Still life in oils

Every painting’s varying subject matter and scale offers us distinct opportunities and challenges. Before I start any project, I like to consider what I want to convey, what opportunities and challeng

SOMETIMES MAKING LIFE SIMPLER FOR YOURSELF and avoiding overthinking a process gets you further. In painting terms, using flat colours does exactly that and it may even prove to hold the key to more c

I STRUGGLED INTO MY LAYERS, picked up my light sketching kit and off I went up into the hills behind where I live. I wasn’t the first to arrive; halfway up the hill I could already hear the cries of e

This sunny landscape of oak trees in Chatsworth Park in Derbyshire is a wonderfully inspiring view, masses of Autumnal foliage back-lit by the warm sunshine. But how can we recreate that warmth with t

Autumn brings a splash of golden warmth, when leaves start transforming from green to rich golds and russet reds. It can be quite daunting to know where to start when interpreting a mass of foliage wh

The origins of the blue vase I lived for several years in an Art Deco flat in Southwest London. I would visit local markets around the capital in search of interesting decorative pieces, and on one oc