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Charity Christmas Cards

by on May 9, 2012 in Latest News, What's on the Drawing Board

Theatre Royal in the Snow on the Drawing Board

Theatre Royal in the Snow

Earlier this year I was approached by the charity The Cyrenians based in Newcastle who work with vulnerable, disadvantaged and homeless people. Sian Thomas, their marketing administrator, asked if they could use some of my paintings as Christmas Cards to help raise money for the charity which has been going for over 40 years.

Over the last 20 years or more, I know that the paintings I have done have raised thousands of pounds through being reproduced as Christmas cards, in particular for the Marie Curie cancer care, so I was more than happy to oblige.

We’ve decided to do three paintings of Newcastle, the first of which is this classic scene of the Theatre Royal in the Snow which was a sell out limited edition print. I’ve painted a similar view recently which I reproduced as a limited edition print titled Grey Street, Snow Shower.

I hope to finish the other two paintings, one of the Tyne Bridges, the other of the Angel, by the end of the month, so watch this space.

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Theatre Royal at night

by on April 26, 2012 in Limited Edition Prints, North East Prints

Theatre Royal at Night

Theatre Royal at Night

Prints of the Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne are always popular but I’ve seen very few artists paint it at night which is when most theatre lovers see it. Artificial light is not easy to capture convincingly in paint, particularly in watercolour, however, this scene has worked well. The key is keeping the palate simple and the colours clean and fresh in terms of application.

For this watercolour I used Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Cadmium Yellow, Purple, Paynes Grey and French Ultramarine for most of the painting with touches of Scarlet Lake and Windsor Green for some of the details on the figures and traffic lights.

The original watercolour sold many years ago but I do have other original paintings of the Theatre Royal on view online and at my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland.

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Spring Exhibition

by on February 17, 2012 in Exhibitions, Limited Edition Prints

Grey Street, Snow Shower

Grey Street, Snow Shower

Invitations for my Spring exhibition are being sent out this weekend. There’s already been a great response to my new limited edition print titled “Grey Street, Snow Shower” with several copies already sold. There are only 95 prints in the edition and the image is available in 2 sizes from my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland or online. The original painting will be on view for the preview weekend which starts on Saturday 10th March 9:30-5pm. The gallery will also be open on Sunday 11th 1:30-5pm. The exhibition continues until 31st March Tuesday-Saturday.

The release of the print is quite timely with the 175 year celebrations of the Theatre Royal this weekend which promises to be a visual feast. The Theatre Royal does feature in this painting which shows more of Grey Street, described as the finest curved street in Europe. My eldest granddaughter Emily also stars in the snow scene wearing her red coat. When I launched my print titled “Theatre Royal in the Snow” back in 2008, (which also featured Emily) the edition of 95 sold out and the smaller preparation study was used as a Christmas Card that year by the Theatre Royal. There will be other new paintings on display during the exhibition.

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Grey Street, Snow Shower

by on January 27, 2012 in Latest News, Limited Edition Prints, North East Prints

Grey Street, Snow Shower

Grey Street, Snow Shower

My new watercolour titled “Grey Street, Snow Shower” which is to be released next week as a limited edition print with only 95 in the edition. The painting captures the majestic sweeping curve of what has been described by the architectural critic Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as being the finest curved street in Europe. Despite being depicted on a dull, wet, winters day, I’ve wanted to create lots of life and movement through the figures dashing through the harsh elements, huddled under their umbrellas. The Theatre Royal stands as the jewel in the crown with its fine portico and classical columns.

The original watercolour can be seen at my Studio and Gallery in Ponteland this Saturday.

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Grey Street, Snow Shower

by on January 26, 2012 in Latest News, What's on the Drawing Board

Grey Street, Snow Shower

Grey Street, Snow Shower

In the spring of 2008 I launched a limited edition print titled “Theatre Royal in the Snow”. The print was an instant success and the edition of 95 sold out. The smaller preparation study that I made prior to the larger studio painting was used as the Christmas card for the Theatre Royal that year. The popularity of the scene was down to a number of different factors, two of which were the monochromatic colours and the little girl with the red coat who is my eldest granddaughter Emily. She provides that tiny splash of colour and is an obvious focal point.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had a number of folk call in to my studio and gallery in Ponteland asking if the original print is still available to purchase. It’s not, however, so as not to disappoint, I’ve decided to paint a landscape version of the same view, but to include more of Grey Street. The new print will be available in different sizes and will be on my website very soon. Here’s a preview of the painting on my drawing board.

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Theatre Royal, Newcastle

by on June 9, 2011 in Limited Edition Prints, North East Prints

Theatre Royal, Newcastle

Theatre Royal, Newcastle

Grey Street was described by the architectural critic and writer Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as being the finest curved street in Europe. With its gentle curve of fine Georgian buildings sweeping down to the Quayside, it’s difficult for one to argue against that claim. BBC radio 4 listeners added to its praise describing Grey Street as the best street in Britain. Its jewel in the crown is the Theatre Royal which protrudes out from the classically proportioned columns and windows running either side of the street.

I first noticed this view taken from Emerson Chambers back in 1992 when I was doing a series of scenes of Newcastle taken from elevated vantage points. I managed to spend a morning painting on location sitting at one of the windows which gave me a deeper appreciation of the overall scenario. Together with reference photographs I produced this particular watercolour which was reproduced as a limited edition print. It has proved to be very popular over the years and is one of my best selling prints of Newcastle.

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Theatre Royal at Night

by on February 25, 2011 in Commissions

Since my first exhibition over 30 years ago (when I was an art student) I have regularly painted specific scenes for my clients. The subjects have varied considerably and have ranged from landscapes to cityscapes, sailing ships to aircraft, even red blood cells to pets! There have been many occassions when my clients have asked me to put themselves and their loved ones in a particular scene.

Theatre Royal at Night

Theatre Royal at Night

The painting above of the Theatre Royal at Night was one such commission where I was asked to paint the client with his wife and three children walking out of the Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne as if they had just been to see a show together. The children are now young adults themselves, so the painting really is capturing a special moment in their family life together. Over the years I have painted the Theatre Royal at different times of day and seasons. The night time is one of the more difficult as artificial light is tricky to capture well in watercolour, but if you can get it right, it looks very dramatic.

To find out more about commissioning a painting of something unique for yourself or a loved one, visit my commissions page on my website or call in to my studio and gallery in Ponteland to have an informal chat without any obligation. It’s always best to give me a call on 01661 871 800 before setting out to make sure I’m in.

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