Posts tagged: fenland art
Looking for inspiration
Last few weeks, I have been out sketching, making paint studies and taking reference photos of trees, skies, the sea and various fen landscapes, from Prickwillow to Heacham beach.
Still working on several paintings that I hope to finish soon. And painting a series of ACEO’s and/or ATC’s (Art Cards, Editions and Originals / Art Trading Cards) of trees.
Artist Block?
After spending the morning gardening, I decided to continue one of my paintings. The oil painting has been worked up from sketches and ref photos made in April when I visited and walked near Ramsey, Benwick and Whittlesey. I first started the painting a few weeks back, I had already blocked in the composition and then allowed it to dry.
After painting for 3 or 4 hours I felt I really had not acheived much and came very close scraping the canvas clean or white washing it. It just was not working. Then, I decided to combine sketches of Alders (think the trees were Alders) I had made close to the same scene. I have painted three of them into the mid ground and I am pleased with the result.
Still deciding whether or not it is completed. I don’t want it to be too realistic and I intended it to be fairly loose and impressionistic.
Spring Morning at St Ives Lakes
Finished this painting of a Spring Morning at St Ives just in time to go into the Landscape II exhibition at Williams Art Gallery. I only had minutes to sketch and photograph the April sky before it changed again.

Oil painting depicting an April fen morning sky
New Landscape Exhibition
I am exhibiting paintings from my Fenland Series at the Williams Art Gallery. Exhibition starts May 5th. Other artists involved will be Richard Keys, Gail de Cordova, Nicholas James Juett, Jess Sutton and Maureen Mace.
Out in the fens again
I spent much of my weekends in the fens again. My wife and my oldest son had a lovely walk along the Counter Wash drain in Mepal towards the old pumping station and onto to Manea. We were rewarded by seeing a pair of Great Crested Grebes courting. The walk has inspired me to work on a painting (study) of a view looking from the drain towards Chatteris.
Another walk took us through Ramsey Forty Foot and Benwick, it was cold blustery day and I must admit the highlight was a nice pint of Deuchars IPA in a friendly pub in Ramsey.



