You are here: Home

Great North Museum, Hancock

by on March 31, 2012 in Exhibitions, Latest News

Mural Hancock Museum

Alan Reed & Mural at Hancock Museum 1984

April 26th will see a return for me to the Great North Museum, Hancock for the Tait Walker Art Exhibition in support of the Tiny Lives Fund.

It will a trip down memory lane for me as I used to work part time at the Hancock Museum 1983-1984 as part of the design team which worked on the various displays. The main project that we worked on was the backdrop to Abel’s Ark, a large wooden ark which had the heads of various big game animals which Abel Chapman, a local businessman and skilled artist who had a passion for hunting and natural history. He had amassed a significant collection of animals which he left in his will to the Hancock Museum when he died in 1929. For many years these heads had been shown in rather traditional glass display cases but it was decided back in the early 1980′s to have the heads sticking out of the portholes of the newly built Abel’s Ark. That way, visiting children would naturally assume that the rest of the animal was inside the ark.

I spent several weeks coming up with a design for the mural which was a jungle book scene painted with emulsion paints. As part of my research I even went to the cinema to see a showing of Walt Disney’s Jungle Book. Not long after the contract finished to paint the mural, I decided to go full time as a self employed artist and the rest, as they say, is history.

The next item of text is taken from the flier produced by Tait Walker to promote the event:

On Thursday 26th April, Tait Walker are holding an exhibition of work from around twenty local artists and photographers at The Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle. Tickets are £10, which includes nibbles and a welcome drink at 7pm.  Throughout the evening, there will be the chance to buy the paintings and photographs, as well as a silent auction and raffle being held.  The caricaturist, John Coward, will also be available to draw you a personal memento of the evening!

The event is part of the Tait Walker 75 Years fundraising calendar, where we are aiming to raise £75,000 for local charities.  All proceeds from the night, including a percentage of picture sales, will go to Tiny Lives – a charity for special care babies based at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Tickets can be purchased by calling Claire Blake on 0191 285 0321.  If you aren’t able to make the event, but would like to make a donation, we have set up a Just Giving page at  http://www.justgiving.com/TWArt-in-April

 

Comments { 0 }

Flatiron Building

by on March 31, 2012 in Limited Edition Prints

Flatiron Building

Flatiron Building

The Flatiron Building was originally called the Fuller Building and was one of the tallest buildings in the world when it was completed in 1902. Today it is dwarfed by the surrounding skyscrapers but its distinctive shape gives it an almost aerodynamic feel. The name “Flatiron” comes from its resemblance to an old clothes iron. I was drawn towards its stunning slender wedge shape when I visited New York in 2008 and painted a small sketchbook watercolour at street level of this ground breaking skyscraper.

Back in the studio I painted an A5 watercolour from the sketchbook study and my own photographs and reproduced it as an A4 limited edition print. As I’m writing this blog post, a customer called in to my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland to collect a framed copy he had ordered of my other print of New York titled New York, Dusk and is delighted with it.

Comments { 0 }

Paintings of the Tyne Bridge

by on March 30, 2012 in Limited Edition Prints, North East Prints

Quayside Morning Mist

Quayside Morning Mist

Paintings of the Tyne Bridge have always been on demand and I’m always on the lookout for a different angle. This particular view titled Quayside, Morning Mist was inspired from seeing the Tyne Bridge one morning after a business breakfast meeting at the Slug & Lettuce. The morning had started off dull, dim, dark and damp but by the time I had left the meeting, the sun had begun to filter through the early morning mist, it’s rays bursting through the iconic structure of the magnificant Tyne Bridge.

The light was changing rapidly so there was no way I was going to be able to paint on location. I took a number of photographs and along with previous sketches made on Newcastle’s Quayside, I was able to do this A4 studio watercolour on hand made deckled edged paper. I deliberately kept my palatte simple to create extra mood and atmosphere with just a tiny dot of red for the traffic light on the left.

The painting has been reproduced as a limited edition print and has proved to be very popular, available both online and from my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland.

Comments { 0 }

Kidney Transplant

by on March 28, 2012 in Original Watercolours

Millennium Bridge, Rain's Past

Millennium Bridge, Rain's Past

In the autumn of 2006 Susan and I were filmed by the BBC for Songs of Praise to be shown on bonfire night. The programme was being broadcast from the CastleGate, the home of City Church Newcastle which Susan and I have strong links with. Songs of Praise wanted to interview several people from the church who had interesting life changing stories and they asked if we would share our story about how I gave one of my kidneys to Susan back in 2001. Susan had been going into renal failure through polycystic kidney disease. I was tested along with Susan’s mother,to see if either one of our kidneys would be a match, and remarkably mine was. Usually live donors are family members and because of Susan’s tissue type, the chances of receiving a kidney from a dead donor in the UK would have only been about 3%. A husband/wife donation is much more unusual. The operation took place on 27th June 2001 and has been a total success without any rejection. I commented on the programme the words of Jesus Christ on marriage and what I had said to the surgeon after the operation:

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh”? “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate”. Matthew 19:5-6

I said to the surgeon who had operated on me that the kidney would not reject because it became “one flesh” with Susan when we married each other.

Part of the filming took place on Newcastle’s Quayside and they asked me to do some painting on location. I decided to do this view of the Millennium Bridge which I tackled in one of my sketchbooks. The result was quite pleasing so I decided to do this larger 16″ x 12″ studio watercolour which depicts the bridge highlighted against the backdrop of a sky heavy laden with rain clouds. I think we were spared a heavy downpour during the filming, hence the title “Rain’s Past”!

The original watercolour can be seen  at my Spring Exhibition at my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland.

Comments { 0 }

St Mark’s Square, Afternoon Sunlight

by on March 27, 2012 in Italy Prints and Originals, Limited Edition Prints

St Mark's Square, Afternoon Sunlight, Venice

St Mark

St Mark’s Square in Venice holds very special memories for my wife and I as it was in the Basilica that Susan gave her life to God over 25 years ago. She had a dramatic conversion to Christianity which transformed her life from one of hopelessness and despair to one of peace, joy and faith in Jesus Christ. Whenever we go to Venice, we like to reflect on that pivotal point in Susan’s life and reflect on the amazing things that God has done in our lives since that day of new birth.

So it goes without saying that I’ve painted St Mark’s Square on more than one occasion, both on location and in my studio. This particular scene is an A4 studio painting based on a smaller sketchbook watercolour which I’ve published as a limited edition print with only 45 in the edition. The original was given to my youngest granddaughter Anya when she was first born, “my first watercolour”.

Other paintings of Italy can be seen in my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland and on my website www.alanreed.com

Comments { 0 }

New York, Dusk

by on March 26, 2012 in Limited Edition Prints

New York, Dusk

New York, Dusk

I love New York. It’s a slogan that is often seen on baseball caps and tee shirts but one visit is all it takes to fall in love with this incredible city. We spent a memorable three days in New York exactly four years ago and I had great fun painting various sights in watercolour in my small leather-bound sketchbook. Probably the best view of the city is from the “Top of the Rock”, the viewing platform at the top of the Rockefeller Centre in mid town Manhattan. From there you get stunning views of Central Park in one direction and the Empire State Building in the other.

I was so impressed with the views that I made two visits, one around lunchtime when I did a sketchbook study. The other was early evening where we were able to enjoy the fading hours of daylight and see the artificial man made lights flicker on across the cityscape bringing a completely different feel to the vista before us. I did a small A5 watercolour in the studio based on the reference I obtained, keeping the brush marks and the palette quite simple so as not to get bogged down with too much detail. From this painting I published an A4 limited edition print which you can see at my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland, along with the original watercolour.

Comments { 0 }

Ravello

by on March 24, 2012 in Italy Prints and Originals, Limited Edition Prints

Ravello

Ravello

The Amalfi coast is a spectacular area of dramatic scenery. I’ve only been the one time which was for a week back in 2003 but I was inspired to do a number of sketchbook watercolours and this limited edition print of Ravello.

I have vivid memories of the brief trip we made to this small town perched high above the distant sea below. We had spent the morning getting to  Amalfi by boat so by the time we arrived at 12:45pm the shops had closed for lunch. It was 2:30 before we boarded a small bus that took us up the rather perilous road to Ravello. I quickly found this iconic view of the tree in the beautiful gardens of Villa Rufolo which is often a venue for wedding photographs. Indeed, we actually saw a newly wed couple being photographed in the grounds. After gathering some suitable reference material we took an even more memorable bus trip back to Amalfi.

The heavens had opened, so we were packed into the tiny bus like sardines. The rain was gushing down the 5 km of bending road like a Scottish river in full spate and the wipers seemed to have little effect in making the driver’s view clearer. In fact, the driver was oblivious to the conditions as there was a very attractive young blond lady standing almost on top of him and he was more concerned about holding a conversation with her than keeping his eyes on the road. Twenty minutes later, I was relieved to be back to sea level in Amalfi. Almost as quickly as the heavens had opened, the sun came out and we were able to take a rather more pleasurable journey by foot to the oldest paper mill in Italy, famous for its hand made paper. I purchased some and was also given several sheets of imperfect paper from the museum on which I later painted  a scene of Rome’s Colosseum.

Back in my studio I produced two original watercolours of Ravello, one of which I reproduced as this limited edition print. It can be purchased online or from my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland.

Comments { 0 }

Tyne Bridges, Summer Sunset

by on March 23, 2012 in Limited Edition Prints, North East Prints

Tyne Bridges, Summer Sunset

Tyne Bridges, Summer Sunset

Paintings of the Tyne Bridges have always been very popular. Rarely does a week go by without me selling a limited edition print depicting a view of Newcastle’s Quayside showing one or more of its famous bridges. The Quayside itself has some stunning architecture, so it’s not difficult to find some inspirational aspect to paint. Also, it’s an area which has seen massive changes, particularly over the last twenty years, so even the paintings I have done over my 27 years as a full time artist have become historical.

This watercolour was sold recently from my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland and shows some of the newer additions to the River Tyne, in particular the Sage and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. In the background you have the Tyne Bridge, High Level Bridge and indications of some of the other more distant bridges, all of which are set against the backdrop of a summer sunset. I love the interplay of curves which combine to link the old with the new which is one of the reasons why I decided to publish it as a limited edition print.

Comments { 0 }

Invest in Art

by on March 14, 2012 in Latest News, Original Watercolours

Corso Palladio, Vicenza

Corso Palladio, Vicenza

Rarely does a week go past without one of my customers commenting about the value of their paintings and often they joke about their “Alan Reed” original being worth a fortune once I’m dead! Joking aside, it does raise the question, should one invest in art, and if so, whose art should one buy?

The truth is, not every artist’s work will be worth more money once they are dead, after all, what one generation finds appealing and popular, the next generation may find it ghastly. Conversely, paintings by artists like Van Gogh who hardly had any success when they were alive, are now way beyond the reach of the average collector.

It is also possible to buy art from a living artist at the start of their career and see it soar in value, even during their own lifetime. A good example of this is Jack Vettriano. One of my clients bought two of Jack’s paintings when he first started off for only a few thousand pounds. He later auctioned them several years ago for over a hundred thousand pounds!

Buying paintings by artists who are dead can often be a sound investment. I recall seeing a delightful watercolour of Venice by Edward Seago at a gallery in London for around £8,000 back in 1994. I had only been married for a year and it was just a little out of my reach at the time. A similar Edward Seago watercolour of Venice would now set you back £20-30,000 and I suspect that his prices will continue to rise.

However, the value of art is effected by a multitude of varying factors, so investing, like most investments, can never be an exact science. Buying from a reputable dealer and seeking expert professional advice is usually a safe guard from making a bad purchase, but even then, I’ve seen forgeries that have deceived the dealers expert eye. One of my clients bought an original watercolour signed W. Russell Flint from an auctioneer that was never in a million years painted by Sir William Russell Flint who died in 1969. I’ve also seen paintings being passed off as an “Edward Seago” that were clearly not painted by the great British artist who died in 1974.

The upside is that investing in art, particularly modern art, has been a huge success in the last couple of decades according to experts. Buying from a living artist means that you know the art is likely to be genuine. Finding an artist to invest in is just the first part of the challenge. Investors and collectors need to know that the artist has talent and staying power. The artist’s commitment to their practise is of paramount importance. I’ve seen a number of artists burst onto the scene only to disappear after a few years, unable to make a living. You need to ask questions about their background, training and how they are progressing in terms of their ability, creativity and success before purchasing for investment purposes. Also look for an artist that has an identifiable style that is developing and improving.

Over the last few years I’ve made my own modest acquisitions using some of the criteria mentioned above but with one underlying philosophy. I like to buy a painting that looks good on my wall which I can enjoy every time I look at it. If it goes up in value, then that is an added bonus.

Comments { 0 }

Spanish Gypsy Dancer by John Singer Sargent

by on March 13, 2012 in Favourite Artists

Spanish Gypsy Dancer by John Singer Sargent

Alan Reed's copy of Spanish Gypsy Dancer by John Singer Sargent

Last week I was hand delivering an original painting in Glasgow. I decided to check out a couple of paintings by John Singer Sargent which are part of the Glasgow Museum‘s collection, Mrs George Batten singing and Sir David Richmond. Both are outstanding portraits, very much typical of Sargent’s repetoire. Seeing them close up gave me a deeper appreciation of his expressive brush strokes and masterful use of a limited palatte. I hope to feature these paintings in a future blog post about Sargent’s work but for now I’ve decided to feature a recent oil painting study I made of John Singer Sargent’s Spanish Gypsy Dancer.

There are two know versions of this sketch by Sargent, both of which can be seen in the magnificent book “John Singer Sargent, Figures and Landscapes 1874-1882″ by Richard Ormond and Elaine Kilmurray. I decided to make an observational oil painting study of the less finished of the two paintings, both of which were approximately 18″ x 11″. I painted mine slightly smaller, oil on board, using a similar limited palette to Sargent and the same observational methods. Sargent himself was known to have made his own copies of several of the great masters including Velazquez and Frans Hals. It’s a very helpful way to help discover the painting techniques that some of the finest painters have used which one can then adapt on one’s own pieces. Very little has been written about Sargent’s painting methods, however by looking closely at his brush marks and reading some of the sitting accounts written by his clients, one can get a good idea of how he worked. I will elaborate on this when I have more of my own examples to explain more clearly.

Comments { 0 }
← Older posts
Newer posts →