Scarlet anemone

This original watercolour was painted in artist qualit watercolours on Saunders Waterford 140lb NOT watercolour paper. The size of the painting is 5.8" x 3.9" (147 x 99 mm). It is available for purchase from my website.

Blue thimble flower

This original watercolour was painted in artist qualit watercolours on Saunders Waterford 140lb NOT watercolour paper. The size of the painting is 5.8" x 3.9" (147 x 99 mm). It is available for purchase from my website.

Bitter Vetchling

Painted in artist quality watercolours on Saunders Waterford 140lb NOT watercolour paper.

The size of the painting is 5.8" x 3.9" (147 x 99 mm).

It is available for purchase from my website.

Western Porch, St Mary's Church, Nottingham

St Mary's church stands in the historic Lace Market district of Nottingham. It is one of my favorite buildings and I often sketch and paint it. Just today, I walked passed the church and noticed that the magnolia tree near the south porch was in full bloom - a definate subject for painting. Meanwhile, this is the painting of the western porch, which I completed last year.

Western Porch, St Mary's Church, Nottingham

Artist quality watercolours on watercolour paper

11.75" x 8.35"

The Old Angel Inn, Nottingham

The Old Angel Inn, Nottingham
Watercolour on watercolour paper
8 1/4" x 11 3/4"

Another painting from the exhibition, this shows the upper floors of the Old Angel Inn in the Lace Market district of Nottingham. This pub is a very popular venue for new bands in Nottingham. In its long history, it has been used as a church and as a brothel, but not at the same time (I think).

Madonna and Child, Lincoln Cathedral

My latest watercolour shows a detail of the statue of the Madonna and Child at Lincoln Cathedral. The statue can be found in the south-eastern porch of the cathedral. It is known as the Judgement Porch as there is (above the Madonna and Child) a carving of Christ in Judgement.



Unfortunately, this month there will be NO COMPETITION to win one of my watercolours. This is due to the fact that once again, I am on the Scrapheap of Life, i.e. Unemployed, so money is rather tight. I will start the competition again as soon as things pick up financially (he says hopefully).

Meanwhile, the results of the March competition will be announced in the next couple of days.

The Lion and Snake pub, Lincoln

Back to the watercolours. This latest one shows the Lion and Snake pub on Bailgate in Lincoln. This is a lovely old 16th century pub, with the magnificent western towers of Lincoln Cathedral rising up behind it. I published a drawing of this in an earlier post.

Win one of my original paintings
See this post

Unfinished Acrylics 3

This acrylic was painted from a number of photos I took of a deserted and dilapidated industrial building just east of the centre of Nottingham.

Through the roses
Acrylic on stretched canvas
39" x 24"

It can be seen from the railway line as the line goes out towards Lincoln. I took the photos last year from the road bridge going over the railway line. The dog rose bushes I was looking through are quiet a distance away from the building, but due to the flattening of distance caused by the zoom lens, the roses appear to be growing much nearer to the building. This gives it a feel of the roses creeping towards the building - rather a Gothic fantasy scenario.
I don't want to do a lot more to this work; just develop the foreground bushes a little more.

Win one of my original paintings
See this post

Maeve's work in exhibition

Maeve (my wife) has got two of her art works in a local exhibition. It's an open exhibition at the View From The Top Gallery, Nottingham. Unfortunately, this is the last open exhibition to take place at the gallery as it is soon to close.

The exhibition theme is (appropriately) views of Nottingham. Maeve's two pieces are based the buildings and market of the Sneinton area of Nottingham.

Cornering the market (Sneinton)
Mixed Media
8.3" x 11.7"

Market connections (Sneinton)
Mixed Media
8.3" x 11.7"

The exhibition runs until 21st March. It had its preview last night and there were lots of people attending. I sampled the wine and some splendid spicy sausages - Oh! and looked at the paintings - some highly original interpretations of the theme.
The night ended with Maeve selling one of her pieces (Market connections).

Win one of my original paintings
See this post

Results of February 'Win an original painting' competition

Well, this is the moment when I announce the results of my first competition.

So, without further ado,

here are

the

results
(drawn by my beautiful assistant - my wife, Maeve!!)


The

winner

is

**********Babette**********
of Definitely Maybe (and several other blogs).

Babette has won this original watercolour painting.

Outside the pavilion, Whitby
Artist quality watercolours on watercolour paper
8.3" x 11.7"

The five lucky runners-up who have each won a signed, limited edition print of the painting are:

Rita T

Storybeader

Dallasmarketing

Patrice

Sharkbytes

Congratulations to all of you. I will be emailing you for addresses to send your prizes to.

Win one of my original paintings
See this post

March 'Win an original painting!' competition

It's the 1st of March so it's time to begin the second monthly competition to win one of my original paintings. This month I am offering a snowy painting.

Too cold to rest
Artist quality watercolour on watercolour paper
11.7" x 8.3"

This painting was included in a previous post and was so well received that I thought someone would like the opportunity to win it.

In addition five other lucky people will win one of five signed limited edition prints of the painting.

This time, there are only a couple of things you need to do to qualify:

1. Subscribe to my email posts.
2. Comment on this posting, mentioning your intention to enter the competition.
******Also please tell me your subscription email address (you may email it to me if you don't want it to appear in the comments), but no need to do this if you entered the February competition.******

......and that's it!

This is a great opportunity to own an original artwork.

Please note:
One entry per person
The painting and prints will be unframed and unmounted.
The prints of the artwork will be printed on A4 paper and will have a small white border on all edges.

The competition will run from the first of the month to the last day of the month.
The winner and runner-up prizes will be determined by a draw from all qualifying names and will be announced during the first week of April.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any inquiries about the competition and Good Luck!!

**The results of February's competition will be announced on Tuesday 3rd March**

All Routes South

All Routes South
Artist quality watercolours on watercolour paper
11.7" x 8.3"

In this watercolour, I have tried to capture the almost magical, softening effects that a snowfall can have on an otherwise ordinary street scene. The location is Mansfield Road, Nottingham, just up from the Victoria Centre. The snow was being blown around by strong winds, and I was wet and cold. How wonderful it would have been to be able to follow sign's directions, to the South and the warm sun!
For those of you who are interested here is the original photo I used as a reference for the painting.


You can see the changes I have made in interpreting the photo as a painting. For instance, I decided to leave out the main lamppost. I just didn't like the way it divided up the painting. As the snow was being blown around rather ferociously by the wind the camera wasn't really able to capture the falling snow effectively. Also a photo can never quite capture the mood that a scene like this imparts. This can only come from the artist's genuine interpretation of the scene.
If you are interested in purchasing this work, please take a look at my Etsy shop.

Reviews

I must acknowledge two wonderful blogs that have recently reviewed my work.
The first is Fran Caldwell at Home .In her blog, Fran does a marvelous job reviewing artwork by Etsy sellers. She has found some fantastic artists on Etsy and has produced some very insightful comments on their work. You really must take a look at Frans blog and of course at her review of my work. Also take a look at Fran's Etsy shop. She produces the most colourful and whimsical paintings.
The second is Mel Avila Alarilla's 'Literatti - An Artistic Blog'. Mel reviews work by the great artists of the past such as Van Gogh, Matisse, Raphael - and now me. I feel so honoured to be included with these great masters!! Take a look at Mels blog (he also maintains several other blogs) and at the review he did of my work.
I am really grateful to Fran and to Mel.

The Guardian in Snow

For this week I'm painting snow scenes from photos I took last week, beginning, as Dorothy might say, in my own back yard.
We first saw this little statue of a mysterious hooded figure at local garden centre, along with various pixies, goblins and trolls. Perfect for the garden, I thought. So home he came with us and now stands guard at the top of the steps leading to the old garden shed. Even in the coldest weather, he never deserts his post!!
If you're intersted in buying this work, please visit my Etsy shop.

Pavilion Posters, Whitby

My latest watercolour painting shows posters advertising the entertainment that could be enjoyed at the Whitby Pavilion. The painting was taken from a photograph that I took back in 2005. It was on a day visit to Whitby and it must have been late in the year as the dates on the posters are in November. I love Whitby (and other seaside towns) at this time of year. There aren't too many people around so your're not constantly having to fight your way through crowds. Everything seems more leisurely and you just seem to have more time to take in the atmosphere of the place.
Of course there isn't too much going on at this time of year, so performances at places like the pavilion are important social occasions.
And I just love old posters!!
If you would like to purchase this work, please look in my Etsy shop.

All in a Row, Robin Hood's Bay

Well, Monday we had our first proper snowfall of the winter. I was straight out with my camera taking loads of photos. Snow tends not to hang around too long here , so I wanted to get loads of reference material for future paintings.
Meanwhile, I'm still painting the summer!
This latest watercolour shows the beach at Robin Hood's Bay, a small village on the North Yorkshire coast, just south of Whitby.

All in a Row, Robin Hood's Bay
Artist quality watercolours on watercolour paper
8.3" x 11.7"

This family were having a lovely, relaxed time in their deckchairs.
This work is available for purchase from my etsy shop.

Win one of my original watercolours

For details, see the previous post

February "Win a Painting" Competition

Well, here it is. The first competition to win one of my original paintings. The work I am offering is one of my Whitby paintings.

Outside the Pavilion, Whitby
Artist quality watercolour on watercolour paper
8.3" x 11.7"

This painting shows the view looking down onto the "big beach" at Whitby from outside the Whitby Pavilion. The pavilion itself is built into the west cliff (hence the wall - stops you from falling down the cliff!) and offers stunning sea views along the coast.

In addition five other lucky people will win one of five signed limited edition prints of the painting.

To qualify you must:

1. Subscribe to my email posts.
2. Comment on this posting.
3. Mention this posting in one of your posts this month. The post does have to be only about my competition, but it should mention it with a link back to the competition post.
4. Comment on at least 5 other of my posts for this month.


This painting has been produced specifically for this competition and the edition will be limited to 5.
This is a great opportunity to own an original artwork.

Please note:
One entry per person
The painting and prints will be unframed and unmounted.
The prints of the artwork will be printed on A4 paper and will have a small white border on all edges.

The competition will run from the first of the month to the last day of the month.
The winner and runner-up prizes will be determined by a draw from all qualifying names and will be announced during the first week of March.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any inquiries about the competition and Good Luck!!

Win an original painting!!

This is the 30th post on my blog. To celebrate this, and to thank everyone who has left such wonderful comments about my work, I have decided to initiate a monthly competition for some lucky person to win one of my original paintings. In addition five other lucky people will win one of five signed limited edition prints of the painting.
The paintings will be produced specifically for this competition and the edition will be limited to 5.
This is a great opportunity to own an original artwork.
The watercolours will be painted and signed by myself (John Wright).
The size of the paintings will be 210 x 297 mm (8.3" x 11.7")
They will be unframed and unmounted.
The prints of the artwork will be printed on A4 paper and will have a small white border on all edges.
The prints will be unmounted and unframed.
In order to qualify, you must:


1. Subscribe to my email posts.
2. Comment on the posting that will announce the painting for the competition. This post will appear on the first day of the month, beginning on February 1st 2009.
3. Mention the above posting in one of your posts. The post does have to be only about my competition, but it should mention it with a link back to the competition post.
4. Comment on at least 5 other of my posts for that month.

Please Note:
One Entry per Person

The competition will run from the first of the month to the last day of the month.
The winner and runner-up prizes will be determined by a draw from all qualifying names and will be announced during the first week of the following month.
Erm... hope that's all clear.
Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any inquiries about the competition and Good Luck!!

Whitby Houses

Walking up the hill from the small beach at Whitby, you suddenly come upon this view, over rooftops, houses scrambling up the cliff with the tower of St. Mary's church peeking out at the top.

Whitby Houses
Watercolour on watercolour paper

8 1/4" x 11 3/4"

New Year's Day 2009

I had my traditional New Year's Day breakfast, consisting of bacon , sausage, eggs, mushrooms and any other cholesterol boosting ingredients I could fit onto the plate. One of my cats, Buttercup, decide to to join me on the painting table, hoping for any bits of meat that might come her way. Oh well, how could I disappoint that cute face!! My wife photographed the scene, from which I made this sketch. The first one in my new Moleskine.

Hope you have all had a wonderfully relaxed start to the new Year.