Feeling in a bit of a seasonal mood, I've been working on two appropriate artworks. First is a scene of Oxen Fell Farm near Coniston in snow with a happy robin. This is available framed. Next, for a change from Cumbria, is a dramatic take of the character Scrooge from Dicken's "A Christmas Carol". I had great fun doing this one, even though I had to fight the urge to put a Muppet in. The street is actually based on The Shambles in the city of York. Can you see the three ghost

Well this has been a good month and no mistake! I've sold three originals from Cherrydidi in Ambleside and one original at the UKCPS exhibition at the Derwent Pencil Museum in Keswick, all within the last two weeks. This is great news for me, although it does mean that I have to come up with replacements for the Christmas period. So if you are watching my work and wondering whether to purchase then the answer is, don't wait. When they're gone, they're gone!

I seem to have had quite a break from new artworks but it's not been all sea, sand and sunshine. I have been busy working on these two new pencil drawings which are somewhat more traditional in style to my usual contemporary works. Using only colour pencils (no graphites involved), I've made the effort to be more detailed but deliberately not photorealistic which many pencil artists seem to lean toward; creating a "painted" style as opposed to "illustrative". Using pencils c

You've got to be either a really successful artist or a financially sound individual to be able to follow your own dreams and inspiration while not being concerned about the issue of earning a living. Since I am neither of those, I have to think about the commercial side of my work. As such, I have been working on producing more "tourist based" posters for the Lake District, not just in style but also in price. Over the years I have loved visiting the Alps, particularly Switz

With Summer fast approaching (although the weather says otherwise), I've been determined not to find myself short of stock in case of a hopeful rush of sales so I've been busy producing new works. First up is a drawing that captures that moment after a day's heavy rain when the clouds break and the setting sun makes a brief last appearance, all set on the road that skirts alongside Rydal Water in the central Lakes. Next are two square drawings that could be a pair, both of co

It's the hardest part of being an artist. You've poured your heart and soul into a piece of work. Conceptualised it, planned it, bought the materials, created it, paid for a way for displaying it and place it before the customer who gasps with awe, comments on how wonderful it is and how talented you are and asks how much it is. Then there's the awkward silence, followed at best with a heartfelt apology of how it's not within the budget or, at worst, a scoffing laugh with a l

Being an artist is 90% inspiration and following my recent successes I have found a new wave of inspiration for further work together with developing my skills and style into new ventures. I've been learning new techniques with the combination of graphite and colour pencils and experimenting with improving the balance of each medium in terms of colour, light, tones and textures - exciting times! So I have produced two new works which are somewhat bolder and, dare I say, more

As a typical artist, I'm more of an introvert who prefers working quietly in a studio rather than being out among the crowds peddling my work but of course, I do need to make a living from what I produce. Being a terrible salesman, I let either my website or gallery owners do the actual publicity. The main gallery/shop that I use is Cherrydidi, an arts and crafts shop in the midst of the Lake District. They have shops in both Keswick and Ambleside and do a wonderful job of su

Two years ago, I created a digital piece called "This Way and That", a colourful image showing a silhouetted couple walking down a lane towards a sunset in a typical Cumbrian setting. It was printed in a small A5 size and put into Cherrydidi in Keswick. For the first year one or two sold but then the following year they started flying out the door. Why the change in demand, I have no idea but encouraged by the prospect of increasing fame and fortune, I have done a similar one

It's hard to relax at Christmas when your favourite pastime is doing your work but in this instance I've chilled out by doing what I prefer most of all - using graphite pencils. I have, however, included a little colour seeing as I have a pile of pencils at hand. It's rare that I'm thoroughly pleased with a completed work (I'm very self critical) but have to confess that I'm delighted with this one. #pencilart #colourpencil #lakedistrict #cherrydidi #art