I’d like to boast a long and successful career but the truth is that I only attended an Arts Foundation Course at the Percival Guildhouse in 1980 but soon after other, more important things took over in my life. I bought books on Surrealist Art and remained an ardent fan esp of the Salvador Dali Museum in Florida. Only at the end of 2022 have I had time to join a local Art Class and start to improve a little.

I’ve been asked by several people to see what I‘ve painted so far so click below for a gallery of everything warts and all. A few are unfinished. There are some more but at present I can’t find them. My vision for the future is to paint some profound works but we’ll see..

(Slideshow uses left/right cursor keys)

In April I visited The Messum Gallery in Piccadilly, London. Whilst it’s only small it was just what I had been looking for for years. They had borrowed so many pieces from an artist called Benedict Rubbra. He started as a portrait artist but now covers a wide variety of genres. They were showing his accomplished collection of abstract art.

It’s not often that a new technique comes along but the oxymoron of almost realism shocked me. These pieces were just so good. I asked the lady why I thought this. “Well it’s very simple,” she said. “Benedict builds a model of the abstract, very carefully lights it and paints it. He’ll be pleased that you recognise this.”

Well I was blown away. Click the picture (right) to see my photographs of the gallery. It completely inspired me to start to do work of my own -I had to enrol on a Class. I later discovered that he had moved from the Chiltern Hills to Devon.

Click here to see stills of the before and afters of his work on his website:  Benedict Rubbra 

Messums Video

Click here to see an explanation of his work including a 14min video of the lovely guy explaining how he works. At the end is an interview with David Messum where it is mentioned about the reasonably orderly way his paintings are constructed. However Ben is then at pains to point out that he is passionate about maintaining a careful balance between control and freedom - both work in his compositions. Here you go: Messums

At the end of 2022 I joined an Art Class at Stratford Baptist Church. My first ever trials with acrylic paints. These can be seen in the gallery above.

You will have noticed that I have copied one of Jack Vettriano’s everso popular paintings above. You may also have noticed that whilst the ordinary public love his works the art establishment shuns him. Most artists are also thinkers and Jack really is. Growing up in a very poor mining district of Scotland he’s had his struggles but he’s earned his OBE so should he be treated with such distain ? See:   What Do Artists Do All Day - Jack Vettriano  (YT Pt1 15min)

I’ve just discovered Jessica in Indiana. From what I see what she says about herself is so true..

1. “As an artist, I am captivated by the power and emotive potential of color itself. Nature, with its boundless beauty and ever-changing forms, has always been a profound source of inspiration for my artistic practice. 
   

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3. Through my art, I strive to capture the essence and spirit of the natural world through the expression of color. 
   

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5. I create compositions that are visually immersive and evoke an emotional response through the use of expansive color fields. My process involves a combination of intuition and deliberate planning. While I embrace spontaneity and allow the paint to flow and interact freely, I also carefully consider the overall balance and harmony within the composition. 
   

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7. Ultimately, my paintings are an invitation for contemplation, introspection, and emotional connection with our surroundings in nature. They aim to transcend the limitations of verbal language and tap into the universal language of color. Through the interplay of hues, textures, and scale, I seek to create an immersive visual experience that resonates with the viewer's innermost self, allowing for personal interpretation and reflection.
   

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9. I hope that my paintings provide a moment of respite, a visual sanctuary where one can pause, breathe, and immerse oneself in the sublime power of color inspired by our natural world.”

A friend runs the following production company and has been a great encouragement and inspiration over a considerable period of time. They are happy to take on commissions. Do take time to explore the whole website..

Design Tools

With abstract art, cartoons, logos or borders it’s not always easy to know how you want your colour scheme to work out. Fear not, there’s help at hand. There are websites to see what colours might go with what. For instance click the pic (right) to browse through hundreds of Colour Palettes side-by-side with a subjective popularity rating and ideas to make you think. If you need them there’s a menu of:

Other Tools

1. a collage maker,
   

2. very flexible colour picker (with refinements),
   

3. a gradient picker, 
   

4. a huge list of fonts (notice that you can refine your search eg Handwriting).
   

5. a text contrast checker
   

6. a bulk image converter (to JPG, GIFF and PNG)
   

[I have no link with this company]