its nearly there.
2nd October. Jamie again from a different position. This one needs finishing off, but I quite like the more obvious brushstrokes in this version.
25th september. First week back at life classes after the long summer break. ..Its so much fun to be back!
Finished painting of Jamie. I was pleased by the strong lights and darks in this picture. It makes a strong image.
This is a portait of Tilly, painted last April on my course in Italy with Andrew James. It has finally arrived in the post as a rolled up canvas and has brought back happy memories of a blissful week.
2nd September. A portrait of Colette painted from life. She had wonderfully celtic colouring.
8th August. I haven't blogged for afew weeks because life got a bit busy for a while. Must try to do better! I surprised myself a couple of weeks ago by painting flowers (evening primrose) in a fluid painterly style. I've always struggled with still life and was quite pleased with this effort.
17th July. Here are six new pictures that I've been working on in the last couple of weeks since the life class stopped for the summer. Some are not quite finished...I spend weeks looking at them upside down and in the mirror..tweeking them here and there until I finally decide they're rubbish ..and throw them out! Well, I throw some out.
Oops, I didn't photograph this painting straight! 
I was going for a subtle portrait here in shades of grey over a burnt sienna underpainting.
I think Amy's right hand is the best bit in this painting.
This is another painting of Amy in this lovely toddler stance. Iwas never happy with the background before , so this time I kept it simple and tried to emphasis the pose.
Lucy in her 'father christmas' hat, painted onto a hessian canvas.
I really enjoyed painting a portrait of Martin at Tuesday's life class( 3rd July). He has a strong but very expressive face that I tried to describe with colour and simple brush strokes that are left...not blended.
I've just remembered how much I like leaving part of the canvas unpainted.
28th June. This wasn't a great pose but I liked the painterly style. I'd like to try and keep more of the sketchy styleas seen in the bottom quarter of the painting.
I really love painting my grandkids...but I'm looking forward to getting back to life classes soon!
24th June. I think I've finished this painting of Amy and Joe watching TV.
Mick, painted at portrait class on 14th. He has an interesting face full of character.
17th June. I'm still working on the picture below this one, but meanwhile I've quickly done another portrait of Amy...I could paint this little face forever!
Yet another painting of Amy that I'm working on at home.I've photographed it at this early stage to show the scribbly underpainting stage. I'll put the finished version up when its done.
8th June. Second portrait of Bill painted in yesterdays portrait class.
This is a new sketchy oil painting that I'm working on....trying to catch the sunlight.
6th June. Finally, here's the finished version of Amy by the book shelves. I quite like the 'chunky' way paint is put on in some places.
Here's the new improved version of Amy ( see old version below)
The fabulous face of Bill, an opera singer.
2nd June. This is not the finished painting from the picture below...Its a sort of practise painting from a similar photo. I like having several goes at a picture...hopefully I'll finish the other painting soon, having learnt a few things from this one.
Recently I've started to work on the underpainting of a picture in far more detail. This is the stage in which I paint quickly and loosely with thinned oils. It allows me to plot the main colours and tones without getting too hung up on accuracy. Also you get some lovely glowing colours, interesting textures and crisp edges at this stage. The plan is to work into this surface with thicker oils, but to leave some of the lower layer showing in some places...I hope it works out.
Here's a painting that I'm still working on. I think the blues on the door need to be knocked back and made more neutral, the floor is unresolved and Amy's sleeve is too shapeless. If all goes well I'll put the finished picture up nextweek (or later)
Amy.
24th May...portrait class. i was attempting the 'whole picture' thing in just a couple of hours.
22nd May. At home I've been trying to develop 'whole paintings', not just quick oil sketches. It means I have to concentrate more on balance of colour, tone and design. It only seems to work for me if I splash around with big, painterly brush strokes.
Tuesday life class 16th May. This is part of an experimental painting that I tried last Tuesday (you've got to play haven't you.) The idea was to do a very simple tonal oil painting based on a quite dramatic charcoal sketch that I drew initially. I wanted to pick out the light on her face, and running down her right arm and across to the left hand. (the full picture is below). Unfortunately, the whole stomache area was left looking strangely underdescribed...yet if I painted it in, it detracted from the overall concept. It had worked so well in charcoal!
10th May. I went for the side view this time as it was such a lovely shape. It was painted in about 3 hours.
Painted at portrait class, 3rd May. I think that this painting is not quite finished. The mouth needs a couple of darker brush marks, and the area around the mouth needs a little attention. Otherwise I'm pleased with the style, particularly the strong darks around the eye area.
Painted at portrait class 26th April.
Amy's hat
I like the way this painting of Amy has many 'blocked' areas of shape and colour that break up the image, especially as they go further into the background.
This painting was on my old post without the background. I'm trying to develop a better sense of design in my work...I always get excited about the face and forget the whole painting.
