Southampton Northam River Itchen old jetty with sea birds

Southampton Northam River Itchen old jetty with sea birds

This oil painting is a view of the River Itchen, in the county of Hampshire UK. Here it is seen in the area of Northam, in the City of Southampton heading towards the port. Local business can be seen in the background, including a scrap metal merchant. The metal is piled up in several mounts on the berth, awaiting collection by ship, usually about once a week. In the foreground is an old jetty, now reduced to 'wooden bones'. However the local seagulls use it to enjoy the view and sunshine on this summer evening. A swan in circling around the base of the jetty.
The painting is done on a canvas measuring 16" x 20". A bright red acrylic paint base was initially applied to the canvas, followed by a drawing in brown acrylic. A colour wash was then applied, again in thinned acrylic paint. Finally the painting itself is done in oil paint, straight from the tube. Painted in 2012.

Southampton Northam River Itchen old jetty with sea birds

Duke of Wellington Tudor pub Southampton

Duke of Wellington Tudor pub Southampton

This acrylic painting depicts a famous Tudor public house within the historic City of Southampton, UK. This old building was built upon Norman cellars during 1220. It became a pub in 1494.
In 1815 the pub was renamed, from the Shipwrights Arms, to the Duke of Wellington, after the victory of the Battle of Waterloo in that year. The pub can be seen at 36 Bugle St, SO14 2AH .
I feel that acrylic painting techniques work well with man made subjects, because of the technical aspects of painting straight lines, perspective, and the mechanical processes that can be achieved with the quick drying nature of the paint. Painting scenes like this in oil paint can be done, but it requires a lot more time and possibly not so effective. In this case the entire composition is one made up of the challenges of perspective, and capturing a subject that is mechanically based.
The day is a sunny one and the bold, blue sky helps to emphasise the clean and large areas of white, separated by dark wood beams, that typifies buildings of the Tudor period. The collection of people enjoying a drink at the bar help to give the painting life and scale, and show the true use that the Duke of Wellington pub offers the public. A seagull is seen perched on the roof, enjoying the sun.
Painted on a canvas measuring 16" x 20",during 2012.

Duke of Wellington Tudor pub Southampton

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

Bursledon Brickworks open day, Southampton, 2011

Bursledon Brickworks open day, Southampton, 2011

This is a painting of an open day at Bursledon Brickworks, Southampton UK during the early morning start up of vintage traction engines. It is a heritage museum site, based in a old brickworks. This  display of traction engines takes place during the spring each year, and this artwork depicts the line up during April 2011. The engine in front is called 'Little Lucy', and is a Wallis Traction Engine. The tall brick chimney seen in the background is a local landmark, although it is shorter than it used to be when the brickworks was in operation. It was fun painting the shining brass, copper and the paintwork on the engines. The woman polishing part of an axle adds extra interest and scale to the scene. Getting the perspective correct in a scene like this is very important. It helps to sell the viewer of the painting the scale and weight of the machinery. Mechanical objects can not be cheated on when trying to ignore perspective, it has to be done right. The ariel perspective (colour fading in the distance) helps to sell the scene and create a smoky atmosphere. The painting is done in oils on a 16" x 20" canvas. 

Bursledon Brickworks open day, Southampton, painting1

This is a 2nd painting of an open day at Bursledon Brickworks, Southampton UK. It is a heritage museum site, based in a old brickworks. This is a display of traction engines put on during April 2011. The engine featured is a Aveling and Porter traction engine (TA  1063).  It was fun painting the shining brass, copper and the paintwork on the engines. The woman on the right photographing the engine was added later to add extra interest and scale to the scene, as was the boy in the trailer on the left. Getting the perspective correct in a scene like this is very important. It helps to sell the viewer of the painting the scale and weight of the machinery. Mechanical objects can not be cheated on when trying to ignore perspective, it has to be done right. Getting the ellipses right within a painting like this is very important.

Bursledon Brickworks open day, Southampton, painting 2

 

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

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