Art Drop Day was started by Jake Parker, a cartoon artist in America "to feel a little more connected to each other through the act of creating and giving". The idea being that we create art, post hints where it has been left on social media and wait for it to be found.

I wanted to do it last year but had missed the date. So this year I painted a little picture, dropped it off in the countryside and now I am leaving you a clue as to its whereabouts so you can rush off and find it.

Hint:- I climbed high up over boulders to a windy cliff edge. I then crawled through a wet cave on my hands and knees to place the painting there. Now off you go....

OS grid reference SK 244 835

​I am doubtful that it will ever be found but I am assured there are more adventurous people than me! 

Original paintings (both framed and unframed), prints and greeting cards are currently on display at The Art & Framing Centre in Friars Street, Sudbury until the end of June. If you would like to choose a frame Graham or Emily will be able to advise you. 
 
Framed paintings and prints are also on display at The Pheasant in Gestingthorpe until the end of July.
 
Finally I have been invited to exhibit at The Sudbury Summer Art Fair which takes place in Saint Peter's Church on Market Hill, Sudbury from the 19th July until the 24th July. Opening times are: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-8pm and Sunday 10am-5pm. As well as original artwork for sale there will be a café and evening entertainment. More details can be found on their website. 
 
In the past couple of weeks I’ve exhibited at Clare Town Hall as part of the Clare Art Club and the Village Fete at Belchamp St Paul.
 
In other (non watercolour related) news I was honoured to have been asked by the Colne Engaine War Memorial Project to amalgamate two winning designs by children at Colne Engaine Primary School and paint this on to a glass skylight which has been incorporated into the new war memorial.
 
I was invited by Field Marshall the Lord Walker to attend the officially public unveiling. The band of the Parachute Regiment played at the ceremony which was led by the Bishop of Colchester, The Right Reverend Roger Morris and Reverend Peter Allen. The ladies of the CEWM Committee read the names of the war dead and the children from the primary school sang in what was a very moving and poignant ceremony.
 
The new war memorial has been built on public ground between St Andrew’s churchyard and the village hall and is open to anyone to visit. 

"My wife was overjoyed to get the painting for her birthday. She shed a tear when she unwrapped it! What does it feel like to evoke such pleasure, well done you"
​S Nichols

This one was bought as a gift but the customer has been unable to part with it. 

A varied selection of original Paintings, Prints and Greeting cards will be on display at The Pheasant in Gestingthorpe throughout March. 

Small original paintings or prints make affordable and thoughtful gifts. My original paintings are often impossible to repeat and my print runs are kept deliberately small, adding to their uniqueness and value. Prices range from around £50-£350 for a framed original painting.

Each Limited Edition print is signed and numbered by me. The cost is £35 for a framed print. Alternatively, if you would prefer to have a print framed yourself the cost of a Limited Edition Print mounted ready for framing is £25. 

If you are unable to see the display at The Pheasant prints are available to buy via my website (by clicking the image in any of the Galleries)  contact me directly if you wish to collect them in person.

Prints can be ordered in many standard sizes. Here on my website I have listed print sizes as fitting a 10" x 12" standard frame.  If you would prefer a smaller, or larger, size please contact me to discuss your requirements.

Eleanor

I have had this image in my mind (and on my list of paintings to try) for a very long time.

Lots of Ziggy Stardust paintings are being posted as pictorial tributes to David Bowie but I like the vulnerability shown in this picture of him.

Did I do it justice? Probably not - mark two is on the drawing board drying as I type. The thing about repeating paintings is that although they are often technically better they lack some indefinable quality of the first attempt. To quote Neil Young "If you do something over and over you get better technically, but spiritually, father from the source". Something like that.

The WATERCOLOUR Book : How to Paint Anything is based on my six week course. Having been painting for some time I identified six key areas in which beginners to watercolour struggle, only to realise that these key areas remain a challenge to all artists to a greater or lesser extent.

The book covers all aspects of watercolour painting, from choosing and buying essential equipment to exciting ways in which ordinary inexpensive household items can be adapted to produce amazing results.

Watercolour has the reputation of being the most difficult medium to work in but with this book you will quickly achieve successful results.

I concentrate less on teaching how to paint a particular subject and more on teaching technique, giving you the ability to paint any subject you like. There are exercises to help you gain confidence and better understand the paint and its unique qualities. This is the secret to painting in watercolour. Everything has been broken down and explained to help you build up a workbook of reference material which you can refer back to in the future. There are step-by-step demonstrations with photographs of my own workbook.

​This is a reference book filled with comprehensive information, advice and explanations for both experienced artists and beginners.

Click the image to take you to Amazon.co.uk or subscribe to my online course for £120 for 12 months. 

There is nothing to lose as I am giving everyone a 14-day money-back guarantee if not satisfied.

For more information about the subscription site, or to sign up, please click here. 
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​I've finally finished writing, illustrating and editing my book! The WATERCOLOUR Book : How to Paint Anything has 127 pages, over 100 examples of watercolour paintings and more than 30 photographs. ​

The book is available on Amazon (click the link below) and is yours for the princely sum of £5. Of course I would love to see my book in print but the cost of publishing photo books of this size is prohibitive. However, the advantage of an ebook is you can zoom in on the pictures to study them in detail. Something I find myself wishing I could do when looking at a "real" book. 

In my review at the end of 2014 I said I'd not be setting myself any new challenges - that I'd be taking 2015 "one day at a time". I lied. I immediately set myself numerous challenges, as is my way. 
 
Feeling a sense of failure about six months into the year I moved my own goal posts and am ashamed to say that I have still not succeeded in accomplishing some of my goals for the year. 
 
One would think I'd learn from this, but no. I now feel in order to regain some self esteem I must finish the tasks I set myself this year as well as the new (probably unrealistic) targets for 2016.

​In my last article I looked edges. Here I’ll be looking at lines, including lines created by edges, how they affect our emotions and how artists employ them in painting to create a narrative. 
 
Line drawings can be made with a pencil prior to painting but for the purposes of this article I am including lines made with the brush whilst painting and lines utilized as the basis of composition. 

The art theme on Twitter this month is #stilldecember in which people post any still life painting in any medium throughout December.

As with #portraitnovember still life is not a subject matter I normally paint. However the reference photo, by Kim Humphreys, caught my attention. I took photographs at each stage, see slide show below. I hope seeing the process I used helps you with your own work.

Other new watercolour paintings in the gallery, New Paintings.

The second painting of my Jeff Lynne (of ELO) obsession.

More portrait paintings in the Portrait gallery and New Paintings.

Never before has so little taken so long to paint! I'm exhausted. Another new subject matter for me and a new style. It's all about the journey, why make it easy! The paper is also new to me (Saunders Waterford 140lb Hot Pressed, which has a slightly yellow tinge to it). 
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​More portrait paintings in the galleries, Other Painting Subjects and New Paintings.