Tuesday 12 March 2024

Oil painting of Exmoor

Not the usual scene people think of when Exmoor is mentioned.  Usually it’s vast open moorland on the hills, not many trees, but lots of heather (pretty for a short time in season, but a brown carpet for the rest of the year).

The lower ground and villages, of course, are another matter.  This is where the small villages are found plus lots of fields.  We’ve had so much rain this Winter, so the streams and, sad to say, fields are suffering.  I cheered myself up by painting a sunny day with lushes fields, it worked, I feel so much better for it.  If you are wondering where I am set up doing this painting, I’m in the Exmoor National Park Centre at Lynmouth.

Oil on canvas - 8 x 20 inches - Title: EXMOOR FIELDS


I used my iphone to record the painting process (timelapsed it to save people getting bored watching paint dry)!  

It’s recorded in 2 parts.  Part 1 setting out the scene and putting in the initial layer of oil paint.  Then I left that to dry over a few weeks - incidentally it didn’t take that long to dry, I was just slow getting back to it.  Then, this week I tackled the painting again, adding more detail and adjusting the colour tones here and there.

The links are below:

Part 1   https://youtu.be/z9cNMQ9TtgA?si=lFmu8spIWSIDidXv

Part 2   https://youtu.be/QWxvujp_NtE?si=RAlMiugDFxV4jjrb


I hope you will enjoy watching them.



Friday 26 January 2024

Moving tiles

You know you are old when your kids tell you NOT to do something, as they will step in and sort it! Which is really kind of them, but we were in a hurry to sort it ourselves and as they were busy this day, we got on with it.  (We didn’t tell them first though)!  

We moved a pile of tiles and cement/grouting.


So having completed the task we felt we should message the kids to confess.  Here’s how that went….

{Husband}…


{Son replied}…



{Daughter on the other hand was more vocal}…



THEY SHOULD KNOW BY NOW THAT WE ARE REBELS 🤣🤣🤣

(Love their concerns for us though)










Wednesday 17 January 2024

One minute it’s a new year

 and before you know it we’re hurtling towards February! 


anyway,  here’s to 2024

Painting plein air in the Centre at the Exmoor National Park Lynmouth has slowed.  It is still open to visitors throughout the Winter, however due to the weather and short days, I decided to concentrate on completing studio work until February (or thereabouts).   For anyone who isn’t aware, driving into Lynmouth is via a Very Steep Hill.  Infact 2 hills, with ‘escape routes’ if the worst happens.  So a no-no for me in Winter.  

I have several paintings partly worked on and others with a whole canvas completely painted, But they need more detail…..I call it adding the dots and dashes! 

↘️This oil painting is all but done, until I look at it again in a couple of weeks time!