sardinian coastal tower
21 November 2024
I'm on holiday in Sardinia at the moment, enjoying swimming in the sea and sketching seascapes. All along the coast of Sardinia are these historic watch towers. They were to protect the inhabitants fr...
watercolour landscapes Clear tags
nightscape in watercolour
10 October 2024
A few weeks ago I painted an imaginary nightscape in my sketchbook. It was so much fun I thought I'd like to do it again on a piece of fine art paper. I know that each time I do this kind of scene it ...
an old wooden barn
26 September 2024
Here's the type of scene I really love. So simple in composition, so you're free to have a lot of fun with the washes and textures. It's possible to paint a scene like this again and again, changing t...
watercolour over coloured pencils
17 September 2024
This is one of the 'what if...' experiments I've been doing lately. As an artist I do them all the time. This one is ... what if I do a coloured pencil drawing and then add watercolour on top? You're ...
Autumn in Dublin Bay
12 September 2024
We're continuing with the still water theme and reflections this week and painting a very pretty autumn scene from a bay on Lake Wānaka which is near my home in New Zealand. This is one of my favouri...
using salt for texture in watercolours
10 September 2024
One way I enjoy adding marks and texture to my watercolours is by adding salt into the wet wash. I don't use anything fancy, normal table salt works well. Using salt to add blooms and sparkles in wate...
painting holiday in portugal - september 2025
26 July 2024
My retreat in France for next year is now fully booked, so now I'm excited to announce a new painting holiday in Portugal. 5 wonderful days in the charming Monsaraz region. The village of Monsaraz is ...
hiking to see the mountain irises
23 July 2024
The mountain irises are flowering at the moment and there are hundreds. Definitely worth the hike!
painting holiday in france : june 2025
20 July 2024
Just a quick update on my painting holiday in France for 2025 - we have just one room left! In June 2025 I'm planning to go back to wonderful Perigord Retreats for the 4th time, to guide another small...