Learning to look

SOMETIMES THE INSPIRATION FOR YOUR NEXT PAINTING can be right in front of you – literally. Trying to find the correct subject with great lighting and composition is quite an art: a lot of images won’t

I love to take a sketchbook with me when I’m out in the countryside. I can make detailed drawings, quick watercolour sketches, or add just a few brief marks with a pencil or pen to remind me of the sc

Extremes in dark and light are effective tools in creating punchy focal points. I have painted lots of sunny, acrylic street scenes – mainly backlit – and really enjoyed dabbing in the sparkly highlig

In my opinion, British summers are rather fantastic, especially when spent in a garden. Even if you’re not naturally green-fingered, being a painter gives you a wonderful opportunity to enjoy and enga

‘The real subject of every painting is light.’ CLAUDE MONET WHENEVER I’M PAINTING A PIECE, I am constantly appraising each movement, blend and nuance along the way. When you break it down, the number

Awarded The Artist prize at the annual Royal Institute of Oil Painters’ (ROI) exhibition, self-taught Belgian artist, Valérie Pirlot works predominately in the great outdoors. Depicting the essence of