This year I decided to create more of my ever popular Seascape Valentine Cards. I sell these cards on Etsy and they are ideal for someone who loves Cornwall and wants to share precious memories with someone else who feels the same.
The cards have the paintings set inside a heart shaped aperture. It isn’t easy to finding paintings that will fit the heart shape and can be turned into a Valentines card.
The card above is a very simple beach scene, with turquoise sand rolling on to the beach, with a hint of surf.
I painted this on whilst sat on bench overlooking Fishermans Cove near Gunwalloe in Cornwall but it could be anywhere. I was trying to capture the surf crashing on the beach.
This was painted from Castle Beach, Falmouth looking twards the entrance to the Helford River. It is a moody day with different skies and the sun is reflecting on the water. Something a little different from my usual style.
Godrevy beach is always a favourite and I am sure a lot of people have very special memories of time spent on this beach. The perfect card to share precious memories with someone you love.
This card – shown in position, is painted on a heart shape, with a gold irridescent heart background. This is a slightly different style but gives a slight shine.
Update:
Sadly this card didn’t sell, was it because the painting had a heart shape ? I shall have to think about that one.
We recently enjoyed another trip to Switzerland, and here are my selection of sketches from Montreux and surrounding area.
We had a mix of weather, we arrived in brilliant sunshine but sadly after a few days the rain came in and was never very far away. However I did manage this sketch of Lake Geneva looking towards the mountains towering above Saint-Gingolph, including Le Grammont and Les Jumelles.
Mountains as seen from Montreux promenade
Villeneuve
It was a damp day when we visited Villeneuve on the most southerly tip of Lake Geneva. We enjoyed having a walk aorund this beautiful medieval village. I was however particularly caught by the Ile de Peilz. A tiny island just off the shore at Villeneuve with just one single plane tree left. We stopped at a cafe overlooking the lake, sheltering under a canopy I did this little sketch.
Click on the image to see a larger version.
Rochers de Naye
Wednesday was a lovely day without any rain and we caught the train to Rochers de Naye. This tiny train, that takes about 55 minutes is pure textimate to swiss engineering. It is a cog railway that is incredibly steep up to an altitude of around 2,000m. The views are spectacular over Lake Geneva, but with mountains in all directions, and the Col de Jaman mountain pass.
Click on the image to see a larger version.
It is a great walking area but we just stayed for an hour and got the train back down. Whilst waiting for the train to leave I attmpted to do a very quick painting of the mountains opposite. We also passed the Dent de Jaman, a shark-tooth shaped peak, but this painting I did later.
Vevey
Vevey is an attractive town, where the old belle epoch buildings sit happily alongside newer architecture. We visited Vevey twice, one day was quite cloudy and the second time was during a heavy rainstorm. So we didn’t see it at its best but I still managed two sketches.
Click on the image to see a larger version.
Whilst sitting by the Vevey-Marché, where the steamer boats call in. There are some beautiful buildings along the waterfront, with boats moored up, wrapped up now that summer has gone. My second sketch was painted whilst sat in a cafe sheltering from a real downpour. It was the beautiful Château de l’Aile, as viewed through the window.
As it rained a lot I didn’t do as many sketches as I would have hoped. However I did use this opportunity to practice painting rain clouds on the mountains and how they hover on the mountains.
I have drastically reduced the amount of sketches that I have done during 2024. Although I always take out my little sketch book kit, not the full kit that I take when painting on holiday!
The main reason for the lack of sketches is a loss of confidence or lack of enjoyment. I have found it very hard to adjust to a new looser style since I had my macular hole diagnosed. This results in loosing my middle vision, which is the part of your vision that allows you to see details. You can read more about it in my blog from January 2023 all about my eye surgery.
However I did get my paints out on three different occasions. Here are my efforts.
Seascape – looser style
On this occasion I decided to really test out painting in a looser, more abstract way.
We parked the car at The National Trust Car Park at Gunwalloe and followed the coast path to Pedngwinian Point. Arriving at Fishing Cove / Gunwalloe Beach we just sat and enjoyed the peace and quiet on this lovely beach. We walked continued our walk for a short time, returning via the coast path to revisit the beach. I decided to get my paints out and experiment with capturing the scene.
Click on the image to see it larger.
I am not sure how successful it was. Sadly I didn’t have my wax candle, which I usually like to use for shallow water. It captures the reflection of the clear water on the sand. Luckily I had my masking fluid, although I was a bit heavy handed using it! Anyway I did enjoy painting it, but perhaps it is too abstract – we shall see.
St Michael’s Mount
We haven’t had the best summer but luckily I did manage to visit Marazion on a sunny Tuesday. We were having a coffee in The Goldolphin overlooking St Michael’s Mount enjoying the view. I decided I needed to get my paints out.
The tide was just going out and people were walking over to The Mount. I was with my Aunt and Husband and they felt I needed to include Chapel Rock to give it context. Still fairly loose but I included more detail than the seascape above. I just had to be aware to get the depth of field right by reducing the vividness of The Mount. I have included a photograph of our view. However you can see my Aunt in her stripey top, reflected in the glass balastrade!
Poldhu Cove
Another rare sunny day, with the water fairly calm and beautifully clear. I had been in the sea to enjoy a swim and sat enjoying a coffee at Poldhu Cafe. The decision I always need to make when sketching Poldhu is how much to include! Especially as it has towering cliffs either side.
I decided to focus on the cliffs on the right hand side, and included the lifeguard flag and stick people in the water for context. Out of the three sketches I like this one the best. I think it will definitely make a nice card to sell.
If you are interested in buying any of these paintings they may be for sale the Watercolour Card section of my Shop. However being originals and, once they are gone, they are gone!
One of Cornwall’s largest arts and craft fair, held annually for two weeks at the beginning of August. It has raised phenomenal amounts every year for Cancer Research and their target this year is to raise £50,000. I am delighted to be able to play a small part in helping to raise that amount.
I have chosen local scenes to sell as framed paintings. Also available are a wide range of products including mounted paintings, greeting cards, gift tags, paintings on easels, as well as printed cards and post cards.
I had created a lot of gift tags from my original paintings. These do seem popular and are an inexpensive purchase for people. However it was difficult choosing how to display them! In the end I decided on a wooden cutlery tray.
My 6 x 6 greeting cards of small original paintings are always popular and I have painted small scenes from around the West Cornwall area. I have made 40 cards ready to sell. I can’t wait to learn which scenes ones are popular.
This is the first time I have exhibited at a Fair. I found this quite daunting, deciding how to best display my products in a 4ft space, where I wouldn’t be able to make small adjustments.
Please do visit if you are in the St Just area. The Fair is open from 5th–16th August at Cape Cornwall School and features over 200 local Artists and Crafters. Admission is £1 and is open daily from 10am–7pm.
I have recently been on a short 10 day tour of northern Europe – Germany, Holland and Belgium. Here are my sketches from Amsterdam and Belgium starting with our first stop Cologne in Germany.
Germany sketches
Newquay Airport has increased the number of places it flies to and from during the summer so we flew from Newquay to Dusseldorf Airport with Eurowings. There is a big travel market for visitors from Germany wishing to visit Cornwall to visit the beautiful Cornish locations featured in Rosamunde Pilcher novels. It was then a short train journey from Dusseldorf to Cologne for our 2 night stay. Click on any of the images to see larger versions.
The first sketch is of the Hohenzollern Bridge, a railway bridge consisting of 3 large iron truss arches. You can see the Cathedral in the background. The second is a bar in the Heumarkt, a cobbled plaza filled with bars and coffee shops. A great place to watch to world go by. We were sat in a cafe opposite enjoying a refreshing cup of tea and cake! The last sketch was of the inside of Cologne railway station. It seems that German trains don’t run as efficiently as I thought they might! Our train to take us from Cologne to Amsterdam was well over an hour late, so to distract me from waiting I got my sketch book out to capture the 4711 advertisement that at the end.
Amsterdam sketches
We did eventually arrive in Amsterdam, our home for the next 5 days. We had a lovely studio flat in the Museum Quarter. It was very hot in Cologne and the heat didn’t disappear when we got to Amsterdam, although we experienced frequent heavy showers.
My first sketch is a very typical Amsterdam scene of a bridge over a canal, with the bicycles all lined up. I found the tall houses, bicycles and canals quite overwhelming, it was a job to decide what to paint! My second sketch was of the windmills at Zaanse Schans. Zaanse Schans is now a heritage site with open access, and as well as seeing the windmills, it also has green wooden houses, handicraft shops and industries. It was very pretty and well worth a visit. You can visit Amsterdam Noord by a free ferry ride from the main train station. It was interesting to walk around this area as it was a contrast to the main city. The last sketch is of Paard van Marken, a lighthouse on the Dutch peninsula Marken, on the IJsselmeer. We caught the local bus to the “island” of Marken and walked out to the lighthouse. I particularly loved Marken, although it used to be an isolated island, it is now connected with the mainland by a dike. Catching the bus and visiting this island gave me a good insight into the dike system that is used in the Netherlands.
Belgium sketches
From Amsterdam we caught the train to Antwerp for a 2 night stop – well worth a visit. There is a beautiful historic centre and less touristy than Amsterdam. Although there were a few stag dos, probably attracted by the strength of the Belgium beer. From Antwerp we travelled to Bruges for another 2 night stop. Bruges, with its canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings, is very pretty but also very touristy.
You can walk under the River Scheldt using a pedestrian tunnel with an authentic wooden escalators. They took me back to when I lived in London nearly 40 years ago! My first sketch is of the view across to the Antwerp city skyline. My second sketch was of the Grote Markt in Bruges. This is a very large Market Square with so much going on. I was particularly attracted to the gabled buildings, with its many cafes and restaurants below. Lastly I attempted to capture one of the many beautiful canals. I was attracted to this scene because of the reflection in the water of the buildings and large tree that overhung the water. I am not sure how successful I was though!
Back home
We came home via Brussels and Eurostar, a great way to travel. The trip was pretty full on, as we tried to see as much as we can. I haven’t done as much as painting as I used to do whilst away, as I still adjust to my eyesight difficulties, but I did enjoy it. I hope you have enjoyed looking at them.
I recently completed my first cat watercolour portrait of a beautiful cat called Izzy. Izzy was a very gentle, quiet cat who could be easily intimidated by the other cats that lived nearby. I wanted to paint a portrait that would capture that gentle spirit that she had as a permanent reminder now that she has gone to the big rainbow in the sky.
Whilst I have had some success in painting portraits of Dogs – or so their owners tell me! I hadn’t had that much success with cats, which is probably related to their longer fur.
First I had to choose which photograph to paint from. Did I want Izzy sat curled up on the sofa or sitting upright. Although to be honest neither were ideal I did decide on her sat up.
I purposely choose a small piece of paper so that it could fit into a frame that could either be on a surface or hang on a wall. It also didn’t help that I didn’t have all of Izzy in the photograph!
Here is the final outcome, which I am delighted to say the owner was delighted with. She was even happier to see her furniture and curtains represented in the background.
Mission over – my first cat watercolour portrait successfully completed. I hope you like it.
A new product line that is proving successful are Valentine’s Cards. These cards feature my watercolour paintings, set inside a plain white card (6 x 6 inch) with a heart aperture.
I tried it last year with one card on Etsy. I was so surprised, and very pleased, when it sold really quickly. In this painting I was experimenting with a vivid sky over a sandy beach. It looked really good inside the heart aperture and made a great Valentine Card. I was delighted to get this feedback from my customer.
Beautiful original card , it was the best valentine card that I have ever bought
Sally
I didn’t have time to make anymore last year but I put a few paintings to one side as possibilities for this year.
During the course of the year I have also painted some small paintings that I realised would be perfect for a Valentine’s Card.
The main consideration is finding a painting that fits inside the heart shape neatly, without losing anything important. For example – I wouldn’t want to “cut off” the top of St Michael’s Mount!
Generic paintings
A generic painting is the best choice. This one is a watercolour painting of the sun setting over the sea. The sunlight is glistening on the water. This could be anywhere.
I have other paintings, that have been painted whilst sat looking at the scene in Cornwall, however they could be anywhere. Her are a few examples.
This scene I painted whilst sat on Castle Beach at Falmouth looking towards the entrance to the Helford River. It was a gloriously sunny day. The sun was glistening on the sea and many boats were on the water making the most of the weather. Set inside the heart aperture it could be anywhere where boats are sailing on the sea.
This one is very generic and similar to the card that sold last year. It is of a white sandy beach, with turquoise waters and white sand. This was inspired by the beach at Sennen and also on the Isles of Scilly. Again, this beach could be anywhere in the world that has the same turquoise sea colour and white sand. I am thinking of the Caribbean and the Maldives.
Cornish Coast
This painting is a typical scene from along north Cornish coast of the beach and surf, with the cliffs and island in the background. The scene is is low tide at West Pentire, painted looking across from Pentire Headland, Newquay. However it could be any coastal scene in Cornwall, Devon or anywhere along the north coast.
This painting is a different view of Crantock beach, with West Pentire in the background. Crantock is a vast beach, and low tide reveals a big expanse of beach. However in this little painting, painted last January, whilst I was sat looking across from Pentire Headland, Newquay. It shows the tide slowly going out and the beach revealing itself. However it could be any coastal scene in Cornwall, Devon or anywhere along the north coast.
Godrevy Beach
We had a particularly warm June in 2023 and I visited Godrevy beach on a couple of occasions.
This was painted on a glorious sunny June day early on a Sunday morning. I had just been for a swim and was chilling, enjoying the view. It was very quiet and I had to get my paints out.
On another visit during this sunny June day I was visiting the beach with friends. We had enjoyed a lovely swim and we were sat chatting afterwards, enjoying the view. Again I had to get my paints out and capture the scene.
These cards have proved very popular and I will definitely have to start thinking about next year. If interested have a look at my Etsy page, but be quick because they are selling fast.
I was recently asked if I had any paintings of St Mawes for sale. My potential customer was looking for the view of the harbour and the Ships and Castle Hotel. As I didn’t have that particular scene she asked if she could commission a painting from a photo.
I do love St Mawes, it is a stunning location, but there are a lot of buildings. The imposter syndrome kicked in again and I wasn’t sure if I could!
I had previously done a very loose sketch of St Mawes, which had been sold. My customer was delighted as it reminded her of many happy holidays in St Mawes.
The first step was to visit St Mawes and do some test sketches. Luckily the day I visited was a glorious sunny day with beautiful blue skies. Perfect sketching weather.
Tredenham Road has a couple of locations where they have wooden benches, just right to sit down and sketch. The view across the water towards the harbour and both castles is just lovely.
I choose two different places for my sketches but to be honest I was totally overwhelmed! There were just so many buildings …
My prospective client very kind sent through the photograph she had taken of this complex scene. I decided the only way I could tackle all those buildings would be to work from a grid.
Adding the grid made it more manageable and finally I felt happy to send to my client to see if it would do.
I am delighted, and more that a bit relieved, to report my client was very pleased. Even better it was an anniversary present for her parents as they honeymooned at St Mawes and they were overjoyed.
My working paintings are currently available for sale on my Etsy shop.
A few months back I had an enquiry from someone who wanted to commision a painting of Sennen, Cornwall. The client wanted a special present for her relatives. They had spent many happy years on holiday in Sennen and wanted a remainder in their home.
Finding the right photograph
I have various paintings of Sennen available to buy but she wanted one that included the Lifeguard Hut. The Lifeguard Hut although in a raised position over the vast beach, sits almost hidden amongst the dunes. She had already purchased the frame so I had dimensions to work to.
The only problem was she didn’t have a photo of the actual scene. I love Sennen and have loads of photographs but Whitesands Bay is so wide that the scene can be mostly sky! Here are some of the images I could use
Whilst I loved the first photograph above, I felt there angle wasn’t right because the dunes were too prominent. The second photograph, although covering the whole bay, was a little dark. I really liked the third photograph and decided I could use that. The turquoise colour of the sea was looking splendid in the fourth photograph but it didn’t include the hut! I did have another photograph of the same scene that did include the lifeguard hut but not the whole bay. Clearly I needed to combine them in photoshop to create the right scene.
Initial paintings
I find it quite stressful accepting an enquity to commission a painting. To take the pressure off myself I always paint more than one. This way the customer has a choice and, in fact, can say no. I really don’t want anyone to be under any obligation to buy one of my paintings.
The process always starts with an small, initial painting, just so I can get the flow of how to paint it and also choosing the right colours.
Whilst the proportions of my first attempt look a bit distorted, I liked the scene, with the vast sweep of the bay and the lifeguard hut. I was reasonably happy with my initial paintings.
Full scale painting
It was time now for me to be brave. I decided that whilst I preferred the second version of my initial painting above, the rocks didn’t look right. However I had my reference material for my commission.
The first painting turned out to be successful. I felt I had captured the sea and its different shades of blue as the surf rolls on to the beach. You may notice that I decided not to add any people! My second painting wasn’t as successful. In my reference photo there was a lot of seaweed, showing as dark blue, but it didn’t look right in the painting. I tried adjusting it to make it less obvious.
Photoshop was used to demonstrate how the painting could look inside her frame. I uploaded it to Etsy and she loved it! More importantly, so did her recipients. She sent me this message.
Thank you I took the picture to my aunt and uncle over the weekend they were so pleased, tears of joy, it was very moving.
Natalie
At the time of writing this blog post, the other painting of Whitesands Bay, Sennen is available to purchase.
Second Commission
They loved the painting so much that they commissioned another painting of Sennen to send to their son who lives overseas. As the son was a keen surfer they asked for the lifeguard hut to reflect its historical colours and to be “more brown”.
It is interesting how different a painting can look, even from the same photograph. This painting looks more like an autumnal/winter scene, the sea is less turquoise.
If you are interested in my paintings of Sennen, take a look at the bottom of my page about Sennen, this will list what is currently available.
Is it ok to post about Christmas tags in October? Some people like to wrap their presents early so I need to get them out there!
Angel Christmas Tags
I am combining my craft making with my watercolour painting with the tags.
These tags embossed using either a Gold or Green embossing powder on an Angel stamp . To give it that bit of Christmas sparkle they have a sparkling background layer to match the tag, .
These tags are blank on the reverse, for your message and will have gold and white twine to attach to your present.
Bauble Christmas Tags
These tags are definitely one of my favourites. The baubles are hand drawn and painted with watercolour in a variety of colours. Adding background papers to give it an extra bit of shazam ! Is that a word!
Some of these hand painted tags have the branches of a Christmas tree in the background. The single tag of lots of baubles has a band of gold paper at the top.
These tags are blank in the middle for your message and has a double sided sticky foam pad to attach to your present.
Etsy October Offer
At the moment on my Etsy shop I have a special offer where anyone purchasing one of my paintings gets a free, handpainted gift tag.
This offer applies to anything on my shop that is an original painting. That could be one of my miniature acrylic paintings, a mounted 9 x 7 inch mounted painting or my 6 x 6 inch cards. The offer runs during October and the minimum spend is £5. Have a look and see if anything takes your fancy. Remember though – they are all originals and once they are gone, they are gone.
Joy Tags
I also have my Joy tags for sale on my Etsy shop. Available as a set of 4 choosing from either a Yellow or Pink colour scheme.
The yellow tag is set on a glossy yellow background with matching bow. The pink tag is set on a pink layer that has glitter running through it. Both tags are blank on the reverse, for your message and will have gold and white twine to attach to your present. I have limited available on these tags as only one set of 4 each are created to gauge their popularity.
Whilst these will finish off a beautifully decorated Christmas present, as they don’t use the word Christmas they are suitable for any joyful celebration.
Searching for a painting of a particular location?
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