Houghton Hall Sketches

Houghton hall sketches of a Servant. I started working at Houghton hall in 2013 for the Houghton Revisited show, which brought back all the original paintings that once hung there before they were sold to the Hermitage in Russia. The rooms were brought back to there glory of the 1700's. Each day I look after different rooms. When there is quiet times so I fit in some sketching of the rooms.
This year I was brought back to Houghton Hall for the 'James Turrell show" Which is very modern art light show that is placed in different parts of Houghton. Sometimes I am looking after the light exhibits and other times I am i the house looking after the paintings in the rooms.
I have put all my sketches together and they are now on show at the NNUH hospital in Norwich on the 2nd Level corridor. I have mounted about 20 pictures and some are unmounted. They varied in size one picture is made up of lots of pictures where I have tried to draw the whole rooms and joined all the smaller sketches together together. If your in the NNUH it is an opportunity to see a piece of Houghton Hall. Houghton hall is open this year till the 24th October and well worth a visit.

'En plein air' Cromer beach paintings

 

My studio on the beach in Cromer a photo taken by Sally Hart who was on holiday and practising her photography. 

      

This painting done in ink and watercolour has Cromer church in the background. These paintings posted here are A4 but I paint up to A1 in size. I also paint other beaches on the coast line but mostly Cromer.

 

This one has a piece of Cromer pier, Davies lifeboat and the town. You can buy my paintings at Gallery Norfolk which is opposite Merchants place, just up the slope from the Rocket House cafe.

 

 

This painting has the whole pier, the lifeboat and Cromer.

 

This one has a some pier and no boats. 

Poppyland band

 A new band has been formed and has new songs about Poppyland
My Cousin Bertie Anderson Haggert has written lots of songs about the North Norfolk coast and they will be played this Sunday 20th September at Sidestrand church at 7.30pm. 7 pound on the door and there will be refreshments. The funds from the door will go towards the Sidestrand archive group. I heard the songs being played for the first time last week at the Vernum arms folk night and they were fantastic definitely Christmas number one chart topper.

Sidestrand church was moved in from falling into the sea and because of the coastal erosion it wont be long before it might fall in again. Its a cute little church and some of my family are buried there. I have rung the bells once for a wedding in the early 1980's with my brother when we were over from Ireland.

Gallery Norfolk Summer show 2015

Gallery Norfolk has a Summer show of wonderful paintings by local artists.
My work has featured in the show this year with my beach paintings. Mostly of Cromer beach but also Overstrand and Sidestrand.
Whenever I get a chance to go to the coast I go by train with my bike. I get off at Gunton station and ride through the countryside and stay in my cousins house near my family. Every sunny day I ride into Cromer and set up on the beach to paint. This year my folks bought me this trailer so I can take a chair and stretched paper on board and all my paints down to the beach. Its really a children carrier but it does the job of taking all my work.

Last year I started beach painting as a break from city life. I done a dozen pictures and then took them up the slope by the Rocket House cafe and the life boat to Gallery Norfolk which is just on the left on the main street.

Catherine who works at the Gallery was delighted with the art and took it out the back to show Polly who owns the gallery and also makes picture frames. Polly said she would trial them to see how they go.

Polly frames some of the work for the show and then the others are mounted and unmounted sitting in racks.

The work has done very well and selling better then any of us expected.

'En plein air' beach painting can be very windy. But worth being outside catching the rays and fresh air. I look forward to the next sunny day to wheelie on down to the beach on my bike. The art works are all for sale and prised very reasonably for people to take home an original work from there holidays as a cheery memory to help them through the long winter nights.

Ships Wheel Art

This year for the Cromer and Sheringham Crab and Lobster festival the theme for artists was a Ships Wheel. Shops in Cromer and Sheringham sponsored wheels that artists painted and they put them in the window for the whole summer. Gallery Norfolk asked me to paint a wheel. I imaged being at sea and the seagulls that followed the boat reflected on my Ships wheel on a sunny day.
I painted the gulls on the beach in Cromer on paper then painted them  on the wheel. Exhibiting the seagulls along side the wheel in the window. On the 30th August all the wheels came together at the front of Cromer pier and were auctioned off for charity. They made a record amount of cash this year. All the charities will be local ones that need help.