Southampton People in Park

Southampton People in Park

 

This Oil painting was done in May 2013, and shows a young family out in a Southampton Park during an Autumn.

The painting is created on canvas board, sized to 16” x 20”. Initially the board is painted a bright, Acrylic red ground. Then the actual painting, done in Oil, is worked on top.

Southampton People in Park

Southampton Riverside park oak tree with cyclist

Southampton Riverside park oak tree with cyclist

This is painted in Oils on a 16" x 20" canvas. The subject is Riverside Park, on the outskirts of Southampton, Hampshire, UK. A very large,old Oak tree can be seen beside the River Itchen. A cycle lane runes along the river bank and a cyclist can be seen resting on a bench, his bicycle resting against the tree. It is late afternoon and the light within the scene in soft and golden. The area is popular with canoeists and yachtsmen using the water, and families and friends walking through the park or fishing from the banks of the River Itchen.
I was drawn to the interesting form of the Oak tree and the way the evening light was creating a silhouette of it.
Painted in late 2012.

Southampton Riverside park oak tree with cyclist

Southampton Hillier Gardens late summer

Southampton Hillier Gardens late summer

This oil painting of one of the beautiful landscaped gardens in the county of Hampshire, at Hillier Gardens, near to Romsey and Southampton, in the UK. The garden was set up in 1953 by Sir Harold Hillier and now covers 180 acres. The collection covers a diverse collection of hardy trees and shrubs from around the world. This oil painting illustrates the main lake in the center of the gardens, during late summer. The large amount of trees makes the landscape seem quite dark, but the bright reflection in the water helps to balance out the tones within the painting. A woman standing on the small, wooden bridge, adds a focus point within the composition. I had painted a similar view a few months before using acrylics rather than oil paint.

Painted in 2012 on a 16" x 20" canvas. 

Southampton Hillier Gardens late summer

 

Southampton, Boats on River Itchen mud flats

Southampton, Boats on River Itchen mud flats

This painting is painted in acrylics on canvas to a size of 16" x 20". It features a well known view from the Northam Bridge at Northam, Southampton, looking up the River Itchen in the direction of St Denys, and onwards to Winchester. Here the tide is out and old, forgotten boats of all ages and sizes rest on the mudflats. Again this is a popular location with photographers and artists, notably with the interesting textures seen on the landscape and the way that the scene is constantly changing in different light and weather conditions. Painting the reflections in the water of the boats and sky is fun to do and helps to bring the artwork together.

Northam, Southampton,boats on River Itchen

Cunard Queen Mary at Weston shore, Southampton

Cunard Queen Mary at Weston shore, Southampton

This acrylic painting shows the Cunard ship, Queen Mary, at Southampton docks during an evening in spring, 2012. The ship, the largest of the 'three Queens', is seen from the view point along Weston shore. Weston Shore is a shingle beach on the outskirts of Southampton city, on Southampton water leading in to the Solent. All ships entering and leaving this port can be seen here. The painting is based on a number of photographs taken one evening, and recomposed in photoshop. The image is then scaled up and transferred to a canvas measuring 20" x 16". The sun is getting low in the sky so the ship is becoming a silhouette, the waves now having bright, sparkly crests as they catch the low sun. The two children swimming in the Solent, with their mother watching, help to give scale to the shingle beach and the layout of the painting. Painted in 2012.

Cunard Queen Mary at Weston shore, Southampton

Boats at River Hamble, Southampton

Boats at River Hamble, Southampton

This painting is of the River Hamble, near to the Solent and Southampton, in the UK. It is based on a view photographed during the spring of 2012, and features a view of the marina, near the town of Warsash, packed full of boats. There are a number of marinas down the river. The land is very flat and when the tide goes out the mud flats are revealed, showing a covering of moss and algae, with pockets of water isolated from the river. The River Hamble contains many old shipwrecks of archaeological importance. I was drawn to this scene for my painting by this strong, green landscape, that only appears for part of the day and the way that puddles of water remain creating their own small rivers through the landscape.
This painting is created in acrylic on a canvas measuring 20" x 16".

River Hamble, Southampton

Boats at Weston Shore, Southampton, UK

Boats at Weston Shore, Southampton, UK

This painting depicts the area of Weston Shore, Southampton. The beach is covered in shingle, rather than sand but is a popular location for residents of the Southampton area. The large river (estuary) is the Solent and sees large commercial ships and passenger liners heading towards or away from Southampton, seen in the background. The distinctive tall grain silos of the docks can be seen on the left, located on the southernmost part of the dockyard area. Netley Abbey ruins are close by. The painting is created in oils, with an initial acrylic base layer. It is based on a number of photographs taken on a cold but sunny autumn afternoon. The large foreground boat, the sailing boat in the distance and the family on the beach were all photographed on the same day and location, but added later to the composition. Painted in 2012 on a 16" x 20" canvas.

Weston Shore

Swans and Boats at Riverside Park Southampton

Swans & Boats at Riverside park, Southampton

This is painted in Acrylics on a 16" x 20" canvas. The subject is Riverside Park, on the outskirts of Southampton, Hampshire,UK. Plenty of swans can be seen on the featured river, known as the River Itchen. The water still has a large salt content at this stage and many sea birds can be seen as well as fresh water varieties. The area is popular with canoeists and yachtsmen using the water, and families and friends walking through the park or fishing from the banks of the River Itchen.
The painting is based on a number of poor quality mobile phone images, taken during a summer evening. A complete composition is built up in photoshop and then redrawn on the canvas.

Riverside Park Southampton

Introduction

This blog contains paintings of the City of Southampton, situated on the south coast of the UK. Paintings depicting the local area around Southampton are also included.

Southampton is believed to have its earliest inhabitants in the area during the stone age but it is from the 11^th century that the town became a port. Today it is the second largest port in the UK, and a gateway for many cruises. Many famous ships have visited the port, including the Titanic which began its maiden voyage from there.

The town of Southampton became a city in 1964. Despite its industrial background the city boasts many interesting and beautiful locations and buildings, some of which are featured in paintings on this site. The oldest buildings have parts of Medieval architecture within them, but the earliest recognisable buildings tend to be Tudor.

The artist started capturing the area in paint from the year 2010, and hopefully this project will continue for some time. As the pictures are created they will be placed here on this blog. Some of the paintings have been exhibited in the local area, at museums, gallery, art shows and cafés.

The paintings are mostly done in oil paint. Some are done using acrylic paint, but all are painted on to stretched canvas. The size of the pictures are generally 20” x 16”. The artist tends to use his own photographic reference to begin with, taking pictures through out the year. Sometimes it may take over a year before the photograph is looked at again with regard to it forming a base for a painting.

 artists websites