#157 ‘The River Wey, Farncombe’ 12×12″
A beautiful morning, with a hard frost. I was out with the Surrey Hills Plein Air Painters. A lot of us gathered around to paint this subject. I enjoyed painting with others, and seeing their results of the same subject.I was attracted to the winding path, frosty...
#156 ‘Tower House, Portsmouth Harbour’ 8×20″
Painted this a couple of days ago in the city I used to live in. It was a good spot on top of the Round Tower (a fort built from the 1490's) being eye level with the big boats going in and out. I also heard a honking it was swan flapping by right near my head!I chose...
#155 ‘The First Snow, Bramshott Common’ 12×12″
Having painting in the morning I went home for sustenance and to warm my hands then straight out again as the snow was melting fast! We are at a high point in the area so I walked over to this common. I was lucky to find a patch of snow which was north facing and...
#154 ‘The Look out, Devils Punch Bowl’ 11.5×16.5″
So excited to see the first snow of the season! I was out early by 8am to catch the sunrise colours, which were too fleeting to paint but photographed for another time.The Devils Punch Bowl is a National Trust area. I have painted it several times before but first...
Life Drawing no.1
Decided to go back to life drawing. I haven't done any for over 5 years and before that it was sporadic. I thought it would help my observation skills and drawing for painting. I had forgotten how tough it is! So intense and focused, really enjoyed it though. A...
#153 Morning Light, Staithes 8×8″
I mentioned a few posts back that I had the lurgie and I still getting over bronchitis and don't feel up to painting outside so I looked through my sketchbooks to find a pen and ink I did in Staithes June last year. (see pic below)Painting from a photo is tricky as...
Pears Speed Painting
These look relatively simple to do but they're not! They take a lot of focus and drive to get them done and observed in the 10 minute time. They are still a mini painting even though they are small. They are 3x3" squares I tried apples and jugs last week.It's to help...
#152 Low Tide, Langstone Harbour 9.5×12″
I painted this yesterday out in Lansgtone harbour, similar area to painting no.147It was bitterly cold with a north wind blasting me. My hands were numb before I even started! I had gloves and hand warmers but it wasn't enough. I haven't painted plein air in a...
#151 1936 Daimler
A long break without posting, due to lots of family and friends descending over Christmas plus I've have had the lurgie again!It's surprising how tricky it was to paint this! It was a commission, for a father of a bride this year (who you can see in the car) and given...
Speed Work & RBA
I have my sister here from South Africa at the moment but managed to do some painting over the last few days.But first I want to say thank you for the lovely comments & emails I've had for my new website thank you!! Really pleased.It's funny how things I set for...
New website launched today!
www.clarebowen.co.ukSo excited to get this new website out there! Been working on it for about a month with an excellent web designer called Danny Fontaine (Fontaine Web Design) I highly recommend him. I wanted a site that would really show case my paintings....
#150 ‘The Barns, Surrey Hills’ 8×12″
This is the same area as the previous Surrey Hills painting I did (it's near Compton.) Although this one I traipsed down a steep hill to get this view. I made the mistake of arriving too early I got there at 7am it was still pitch black! If it's overcast then I...
#149 ‘View From Lambeth Bridge’ 9.5×12″
I went to see the Royal Institute of Oil Painters exhibiting at the Mall Galleries and combined it with an early morning paint on the Thames.A very grey day with a fine drizzle but still enjoyed it. So much hub-bub being on a busy bridge, very different to painting on...
#148 ‘Frosty Morning, Surrey Hills’ 8×19.5″
I painted most of this last Tuesday outside in a very cold field and then I was struck with a nasty bout of lurgie 🙁 feeling much better now and raring to paint again!A bigger board which allowed for a bigger scale and freer brush marks. The colours were mainly...
#147 Sunrise, Langstone Harbour 9.5×12″
Loved painting this! The sweeping shape of the mud flats and gorgeous light. I haven't painting the sun en plein air before. I had to be quick as it's dangerous to look straight at it, so once it peeked over the trees I tried to capture the glow, difficult with the...
#146 The Barn, Woolfords Farm 9.5×12″
This is not a subject I would usually tackle. But I really enjoyed it. I have, with 8 other people started a group called The Surrey Hills Plein Air Painters and this farm was our first outing 🙂 I usually paint alone so it was really nice to paint with others....
#145 Winter, Hayling Island Beach 9.5×12″
During the past week I have been working on a commission, I can't post it yet as it's a Christmas present. I have also been working along side a website designer for my new website, very excited, it's looking good and can't wait to launch it soon. I will continue...
#144 ‘Margate Harbour’ 8×10″
This is the one I started last weekend in Margate with artist Michael. We trooped across mud and seaweed sinking and squelching. We were quite a distance from the slipway. Setting up our gear right next to the fishing boats and used them as tables. Standing...
#143 ‘South Parade Pier, Southsea’ 6×15.5″
I used to see this view every day as lived across the road and it's where I walked my dog and ran along the seafront. I lived in Southsea (Hampshire) for 11 years, so I am familiar with the pier. I have painted it a few times but never en plein air. Being a...
Charity ‘Pop Up’ Exhibition
Today I did a one day exhibition of my paintings for a friend and student of mine Kim. She held it in her home with a coffee morning in aid of the local cancer hospice (Phyllis Tuckwell.) I took all of Kim's paintings down and put up mine! They suited her lovely...
#142 ‘Margate Beach’ 10×12″
I had a really great day painting with Artist Michael Richardson over in Kent. It was bitterly cold with a north wind blasting us. But we managed two paintings this was the second. The first is half done because we were chased off the mud flat as the tide flew in!This...
#141 ‘Boats on The Beck, Staithes’ 8×8″
I have painted a similar view on the last trip to Staithes in July (#87) I wanted to try again on our recent visit......When I got back to the cottage I was happy with it. The format was wrong for the composition and the paint application wasn't what I wanted. I...
Oil Painting Workshop Results
The first set of paintings were done on Tuesday by my Farnham class, we worked on tonal values using just two colours of Raw Umber and White. We made a strip of 7 graduated tones from light to dark trying to keep each step as even as possible. Squinting eyes to...
#140 Autumn Reflections, Blea Tarn 12×12″
When we arrived at this small lake it was still and so perfect looking it seamed almost to good to paint! I hesitated for a bit unsure as to whether I could do it justice. But then what the heck....and had a go. I wanted to try a bigger square format my previous...
#139 ‘Mist on Lake Windermere’ 6×15.5″
A beautiful and still morning on Lake Windermere. It was frosty, zero degrees and very cold hands and feet, but I didn't really notice until I finished as I really enjoyed painting this scene of soft light and pastel colours. Initially I was waiting for the mist...
#138 ‘Lake Windermere’ 8×10″
We are back now from our vist to the Lakes & Staithes. Really enjoable trip painting such amazing places and so it was a very productive 8 days! Lots to post on here... It was difficult to post while I was away as we were out for long days in the Lakes making the...
#137 ‘Sunrise, Staithes Beach’ 9.5×12″
This is the last sunrise from Staithes, I have enjoyed painting at this quiet time of the day and capturing the beautiful colours which are so quick to disappear. I have been experimenting with thicker paint, and not doing an under painting to start, just doing...
#136 Sunrise The Beck, Staithes 9.5×12″
Another windy morning but lucky with the rain and had some great fluffy clouds. I really enjoyed painting the sky, a real test of observation under limited time.I had to strap my pochard to the railings as the wind would blow it over and difficult to do any detail as...
#135 ‘Sunrise, Staithes Harbour’ 8×10″
Haven't posted in a few days as I was prepping for an eight day painting trip we are now on. My husband and I are away in North Yorkshire Staithes, a small fishing village I previously visited in the summer. It's a really inspiring place and everywhere you look is...
#134 ‘Gladioli’ 12×24″
Having made a detailed study drawing of gladioli in charcoal (posted Sept 28th) I wanted to have a bash in paint. Couldn't get the same colour which was deep pink but these orange-red were still very vibrant and lovely to paint. I put in the dark tones first...
#133 ‘Lyme Regis Harbour’ 9.5×12″
This was the final painting I did in Lyme. Absolutely loved painting the fishing boat, and emphasised it in the composition and the detail which I included. I spent 3 hours on site painting and was exhausted afterwards, a really complex subject but the sort of thing I...
#132 ‘Charmouth Beach, Dorset’ 6×15.5″
Charmouth is just a couple of miles from Lyme Regis, the cliff in the middle distance is called Golden Cap and is the highest point on the South Coast, it's completely flat on the top.I watched an inspiring plein air painting DVD by Richard Pikesley and he was...
#131 ‘Sunrise, Lyme Regis’ 8×10″
This weekend Husband and I had a whistle stop trip to Lyme Regis on the Dorset Coast. We only spent 26 hours there but enough to explore and do 3 paintings :-)This was actually the second painting, I want to revisit the first tomorrow and then post it.Gorgeous, calm...
#130 ‘Rainy Day, Victoria Embankment’ 9.5×12″
This was the painting I started last weekend outside in London. It was a complex subject and good size painting to tackle en plein air and in the rain! See pic below.I used my 'Best Brella' for the first time and it was a boon! I couldn't have painted otherwise...
#129 ‘The Bridge, Waggoners Wells’ 9.5×12″
A beautiful sunny day and great to be out painting again for the 3rd day in a row! I previously painted this bridge and trees from the other side on the 18th September no.124. The leaves are just turning and the ones one the ground are orange, which I made full use of...
#128 ‘Surrey Hills’ 6×15.5″
Lovely light on the morning hills, really blue and pale. I used a new wood panel by Gerstaeker called Tintoretto, I had prepared it with three layers of acrylic gesso, and it was really nice to work on, the paint glided but didn't sink into it. No need to frame...
‘Gladioli’ 20×30″
I fancied getting my teeth stuck into a large (nearly life size, A1) charcoal drawing. We had these flowers which were on their way out but still great shapes. I used a fat charcoal stick for most of it which was like a paint brush I wanted it to be bold but...
#127 ‘Leaving the Harbour 2’ 7×9.5″
This is the same subject as yesterday but I experimented with different combinations - a warmer blue, Ultramarine base. Paint thickness, putting it on in thick strokes, no medium to thin it. Letting some of the dark tone underapitnign show. This was the...
#126 ‘Leaving the Harbour’ 7×9.5″
This weekend I was planning on going to 'Brush with the Broads' its a plein air painting festival on the Norfolk Broads. I had to cancel as my dog is very poorly again with an eye ulcer and has gone blind ( I really hope it’s temporary) with administering eye drops...
#125 ‘Sunrise, Frensham Pond’ 8×10″
An early start, the sunrise came up opposite this view and only just tinged the scene in colours. The pond was very quiet apart from the coots and more hens and occasional dog walker. It such a great way to start the day, next to the water and totally focused on the...
#124 ‘Wagoners Wells’ 8×10″
This National Trust beauty spot in Hampshire, is just down the road from us. I had the idea to paint here as I did a sketch of it in March:I adapted the view as I love the big trees in foreground.I had limited time to paint it which worked well as I didn't fuss with...
#123 ‘Sunrise, Bosham’ 9.5×12″
I had planned the night before that I wanted to be in Bosham for sunrise I left at 5am but arrived and it was still dark, I held off setting up as I couldn't see the view! I put my easel right next to the water as it was the best view. I thought the tide was at...
#122 ‘Red Door, Haslemere’ 8×8″
I have been saving this painting to post, as I did it during a painting day with Haslemere art society a few weeks ago. I've only just joined them, a friendly bunch, and I am in their annual exhibition starting Saturday at Haselmere Museum.I made the mistake of liking...
First Round ROI!
As I said in the previous blog I entered some paintings into the Royal Institute of Oil Painters at the Mall Galleries London. I have managed to get the above 2 through the first round, sooooo pleased and feel like I'm on the right track with my work.All things...
#121 ‘Race Day, Frensham Pond’ 7×9.5″
I've had a few days break form painting. But still really busy lesson planning for start of teaching next week, we are doing some landscape painting which will be fun to teach. Also framing work ready for 3 exhibitions coming up. One locally with Haslemere Art Society...
#120 ‘Tide Receding’ 8×10″
I wanted to get back into painting after our trip as soon as I could, as it would be easy to not get back into the swing of it. I was wondering along looking for subject matter and this boat was next to Slipper Mill Pond in Emsworth. I like the shape of the boat...
#119 ‘Icebergs, Jokulsarlon Iceland 4’ 8×8″
We went further around the lagoon and these icebergs jumped out at me, also with the glacier behind.It started spitting but being my final chance to paint in Iceland I grabbed it. Sadly within in 15 minutes it was pouring and I had to blow on my board to clear a patch...
#118 ‘Icebergs, Jokulsarlon Iceland 3’ 8×8″
Due to the tides and flow of water the icebergs shift a lot each day some of them end up out of the lagoon and into the sea, so when we returned the next morning (Monday) it looked completely different and I found it harder to find one I liked so I painted a...
#117 ‘Icebergs Jokulsarlon, Iceland 2’ 9×12″
This was my second painting yesterday and my largest 'plein air' to date. Same Iceberg as the morning but different angle and lower down on the lagoon which allowed for a great reflection.I started the same way with thin translucent paint and even let it run down...
#116 ‘Icelbergs Jokulsarlon, Iceland’ 8×10″
Seeing all the icebergs and glaciers have a real wow factor with gorgeous blues and infinite shapes of bergs. Knowing I wanted to paint I felt a bit in awe of the place, where to start, how to paint it all? So I didn't paint the day we arrived, I needed to absorb...
My plein air experiences, insights, battles and painting life blogged as often as I can.
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