"From the Riva"  Oil 10" x 12"

Clock Tower, San Marco 16" x 10"

A little later the same day out in the Piazza after high tide had made a small flood

Oil 12" x 10"

 There were quite a few British artists there at the same time.  We had a good get-together at Ken Howard's studio one evening to compare notes which was good fun. Karl Terry, Chris Daynes, Roger Dellar and Lynn Dellar, Tony Dakin, Roy Connelly and myself were all well fed by David Bachmann!

"Venetian Sunset" Oil 10" x 12"

"Wet Evening, Sestiere San Polo" 10" x 8" Oil

"Christmas in San Marco" Oil 14" x 11"

"After Rain in the Piazzetta" Oil 8" x 6"

"Palazzo Ducale" 10" x 12" Maybe I would have liked this scene better without George Clooney overseeing the work on the Library but I suppose Omega are helping towards the costs of the repairs!

This little bridge crosses the canal which leads up to the Bridge of  Sighs and I thought it warranted a sketch of the photographers and tourists silhouetted against the afternoon sky.

I went down to Chioggia (pronounced Kee-Odgia) for a day and it was the wettest day of all but I enjoyed it so much that next time I might even stay there for a few days and do the commute in the other direction to Venice! A conveniently placed arch in the middle of the road provided the shelter from the torrential rain for this one!

"Corso Del Populo, Chioggia" 10" x 8" Oil

After the rain finally stopped I did several small sketches in the same area as I hate packing up all the gear when time is short!

"Fish Dock, Chioggia" 10" x 8" Oil

Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

"Christmas in San Marco" 14" x 11" Oil Plein Air

I had never painted the hospital on previous visits so it was on my list of possibilities. It is very interesting both from the almost ecclesiastical architecture point of view and the setting alongside a canal. Like many Venetian buildings it looks a bit wonky due to the subsidence of the foundations but I was left wondering if my new varifocals mught have led me to overemphasize this a little? I have been having trouble with verticals especially when tight locations force me to stand a bit to one side:(

"Ospedale" Oil 12" x 10"

This is typical of many street scenes in London showing the variety of architecture, signage, traffic and pedestrians. This piece was commissioned by a young lady from Canada who wanted to give her husband a memento of their time together in London on their return home after a few years living in West London.

Despite being a little bit "over" as far as the lavender was concerned it was still fun to paint for a few hours in the Lavender Fields at Mayfield near Carshalton. It was quite an intoxicating experience to paint among the swarms of bees and the strong perfume of the plants and there were still a few photographers and walkers around to add a bit of life here and there. Both paintings are 10" x 12" and of course the one day I needed some cobalt violet I had left it at home!

I did experiment with a bit of Lavender oil later on but was not too impressed! More exciting was the experiment in the underpainting with the 1 part Damar Varnish, 1 part Stand Oil and 5 parts Turpentine mix which went off like greased lightning and gave a nice dry base to work into after only ten minutes. (Courtesy of "Processes, Pigments and Vehicles" published in 1895)

Yet again the Art in the Open Competition, now the biggest plein air event in Europe, lived up to expectations. Superb organisation, and the engagement of all the local people, who really welcome over 100 artists from around the world, make this an unmissable event for me!

The main competition is held over a weekend in the nearby Towns of Wexford and Enniscorthy and there is a big prize fund. I was delighted to win a runner up prize!

A series of paint-outs during the weeks before and after the main event gives everyone a chance to get to know the local area and get some practise if they are not accustomed to working out of doors. Here is one of the pieces that I painted during those events.

"The Barbecue Party" 11" x 14" Oil