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

Southampton Docks from Weston Shore winter sunset

Southampton Docks from Weston Shore winter sunset

This oil painting was created in the summer of 2012. It is painted on canvas sized at 20”x 16”. The setting is the docks at the port of Southampton (UK), as seen from Weston Shore. The paintings shows a large “Wallenius Wilhelmsen” car transportation ship docked beside a large grain silo, a landmark on the entrance to the port. The oil painting is based on a crude photograph taken with a mobile phone during the early part of January 2012, during the last moments of daylight on a sunny, winters day. There were a number of people walking along the stony beach at Weston Shore. The tide was out and I placed a figure in the scene to help give the setting a sense of scale. The scene is quite bleak, cold and largely in silhouette and a large part of the composition is given over to the dramatic sky. It was painted in oils because of the requirement of painting this large area smoothly.

Southampton docks from Weston Shore winter afternoon

Southampton, Northam, river Itchen mud flats, UK

Southampton, Northam, River Itchen mud flats, UK

This landscape painting portrays a well known view from the Northam Bridge at Northam, Southampton, looking down the River Itchen in the direction of the docks and Solent. Here the tide is out and exposes a sea of wrecked boats of all ages and sizes. I was drawn to the interesting things that the location has to offer that would make an interesting painting, like the rotting hulls and the large area of green algae that covers the mudflats, the sea birds looking for food, and the distant features on the horizon. 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.
This painting is in oils. It is on a canvas that's sized at 16" x 20".

Northam Southampton

SS Shieldhall at Southampton east docks, UK

SS Shieldhall at Southampton east docks, UK

This is an oil painting of a steam ship called 'SS Shieldhall'. It is painted in oils on a 16" x 20" canvas. She was launched 7th July 1955 and was built by Lobnitz & Co of Renfrew, UK. The ship was withdrawn from service during 1985 and entered preservation. It is the largest working steam ship in Europe. It is part of the National Historic Fleet and is based at Southampton East docks, where it is moored in this painting. It is owned by the Solent Steam Packet Ltd and ABP Southampton. The view is looking south, toward the Solent. The little dingy was added to give the ship scale. The grain silos are a land mark at Southampton docks and can be seen in the background, and are to be seen in some of my other paintings. The colour and reflections of the water were fun to paint, although quite difficult. Painted in 2010.

SS shieldhall at Southampton

Autumn trees in Palmerston Park, Southampton

Autumn trees in Palmerston Park, Southampton

This painting is of Palmerston Park, in Southampton, UK. It is named after the former Prime Minster the 3rd Viscount Palmerston. Autumn is well embedded, the sky clear and the light sharp. I was attracted to the combination of the colour of the trees and the vivid blue sky. The line of dead red leaves either side makes a nice border between the tarmac path and the green grass. It is painted on canvas in oils, measuring 20" x 16".

Palmerston Park 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

Southampton River Itchen, boat slipway, UK

Southampton River Itchen, boat slipway, UK

This painting is a view of one of the slipways at the docks at Southampton, along the River Itchen. It is named as the Tredegar Wharf, and is very close to Ocean Village and the Itchen bridge. The artist was drawn to the interesting industrial landscape, a combination of flats, cranes, warehouses and water. The bright green algae on the slipway was colourful, and the two children standing on the slipway add interest and scale. The tower block in the back ground is a local landmark and can be seen in other paintings. It is painted on a canvas in oils at a size of 18"x14" during 2011.

Tredegar Wharf

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.

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