I painted this last year as the trees were ablaze with colour. I started with acrylic inks on wet paper so the tree was the starting point. The leaves are changing colour only very slowly this year and autumn looks like it will be brief , so here is a painting of the splendor of Autumn Leaves bathed in warm sunlight. I have some exciting news I will post about this shortly.

Let the joy of life into your heart and into your life

A detail from a special painting for a very special lady on her heavenly birthday. Let the light of love shine in our hearts today and every day

Today would have been Mum’s 91st birthday, here is a detail of the painting I painted for her 90th birthday. The sun hit it and it shone so I had to photograph it.

The title of this painting is taken from the song, which is beautifully sung by Vera Lynn , and which I love to sing along too. It is a song full of hope, looking forward to the bright days that lie ahead. As a friend told me and he is right, there’s a lot going on in this picture, might well take a few detail shots, but for now here is the whole of the scene.

This is me paddling in the sea, taking a break before a busy time of exhibitions, I am taking part at two at Richmond Station in October and November, with the Darlington Society of Arts and the Richmondshire Rotary and then from 26th November to mid January some of my paintings will be on show at Darlington Building Society.

The whole picture this time, how many people and creatures can you spot? I will feature a few images from this painting tomorrow.

This image is the top centre of the painting, we have the Spirit of the Sea a protective mermaid like creature, releasing birds ; a dove, a white peacock, an owl, a blackbird and seagulls. The two feathered maidens throwing sunlight and showers. More images later…

I painted this after a visit to the seaside earlier this year. There is nothing quite like the taste of seasalt on your lips and the breeze in your hair. I was trying to capture the play of the sunlight on the water and the rippling of the waves. The sea always seems to have a dramatic almost split personality , begulingly calm and then tempestous, as well as playful. This is the first image there are I think 6 or 7 more. It was a challenge to try and paint the sea and sand rather than my more usual subjects, but the blue tones spoke to me of the sea.

So here is the final reveal , all of the images united in the whole story. In the words of the Imelda May song ” we’re looking at the same moon, Through we’re miles apart, We’re wishing on the same star, When you’re deep in my heart, I don’t know if you know but we miss each other so. Look up I’ll meet you at the moon”. I heard this song on the radio it was a live version, she has a beautiful voice, and I love jazz singers and love songs about the moon and this song seems so wistful and hopeful at the same time . Magic happens in the moonlight ;just as you can meet people and travel to places and times in your dreams that you never could anywhere else.