Meet the Paintings - Field of Poppies and Thistles

Here is ‘Field of Poppies and Thistles’, another little one.  This was painted at Longniddry, on the east coast of Scotland near North Berwick, where there is always the most amazing displays of poppies in the fields and at the sides of the road in early summer.

Here’s the photo that I took in the field at Longniddry Farm, and that I used for the painting.

I did a whole series of paintings based on the wonderful poppies in that field, including this one of the track leading along to the farm.  Poppies are wonderful to paint, especially in oils, as not only are they such a amazing pop of colour (in pure vermillion, or mixed with a little cadmium yellow deep), but their shape makes them perfect for a lovely juicy curve of paint on the canvas.

But unfortunately, this beautiful field of poppies no longer exists.  Sadly, here’s a photo of the field from a few weeks ago – a field of mud.  It’s now a construction site, as it is being turned into a housing estate.  So my paintings are the last record of how the field used to look.  

You can take a look at the area in its pre-housing state here Longniddry Farm.

In The Studio

Latest paintings on the go...

...some more California poppies and honesty from my garden...
...poppies at the North Berwick with the Bass Rock in the background...
...and an atmospheric landscape.

Exhibiting at 20/21 International Art Fair

I'm going to have paintings on display in London this week, at the Royal College of Art near the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington.

The 20/21 International Art Fair is held there annually, and this year runs from the 14th - 17th May.  

With dealers from all over the world, the fair exhibits top names in modern and contemporary art, such as Graham Sutherland, Duncan Grant, William Gear, David Hockney, Sir Peter Blake, Henry Moore and the Scottish Colourists such as Cadell, Peploe and Fergusson and Modern Scottish painter Joan Eardley.

I will as usual have work with Duncan R Miller Fine Arts.

Poppy Field, York (Oil on linen, 26 x 32)

For two free tickets to the show which you can print off, click here.

Auction Frenzy!!

Sunday 14th December sees a positive frenzy of Bridgland activity at McTears Auctions in Glasgow.

Up for sale are four - four!! - paintings of mine, all in the Scottish Contemporary Art Auction.

One you'll have seen before - 

- but the next three were all sold at McTears back in 2008, and presumably purchased by the same person.  Lovely to see them again, and all looking as good as new.

So we have this rather nice oil on linen painting of Poppies in a field in Suffolk near Walberswick, which sold back in 2008 for £1200.  Now, as Lot 1886 (and the first one in the sale), its estimate is £1500-2500.  Here it is in its original hand-gilded silver frame, and is oil on a linen canvas, not on panel as described in the auction catalogue.

 Poppies and Nettles, Sudbourne, Suffolk (Oil on linen, 24 x 26)

Next is Lot 1985, Study, Lochan the Campsies, which sold in 2008 for £360 (estimate now £400-600).  The frame is also hand-gilded, but is in a colour called 'plum and moon'.

Study, Lochan the Campsies (Oil on board, 6 x 6)

Lot 1988 is the same size, but the cream gesso frame meant that it sold for only £300 in 2008, and now has an estimate of £350-550.

Study, Late Afternoon Sky over Farm, Perthshire (Oil on board, 6 x 6)

You know the routine - bids are available online, and you can follow the auction live on your computer as it happens.

It just goes to show - you can buy a painting, get the pleasure of it for many years, and then sell it on and possibly make some money at the same time.  

Hang on - where did I go wrong...?

Paintings In Progress

Here's a quick look at what I'm working on at the moment in the studio.

I'm busy on a consignment of paintings that are going to be off down to London just before Christmas.  Here they are, drying around the studio.  

It's good to have an eye on them so you can visualise what the show will look like and how it will read together.  Thinking about one piece leads you on to thinking about something else - so creating a show is a bit like doing a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Here's one of poppy fields near York, sitting on top of my paints cabinet along with a couple of my sculptures.

These are paintings of (at back l-r) Whitby, Torr Head in Northern Ireland, Keswick.  Front - harebells near Portrush, poppies near York.

Not much room to move!!

If you'd like to ask anything about the paintings or have any comments, please feel free.

More Paintings on their Travels...

Not only have my paintings arrived at the Lemond Gallery ready for my two-person show which opens very soon, but my paintings have gone out today to two galleries in Suffolk for their Christmas shows.  Yes, that's right - Christmas shows!!

(That's because it takes a while for the photography for all the catalogues and publicity to be prepared....)

Anyway, here's a quick look at what's in transit.

This is a painting of rhododendrons in Pollok Park, which I thought would look really cheerful in a winter show.  Pollok Park has a particularly fine avenue of rhododendrons and azaleas of all different colours.  

It's going to be at the Lime Tree Gallery in Long Melford, Suffolk, in a show that opens on Saturday November 16th, along with 5 other new paintings.

Pink Rhododendrons, Oil on linen, 20 x 20

This one, meanwhile, is part of a group which is going to be at Thompson's Gallery in Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast, so it's going to be travelling a bit further across the county.  

Again, I thought it would look really bright and happy - it's of poppies which were growing at the side of the road just by the beach at North Berwick.  I think the seeds had probably escaped from the neatly-tended gardens which are just on the other side of the road.  The view is looking out across the sands to the long low island of Craigleith.

Craigleith with Poppies, Oil on linen, 20 x 20

The show at Thompson's Gallery opens in Aldeburgh on Saturday 7th December.