Recent Paintings

 

Mike's oil portrait of the guide at the Laphroig Distillery

Watercolour version of the above

Steve Cleary by Mike

Con's Cover Design for Moon in Leo based on a photograph taken in Furness

Northern Fells Dyptich

Northern Fells

I am continuing with my semi abstract landscapes, and Mike is getting rather good at portraits.

Photos, paintings, cake and drama- what more can you ask for?

We had the most amazing day out on Friday. It is difficult to credit how much quality there is, so close to home. The day was planned just for an art exhibiton, and to see the Quondam Theatre production which we had missed when it was performed locally.

First of all we went to the preview at Red Barn Gallery, Melkinthorpe. We were both really struck by the work of two painters: Jean Laing and Robert Newton. 
We followed with a great cup of coffee and delicious (in my case gluten free) cake in the restaurant attached to the gallery and nursery. (It was gluten free because there wasn't much room in it for anything other than chocolate :-)

The play was performed ten minutes away in the lovely village of Askham, which has an excellent pub, the Queen's Head. It has a welcome second to none, and again, really delicious gluten free food. One of the owners is Tommy Martin whose exhibition of photographs we saw in his gallery just opposite the pub.

Bellies and minds well fed, we went just next door to the village hall to see the best production I have seen yet by our excellent local theatre company, Quondam.

All this- and less than 45 minutes from home.

Nanny says don't go onto the ice

We have now had a total thaw after a month of ice and snow. We have been virtually hibernating, going out only when necessary. However, we did go out to Keswick last Saturday, to see the unusual phenomenon of Derwentwater frozen over completely. It was like a scene painted by Breughel. The ice was solid and clearly many inches thick, and was able to support dozens of people, walking, sliding and even cycling. It was such a joy to see so much innocent fun, and so many adults recalling their childhood. As for the kids- it was as if all their birthdays and Christmases had come at once.

Where there was a rift and a thin place in the ice, between the shore and Belle Isle, everybody stopped, assessed and went a different way round or turned back. We had intended to walk all the way to Friar's Crag on the ice, but this stopped us.

We have got unused to using our initiative and judgment these days: rarely are we faced with situations of personal danger in our absurdly risk-averse and litigious society. It was heart-warming to have proved what I have always believed: that most people are mature and sensible enough to conduct their own lives reasonably, and we do not need the infantilizing rules, notices and warnings that plague our society.

What did next day's newspapers bleat on about? You've gussed it- how irresponsible it was for people to endanger their lives by walking on the frozen lake!

Painter's Block

For two or three years now, we have been attending regular weekly art classes, run by local artist Brian Campbell. The classes run through autumn, winter, spring and early summer, roughly corresponding with school terms, but when they end in May, there is a big hole in our week. That is, until Brian's Summer School starts, and we look forward to several days of concentrated painting. There is a real luxury in setting up all your gear and not packing it away at the end of a day, because you are going back to pick up where you left off the day before. Well, we are due to start in three days, and neither of us has a clue what we want to focus on: landscape, figures, portraits, still life, abstract, drawing media- pencil, ink, chalk, pen, oils, pastels, acrylics, watercolour- mixed media! We are both hoping inspiration will come some time in the next couple of days. perhaps getting out with a sketch book is the right thing to do..... or look through old and new photos.... has anybody else got any ideas?