Art School, Lace Market, Nottingham

After yet another long, long period of not posting, I have, at last got round to sorting out some recent work

Art School, Lace Market,Nottingham
Artist quality watercolours on watercolour paper
8 1/4" x 11 3/4"

This painting was included in an exhibition of art work I had just before Christmas, inspired by buildings in the Lace Market district of Nottingham. It shows the exterior of the building occupied by the Lace Market School of Art, Design, Media and Fashion. On the other side of the road from this is the more famous, and very handsome, Adams building, also belonging to the Art School. However, I decided to paint this more sedate building as I really like the red door set between the two windows with the surrounding brickwork radiating out (but I'm going to be doing some paintings of the Adams building as well!!).

A street in Clovelly, Devon

A street in Clovelly, Devon
8 1/4" x 11 3/4"
Artist quality watercolours on watercolour paper

Clovelly is a beautiful village on the Devon coast with a single cobbled street winding among the cottages down to the small pier. My wife and I visited it about eight years ago after a holiday in Cornwall. We stopped off here as we were driving back home. We didn't have long so I took loads of photos. This is the first painting I've done from them.
If you are interested in buying this, it is on ebay.

It's been a long, long time

Beach Huts at Wells-Next-The-Sea
Acrylics on stretched canvas
12" x 10"

Well, here, at last, is my new posting. It has been such a long time since my last (four months!!! ). I've started a new job since then, so not so much time for painting, but I am gradually getting back into producing work on a regular basis.
This one was done for a friend's 70th birthday. I'm glad to say she was really happy with it. The beach huts at Wells are such interesting structures to draw and paint.

Deserted Mooring, Walberswick.

Deserted Mooring, Walberswick
Artist quality watercolours on watercolour paper
8 1/4" x 11 3/4"

This latest watercolour was painted from photos and sketches taken on a visit a couple of years ago to Walberswick. We were visiting the Suffolk coastal town of Southwold and decided to stop off at Walberswick, a village just a few minutes down the coast. It had a lovely beach, not many people around and we found some wonderful old fishermens' huts and a variety of old and new boats as we walked from the beach, along the River Blyth. That's were I saw these rather rickety old mooring posts.

Follow the wall (Derbyshire)

Must apologize for not having posted recently. What with having to find a job (still nothing!!!) and other things going on, I haven't had much time to complete paintings I've been working on.
So to cheer myself up, here's something I did a while ago.

Follow the wall (Derbyshire)
Acrylic on stretched canvas
12" x 16"

There's some wonderful countryside in Derbyshire's Peak District. I can't remember exactly where I saw this old stone wall, but I believe it may have been somewhere near Monsal Dale.
Will have some new work to post soon.

Results of March 'Win an original painting' competition

Here, at last, are the results of the March 'Win an original painting' competition.

and

the winner

of this painting




is

************dallasmarketing*************

The five runner-up prizes of a signed limited edition print of the painting are

tstreasures

One Creative Queen

Lanie

Firelass51

Honor Martinez

Congratulations to you all. I will be emailing you for delivery addresses.
As I mentioned in my previous post, there will, unfortunately, be no competition this month.

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.

Railside Industry

Railside Industry
Artist quality watercolour on watercolour paper
11.7" x 8.3"

This watercolour has been painted from a number of photographs and sketches of industrial buildings located near the railway lines not far from Nottingham Midland Station.

Win one of my original paintings
See this post

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

New Blogs

I've recently started two new blogs;

John Wright SketchBlog

and

By The Left Lion

The first is fairly self-explanatory. It will display my daily sketches (of which there are many!). I sketch fairly frequently during the day - very quick, rapid sketches - things that interest or amuse me.
The second is a record of personal impressions of my hometown of Nottingham through my photos.
Have a look at them and let me know what you think.

Win one of my original paintings
See this post

Unfinished Acrylics 2

This next unfinished acrylic is a painting of Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire.

Robin Hood's Bay
Acrylics on stretched canvas
24" x 36"

One of my favourite painting subjects, Robin Hood's Bay is a small village nestling amongst the cliffs leading down to the sea, just south of Whitby. It's a frequently visited tourist attraction , but has maintained it's small fishing village atmosphere.
This painting is at a midway point. It needs a general 'going over' to emphasize details, sort out tonal values etc.

Win one of my original paintings
See this post

Unfinished Acrylics

I have a few acrylic paintings that I began, Oooohhhhhh, erm lets say a few months ago and are still hanging around, waiting to be finished. Concentrating on watercolours has meant that the acrylics have become rather neglected and I'm feeling it's about time I put some effort into finishing them. If I post about them it might motivate me!!

This first one is actually more or less completed. It just needs a few finishing touches.

Beach Huts
Acrylic on stretched canvas
24" x 20"

This is based on the beach huts at Wells watercolour I included in an earlier post. I just love painting beach huts. Their chunky shapes and bright colours reminiscent of long days on the beach.

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**

Top Entrecard Droppers for February

A big, BIG thank you to everyone who has been dropping on my blog this month.

The top ten are:

Picture to People

vanillaseven

The Junk Drawer

Youniquely Chic

Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

Stroll Through Storyland

iWalk,U2?

Dallas Marketing Services

Moshi & Kibo's Dog Blog

ThemeLib

You are all wonderful and deserve lots and lots of visits.

Around the house sketches

I've been going MAD sketching around the house. Haven't done this for ages.
This first one is my cat Niobe making herself very comfortable on MY chair at MY painting table in the kitchen.


This second pen sketch is again in the kitchen showing my 'Nodding Homer' (tap his head and he looks like he's eating his doughnut!!!) next to a camellia plant that has been gamely producing flowers all winter.

Win one of my original paintings
See this post

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.

I'm in a Treasury!!!

I would just like to say a BIG thank you to Jean and Scott of Trillium Studios on Etsy. They have included my work 'All in a row' in their treasury 'Life is Short'. I'm really honoured to be included in this eclectic mix. I'm particularly intrigued by the edible chocolate martini glass (chocolate martini glass - MMMMmmmmmmm.......).
Also another BIG thank you to Theresa of Theresa's Treasures who has written a review of my work in her blog.

Win an original painting!! - reminder

Apologies for not blogging much recently, but have been feeling at bit 'under the weather'.
So as I'm a deal more bright and chipper now, a reminder about my competition to win one of my original watercolour paintings. The painting on offer this month is:

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

For details see this post . Also five lucky runners up will each win one of five signed limited edition prints of this painting.

Too cold to rest

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

I painted this scene from a photograph I'd taken during a walk after a snowfall near where I live in Nottingham. It is near the top of a steep rise called Corporation Oaks. There are some rather grand Victorian houses along this tree-lined (oaks, of course) path and is actually a conservation area within the city of Nottingham. Near the top is this bench, which I was very tempted to sit on as I'd had a long walk, but it was just too cold!
If you're interested in purchasing this work, please have look in 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!!

Top Dropper Day

Thanks to everyone who has been dropping their EC's on my blog this month. You are all wonderful.
My Top Droppers for January are:



Babette's Definitely Maybe! lovely blog about Babette's family and thoughts on life

Online Games great for news about games available to play online

Amy Lilley designs take a look at Amy's beautiful jewelery and wonderful photographs

Caught In The Stream poetry and fiction from the very fertile imagination

vanillaseven.com beautifully evocative photographs

Septagon Studios Inc News Blog love the header and layout in this publishing company's blog

Art By Paul Baines great articles on contemporary urban art.

Stroll Through Storyland wonderful one of a kind jewelry also interviews with etsy artisans

Gewgaw Writings short stories, poems and essays from a very creative mind

Anime Hunt great reviews of Anime (Japanese animation)

Thanks to you all for being my Top Droppers for January.

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!!

Rooftops of Henrietta Street, Whitby

This watercolour looks down onto the red tiled rooftops of Henrietta Street in Whitby. The fisherman's cottages (well, holiday cottages now) are nestled close to the cliff on the east side of Whitby. After Henrietta Street, the path take you on along the cliff and then down towards the sea and the pier.

The Rooftops of Henrietta Street, Whitby

Watercolour on watercolour paper
8 1/4" x 11 3/4"

If you are interested in purchasing this watercolour, please take a look at my Etsy shop.

Royal Hotel, Whitby

First, a greeting to all my readers out there in the good old US of A. Hope you all had an absolutely fabulous Inauguration Day ( of whatever political persuasion you may be) and that you celebrated it with with appropriate amounts of good food and drink!!
This painting is another in my series of Whitby.

Royal Hotel, Whitby
Watercolour on watercolour paper
8 1/4" x 11 3/4"

It shows the Royal Hotel at Whitby on the cliff above the harbour. To the right of the hotel you can just make out the arch made from a pair of whale jaw bones (Whitby had been involved in whaling in the 18th and 19th centuries) and just a little further along, the statue of Captain James Cook. Cook began his training as a seaman in Whitby and his ship, the Endeavour, in which he made his great voyages of discovery, was built in Whitby.

Hallelujah!! I can post again.

After a week of tearing my hair out and just about going stark, staring mad, I am once again able to post my work. The problem has been computer viruses, spyware, malware and whatever else seems to infest this technological, mind-bending minefield - MY COMPUTER!!!! Apart dropping a few EC's and making the odd comment, I've not been able to do any internet dependant work.
Well, I seem to have it beat (for the moment) and the computer is now running at its previous (not actually that fast) speed.
To celebrate, I am posting one of my wife Maeve's colourful works.

Out of the desert
Mixed media on watercolour paper
8 1/4" x 11 3/4"

I think she got the idea after watching a television programme on Egypt.
If you are interested in purchasing this, it is available on ebay

The Lion and Snake, Lincoln (drawing)

I haven't blogged much recently as I've still been doing my "Christmas job" at a local Argos (catalogue) store. I did it for some much needed cash over the festive season. I finished today so I can get back to some serious drawing, painting and blogging.
I'm starting off with this drawing in my moleskine of the Lion and Snake pub in Lincoln, with the towers of Lincoln cathedral in the background


This is a preparatory drawing of the scene for a watercolour painting I'm going to do. I usually work from photographs I've taken and I find it useful to do a drawing first as I can sort out exactly what I'm going to include and leave out from the photo and also decide on the distribution of tonal values throughout the work. Also I just love to draw.

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.