"Piddinghoe Reflections"

The river Ouse at Piddinghoe, Sussex

The Spring sunshine took me to Piddinghoe. A picturesque village on the banks of the river Ouse just south of Lewes.
 The church here is has an unusual round tower and surrounded by a mass of snowdrops in early Spring.

  The village also has the only remaining bottle shaped brick kiln in the country ,which you can just see behind the house...

Brick kiln at Piddinghoe

  My path took me along the river bank and past the farm where I lived for a while back in the mid 1960's. It seemed strange to think I was walking in the footsteps of my past !

It all looked so very colourful (unlike my black and white photo ) and the reflections upon the river as it headed out to sea made the view just perfect to paint! 
                                     "Piddinghoe Reflections"

"Piddinghoe Reflections" Acrylic on canvas

 
Prints, cards, bags ....

  available at Here

Finally, an extract from Rudyard Kipling's Poem "Sussex"
"And the deep ghylls that breed
Huge oaks and old, the which we hold
No more than Sussex weed;
Or south where windy Piddinghoe’s
Begilded dolphin veers
And red beside wide-bankèd Ouse
Lie down our Sussex steers. "

Painting the seaside...bit by bit....

Painting the seaside in acrylics

I have had several people asking me questions about my painting methods lately.
 Now, I'm not very good at explaining things and this is NOT a "How to do it" but rather a "How I do it" .
I thought that as I paint I could post odd bits and pieces along the way that may inspire/help someone and I'm happy to answer any questions.
Alternatively I could just waffle on...and on...and on........ 
Starting with the sea....
undiluted, System 3 acrylics. Small splodgy strokes ( no confusing art jargon here ! ) Wet on wet.
Needs to dry at least overnight before highlights can be added.

Painting in the sea...

 Pebbles...
hundreds of blobs of paint gradually increasing in size towards the foreground. When completely dry very watery washes of white highlight the sunniest areas and very watery washes of burnt sienna give depth to to the uneven surface of the beach. These are also the colours used for the deckchair frames.

Painting in the pebbles on the beach

Blanket,( and most fabrics). Lightly pencil in where the creases and folds go. Paint in the pattern. Highlight with white and add shade with a watery mix of Prussian blue + Paynes grey
 I've now completed 11 hours of painting (excluding sketching out the composition) Whilst waiting for paint to dry I have started work on other areas. The deckchair frames take the longest. They are a variety of shades/tones and need about 4-5 layers of paint...and a steady hand. I shall work on these a bit at a time.

Painting the fabrics 

 Deckchairs ....
This time just 2 coats of paint were adequate to give an even opaque base of blue (often 4-5 are required). When dry I covered the area with an extremely thin wash of white..then dabbed it off with a clean cloth . This barely shows but it helps to give a bit of texture to the fabric.

Painting the deckchair seats

 Storing surplus paint in small airtight pots will keep it usable for 2-3 weeks .

Prussian blue is used to start adding the shade on the blue areas and the fabric seam lines

Adding the fabric detail

  Most of the painting is created with very small brushes . 
Yep....takes a while with these!

Painting in progress

Starting to add some shadows and highlights whilst building up a few more layers on the deckchair frames. Work has also begun on the smaller objects. 

Adding the shadows and shading




Finally, after a long painting session and lots of cups of coffee, the composition is complete ...

"Gone Swimming"
Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"

"Gone Swimming" Acrylic seaside painting

I hope you have  enjoyed the step by step trip to the seaside and found out something useful along the way 
The sun is now shining so I'm off for an ice cream

 
 

Art online

Today I enjoyed a wonderful walk in the sunshine along the promenade of Brighton and Hove.
 A colourful walk surrounded by smiling faces, crashing waves, ice cream and seagulls.
Another day could find me climbing the South Downs and delighting in the views ,
 that moment when you climb a hill, look around and just go "WOW !"
It's all about views that inspire, stories to create and moments to capture.
I love painting these scenes and I am always delighted when a buyer gets as much pleasure and enjoyment from them too. So often a recipient tells me that it looks "so much better in real life"  and they return for another and so their collection begins.
Now as many of you know I don't exhibit, the very thought sends me into a panic attack and to be honest in this day and age I just cannot see the benefit.
All my sales are made through online galleries or social media sites where my work can be seen by a much larger  audience than a high street gallery.
A potential customer can browse at leisure from the comfort of their own home and view far more artworks than they would see in a standard gallery or auction. 
The online galleries work well for me, they advertise well, payments are secured and there's always a returns policy if the customer is not satisfied. Many will also notify a previous buyer when a new work has been added.
My blog and social media are a great way to show works in progress, methods and techniques and answer questions along the way. I think this helps by building up a rapport with an interested client .
It's taken a while to build up an online presence but it has resulted in a good sales turnover for me. Today I sold "Bluebells and Brook "

  my 13th sale of the year and many works sell within the first week, even minutes of putting them online !
 I have found some wonderful like minded people along my way that are steadily building up a collection of my art and they eagerly keep a watch to see what's next.
Now that gets me thinking...
People buy my art because it's colourful, fun or reminds them of a specific place.
I love to paint these scenes because they're colourful, fun and reminds me of a specific place ,
I love the thought that they will brighten up someone's wall and make them smile.

 It makes me wonder how the famous artists of the past would feel to discover that a composition that they have put so much passion and emotion into is now hidden away in a dark vault somewhere  to be rarely viewed , just an investment . That to me is such a very sad thought .

Painting "Lewes Rooftops" (Sussex)

Lewes town, Sussex

Lewes is the county town of Sussex. It's a town steeped in history, character, architecture and traditions.
I went to school here and live just 6 miles away but on my recent visit I decided to go as a tourist rather than a shopper.
It was a lovely sunny Spring day just right for a walk around the castle and climbing up the battlements to admire the views. They were spectacular and inspiring!
I wanted a view to paint that would capture a  typical part of the scenery and surroundings. A view that in my youth I would have taken for granted and not appreciated in the way that I do now.
Looking south west towards Swanborough hill (The South Downs Way runs along the top), the rooftops and chimneys backed by the soft gentle slopes of the South Downs was just perfect!

The painting took quite a few hours to complete but the detail kept the composition interesting and challenging to work on......
                                                 "Lewes Rooftops"
                                   Acrylic on canvas 24"x18"

"Lewes Rooftops" Acrylic painting on canvas

 Prints, cards etc now available , click on link to view the full range Paula Oakley at Redbubble

 

"Tea and a Nobbly Bobbly" Painting The Old Bathing Station kiosk at Bexhill, Sussex

Bexhill-on-sea

I've been weather watching . This time of year is so unpredictable that it's hard to plan days out.
 For good reference photos I need sunshine and good visibility. Last Saturday however looked promising so we headed off to Bexhill-on-sea.
I can't remember going there before, it has a reputation as a retirement resort so I expected it to be small and not very interesting.
I was wrong!
The De La Warr Pavilion is a creative arts center and well worth a visit if you're in the area
http://www.discoverbexhill.com/attractions/delawarrpavilion.php

The beach is much bigger than I expected with rows of beach huts and ornate shelters. It's all very clean and very white!


Now, I have nothing against white and it all looks lovely, but as an artist that paints bright colourful paintings I wasn't feeling very optimistic about finding a scene that I would like to use in a composition. But, the weather was wonderful so we took a stroll along the seafront and enjoyed the views over the sea.
We hadn't walked far when to my delight I found just what I wanted...The Old Bathing Station .
A lovely little kiosk selling food, drinks and ice creams.
I people watched for a while.
 It made me think that no matter what age you are there is something rather special about sitting by the sea with a hot cup of tea or coffee and treating yourself to your favourite ice cream :)
This I decided would be the theme for my painting.....
                                    "Tea and a Nobbly Bobbly"
                                 ( Acrylic on canvas 24"x18")
Work in progress....It's taken quite a while to sketch out the composition as some parts were a bit complicated to focus on , but as the under painting progresses then it becomes a lot easier and clearer.

Sketching in and starting to add the first layers of paint 

Next I had to add a large amount of the shadows to enable me to start work on the foreground. Whilst areas dry I  worked on the smaller details elsewhere.
 

Starting to add the shadows and finer details to The Old Bathing Station (Bexhill beach)

 Today I had a good long painting session. The kiosk is now completed and I've made a bit more progress on the other areas. Next I shall be using some really tiny brushes and start bringing the picture to life .

Completing the detail on the kiosk.

 Finally it's finished :) ....

                                  "Tea and a Nobbly Bobbly" (Bexhill)  

"Tea and a Nobbly Bobbly" Painting The Old Bathing Station on Bexhill seafront

 

"Large Cod and Chips" Painting Brighton pier and the launch of Cass Art

Cass Art store and Brighton paintings

 Not only has Spring finally arrived but my trips to Brighton have just got so much better!
Last weekend saw the launch of the new Cass Art store in the Lanes of Brighton so we popped down to have a look.
The store looks great. It's bright , spacious and easy to navigate. The products are easy to find and are at exceptionally good prices. Up until now there's been very few places to buy art supplies, just odd bits and pieces in various shops and all rather expensive . I have been ordering online but it isn't the same as actually seeing and feeling the colours and textures.

Cass Art,  Market Street,  Brighton

I had an interesting chat with the manager Stuart

a very nice man that kindly took the time to explain the vision of the future which will include coffee mornings to enable artists to meet up and share their news and ventures. I was also delighted with a gift of a goody bag to take home with me containing a selection of sample products ...

Then I found the ACRYLICS!   :)

Cass Art acrylic range

Oooooooh! The full selection and £2 a tube (150ml) cheaper than I can buy locally ! Check out their full range
https://www.cassart.co.uk/
 Oh how much brighter my trips to Brighton will be!
Now onto the painting...
 There is of course nothing quite like a Springtime trip to the seaside for blowing away the Winter cobwebs.
Wrapping up snug and warm in the chilly sea breezes whilst being mesmerized by the turbulent waves crashing down on the pebbled beach,
then warming up with a portion of steaming hot traditional British fish and chips.....perfect!

I loved the challenge of this painting. A mixture of detail and different angles. The colour combinations work really well and has a real feel of Brighton beach .
                                              "Large Cod and Chips"
                                                        Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"

"Large Cod and Chips" Painting of Brighton pier and beach



I'm looking forward to the return of the Spring sunshine and continuing to add to my Brighton series of paintings (all of which are already sold.) and of course popping in to Cass Art as I pass .

Acrylic paintings of Brighton by me.... Paula Oakley

So far It's been an amazing year...
Not only have I sold 11 paintings in 10 weeks but last week .......
                                                              I got married :) <3 nbsp="" p="">                                                         

 

"Flying Time" Painting of Worthing pier

Worthing pier, Sussex

Well, the last 10 days have passed in a haze of sleepless nights and constant coughing ! I can cope with the cough but not getting much sleep just brings everything to a halt .
The most frustrating thing is that we've had some wonderful sunny weather and I've not been well enough to venture out.
I am feeling  better today and have decided to head back to last Summer when we visited Worthing .
I keep finding myself drawn to different and interesting types of architecture. Brighton pier is dominated by the Victorian curls and twirls . In contrast Worthing pier is full of curves and Art Deco influences.
 The Southern Pavilion at the end of the pier has recently been refurbished and looks rather splendid!

The Southern Pavilion on Worthing Pier

In the middle of the pier is the amusement arcade where a large Art Deco clock dominates the front of the building. I love the striking combination of the sharp lines against the curves of the structure, all topped of by the bright red sign on the top.

The Art Deco clock on Worthing Pier

This is the part of the pier that will be the main subject of my painting.
 It's here in the sunshine where you can sit and watch the seagulls swoop and fly by as they eagerly watch and wait for the fishermen to bring in their catch.

Work in progress              "Flying Time"  Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18" 

 I've been busy sketching out the composition . It's all very rough at the moment but at this stage all I need to do is mark in where everything will go and get the sky painted...

Sketching in the composition

  I sold a painting today so that was good news. Luckily I live just a short distance away from the post office so I didn't have to be out for long as I'm itching to get on with some more painting.
Alas not much progress today though. I have put in the first layer of the sea and started a few bits here and there....

Waiting for the sea to dry!

Lots of progress  building up the layers of paint and making a start on other areas of the composition. I've even added some of the finer detail...

Starting to build up the composition

It's now 3 days later and painting is going well!
 I had a break from it over the weekend to catch up with the boring things like housework. I can't paint if there are things to be done so a good blitz around the house leaves the coming week clear to crack on.
The composition will gradually start to come to life from now on as the finer detail is added .

Adding more depth to the colours and starting to define the smaller parts

The left hand side of the background is now complete , although using such small brushes means it is rather slow....but it's also addictive! Another 2-3 days should see it completed.
In the mean time I have sold another painting. The man in the Post Office is now greeting me with
"You again?" :)  Life is good.

Completing the left hand side of the background

So finally it's taken another 2 days of working on the detail and finishing off the remaining areas . It feels like it's been a long journey but I have thoroughly enjoyed spending my days thinking of nothing but the sunshine and seaside of Worthing beach :) ...
                                            "Flying Time" (Sold)
                            Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18" 

"Flying Time" Painting of Worthing pier, Sussex

"Love on a sea breeze!" Eastbourne, Sussex

Eastbourne beach and pier

February has arrived, the month of romance.
The days are getting longer and  flowers are starting to come into bloom...a sign that Spring is on the horizon.
It is a month of unpredictable weather when we wrap up warm and embrace the days of sunshine.
These are the moments that make memories.
 Moments together.
Moments that need no words......
                                        "Love on a sea breeze"
                                                Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18" 

"Love on a sea breeze" Painting a little romance on Eastbourne beach, Sussex