A friend is leaving soon for the States to check out the birth places of his blues heroes. So I gave him a moleskin travel journal and added these pencil drawings!

Montpellier Wine Bar, Cheltenham evening. Watercolour and ink.

The trees in winter in Cheltenham Town UK. Watercolour and ink. 

Always lovely to see one of my paintings on the cover of Limited Edition magazine. This was done in Indian ink. I seem only to be painting trees at the moment!

A new painting of the lake at Blenheim inspired by the recent snowfalls. The park is amazing in the winter but looking forward to painting some spring views now. It’s been cold for too long!

HERE COMES THE SUN

I’ve posted this before but the wonderful sunlight this morning puts me in mind of this painting again… ‘it’s been a long cold lonely winter’

Am currently planning a new series of Oxford watercolour paintings for a publisher of limited edition prints.

A view through the trees in Blenheim Park, across the lake towards the palace beyond.

Sticking with Indian ink for now, I love the intensity of black that it provides. These trees are magnificent and a real joy to paint. Earlier in this blog you can see my summer paintings of the same trees. They are even more striking in the winter with their exposed bones!

These incredible exposed roots are a familiar sight to anyone who walks around the lake at Blenheim Palace. I have been meaning to sketch them for a long time – this was done in Indian ink using salt to achieve some of the textures on the ground.

Today’s painting – mainly watercolour and ink.

A couple of shots featuring paintings I supplied to a luxury hotel in The Cotswolds UK. I think the contemporary abstract style works beautifully in such a traditional wooden panelled setting. They have 23 of my paintings displayed throughout the hotel, along with work by two other artists. A great commission!

The Wood Norton Hotel has just reopened and has been beautifully restored by its new owners. If you are in the area, check it out as it’s amazing! http://thewoodnorton.com

A quick ink sketch of the gates to Blenheim palace.

Finished this today, painted largely from memory but based on a view across Blenheim lake looking towards Woodstock. The birds at this time of year are incredible.