Latest paintings.

I thought it about time I posted images of a few of the paintings I have been working on over the last few weeks. Thanks for taking a look!

'Bales'   8 x 12 inches, oil on board.

These cylinder bales seem more frequent in the landscape than the old rectangular bales, but they are still an interesting subject to paint.

'Cloud Patterns'   8 x 12 inches, oil on board.

This was painted quite loosely, the best way I think to capture those beautiful fleeting moments as the clouds cast interesting patterns of shade and sunlight across the landscape.

'The Boss'   10 x 12 inches, oil on board.

Not an unusual composition for me, a farmyard painting featuring cockerels and hens, going about their daily routine around the old farm buildings.

'Summer Breeze'   8 x 12 inches, oil on board.

These poppies looked like they were being swept up the grassy hillside by the warm summer breeze, which gave me the title for this warm summer poppy painting. Where did the summer go!

'Cattle Grazing'   6 x 8 inches, oil on board.

A small simple loose painting, quickly describing a scene which has long been one of my favourite subjects to paint, cattle grazing!

'Barn Interior'   6 x 8 inches, oil on board.

This small painting of the barn interior was painted using simple blocks of colour and tone to depict the atmosphere of the old barn, details kept to a bare minimum.

Holmfirth Artweek

This year I managed to put 2 small oil paintings into the 'Holmfirth Artweek' exhibition, held in the North Yorkshire town of Holmfirth. The event raises funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, and has been mounted annually since 1967. I'm very pleased to be taking part in the exhibition as it marks my return to exhibiting in such events after quite a few years! Both paintings are from a series I painted as part of a commission to paint several oils of the farm buildings and its beautiful mountain and valley landscape.   The first painting is an 8 x 12 inch oil on board, and features the white farmhouse,
Cefn Gwyn, near Aberangell, Wales. The view is from the lane that leads back down from the mountain behind the farm, and on into farmyard and the comfort of the old farmhouse.

'The White Farmhouse'   Oil on Board, size 8 x 12 inches.

The second painting, a 10 x 12 inch oil on board, features the seating arrangement in a bay window of the old farmhouse. Two well used old wooden chairs face each other across a small chess table, the pieces lay as left, awaiting the next challenge!

'Awaiting the Next Challenge'    Oil on Board, size 10 x 12 inches.

The exhibition runs from Sunday 20th July until Saturday 26th July. Both of these paintings are for sale at the exhibition, afterwards, please contact me for details.

D'arcy Doyle Art Awards 2014

I'm very pleased to say that one of the 2 paintings I sent to the D'arcy Doyle Art Awards 
in Queensland, Australia has sold. I received the following email from Atsuko Shima,
the event administrator - 


'I’m so happy for you and thrilled to tell that your “Cornish Cliffs – Early Evening” has gone to a lovely local lady today!!  Congratulations!!  The buyer visited the area years ago with her husband and “I just love it”, she said.'

This is the second year I have sent over entries to this well known art exhibition, which is in a small town named Mudgeeraba, just inland from Queensland's Gold Coast.  The Doyle art awards are always well attended, and is a nationally recognised event in Australia, with prize money totalling $17,000. This years winners, and more information can be found on their web site, darcydoyleartawards.com.au/


An image of the painting can be seen on the previous post. The unsold remaining painting of Holywell Bay, can now be seen at 'Brendens gallery' 489 Scottsdale Drive, Varsity lakes, Queensland.

Apologies for not posting or painting

No, I'm not dead yet, or so the doctor assures me! I have to apologise for no posts for about two years, but my 'job' as a grandad of five bundles of energy has kept me away from the paints and brushes for so long - I forgot I was a painter!

Nevertheless, I still want to get back to painting, but it can be so hard to balance the practicalities of earning a living with family life can't it. During this time I haven't completely stopped working, my (very outdated) website has made sales, and attracted a few very interesting commissions. I managed to squeeze in a short trip to Wales, a commission to paint a family farm, 'Cefn Gwyn', within its beautiful mountainous setting.

Also, a large 24 x 30 inch commission for a family in the US, who wanted a 'traditional English lane' oil painting for their formal dinning room. With no gallery representation at the moment, all my enquiries and sales come via the website or previous collectors getting back in touch.

I had a couple of days free this week, Friday and Saturday, so I paid my first ever visit to the Patchings Art Festival near Nottingham. It was a great inspiration to see such good artists at work, also their artwork on display. Two artists whose work I particularly liked we're Peter Barker, Peter and I have met before, once having the same art dealer), and Haidee-Jo Summers, both well known for their fantastic oil paintings! I'm afraid I must have made a nuisance of myself, a strange little chap haunting their stands watching them at work. But as true professionals they put up with my inane questions and off putting stares, both completing wonderful paintings while I hovered between them (luckily their stands were next to each other). They were both very busy, with lots of interest in them and their work, and deservedly so.

After chatting with them I have a renewed inspiration to get painting out on location, for which I thank them both, Peter and Haidee really are two very friendly people, and wonderfully inspiring painters! Peter is opening his own gallery soon and kindly invited me to show there, I really will have to do something very special though, I know his high standards and the calibre of the other invited artists. If I think my new work is not up to scratch I would not dare embarrass either of us by sending work.

When I have a few paintings under my belt, hopefully ones painted on location, I will have to get back to entering exhibitions again, something So important I should not have left it so long! I have managed to put by a couple of small oils to send off to an exhibition in Australia which I have entered before, the Darcy Doyle Art Awards. I'll write about that shortly and let you know how it goes. Here are the 2 paintings below, sorry colouring not accurate, plus a horrible fuzzy look from my cheap camera!

Holywell Bay from the Dunes.   8 x 12 inches

Cornish Cliffs, Early Evening.   8 x 10 inches.  Sold

Scots Pine and Yellow Gorse

The shape of the large Scots Pine tree was the subject of this small oil, these trees always appeal to me. The top of the tree bending to the wind, while a sandy path flanked by thorny yellow Gorse winds past the tree and into the distance. It was purely the lean and shape of this tree that attracted me and made me want to paint this small study. Often these small uncomplicated simple studies work well I think.

'Scots Pine and Yellow Gorse' - oil on board 6 x 8 inches   

                                                                     


                                                                                                                                                         
contact lesliestonesart@aol.com                                                                                             
                                                                                            

Distant Grazing

This is a simple small oil painting showing cows grazing in a summer meadow. Lots of greens I know - but I like green. The painting also has my favourite colour, the lovely cheerful yellow, helping with the focal point just under the large oak tree with cattle stood amongst sunlit buttercups.

I placed one brown cow amongst the 'splodges' of black and white cattle just to give a little colour contrast for the eye to pick up and match with the few reddish brown patches amongst all the green. The sky is worked quickly, using the same brush strokes as the foliage and grass to help unify the painting.

'Distant Grazing'  -  oil on board 6 x 8 inches

Contact -  lesliestonesart@aol.com

Farm Outbuildings

Again, my grandfathers old farm provides the inspiration for this small oil painting showing the rough texture and appearance typical of these old farm buildings. The weathered grey double doored 'garage' was where my grandfather would keep his car, the large barn to the left was always full of stacked straw bales and old farm machinery.

This view was straight outside the rear of the farmhouse, where the farm geese and hens were free to wander. The path leading past the garage and towards the large trees in the distance led to the old hen house and fields beyond. Apart from the original  brick built buildings (not shown in this painting) these barns and buildings were all built by my grandfather out of reclaimed timber and materials, often old telephone poles and corrugated tin roofing.

'Farm Outbuildings' - oil on board, 6 x 8 inches

                                                                       





Contact -  lesliestonesart@aol.com