Richard Paul Art

This is the last of my Romsey at 5:30am in the snow picture for now at least as its time to move on a season! We had some late snow in March 2018 (the first for five years), so I got out at 5:30am taking pictures whilst the street lighting cast interesting pools of light across the untouched surface. This painting (oil on board 20x16 inches) is a view of Romsey (Hampshire, UK) market square, looking towards the arch that leads to the abbey and the park. Most of the buildings in this view are listed and date to the late 1800s, including the arch and the church (the top of the tower of which is on the left).

The first snowfall in Romsey (Hampshire, UK) for five years, so I was out taking photographs of every scene that looked like it would make a good painting. Sadler's Mill on the river Test is a popular spot for a pleasant walk from the town centre, and a popular feature with local artists. I've always thought it needed a little something extra to lift the scene - and this snowfall did it nicely. Painted from my original photo, using oil on board measuring 16 x 12 inches.

This is the second of my pencil sketches of the sheds down on my local allotment. I find the lack of perfection, quirky angles and makeshift construction and repair makes them a fascinating subject, though drawing so much wood grain can be a bit tedious.

Way back in October 1997 I was staying at Torridon hostel (Scottish Highlands) to climb a few Munros. I was up early, and so took a walk along the shore of the loch to watch this dawn of a beautiful still day. The tide was in and the sea as flat as a mirror, perfectly reflecting the dawn sky. I originally painted this the same year, but decided to repaint it now 20 years later applying the skills and techniques I've picked up over the last couple of decades. Painted in oil on board 20x16 inches.

Ths picture comes from a trip a few years ago, where from our isolated guest house at Seilebost we watched the sunset over Luskentyre. It was a clear sky on an unusually hot day in May, and this was the scene at 11pm with the incoming tide starting to cover the extensive sands. Painted in oil on board measuring 24 inches x 12 inches. The darkest blue (top and bottom) was obtained by mixing vandyke brown into cobalt blue. Original Sold 2017

This picture of Church Lane in Romsey (Hampshire, UK) was very nearly my unfinished masterpiece. Halfway through painting I fell seriously ill and nearly died in hospital (twice). I'm on the mend now, albeit very slowly, and finding time to do my art once more (but not yet my travels). I took the original photo back in April when the leaves were starting to sprout on the pollarded trees, partially obscuring the view of the abbey behind. I particularly liked the play of light on the fresh leaves and the pattern formed on the road by the sun filtering through a still bare tree, so I took extra care in painting these bits. I've used oil paints on a board measuring 12 inches x 16 inches.

I went to Sherborne (Dorset, UK) in search of a view to paint or draw. The place has plenty of lovely old buildings, but somehow no matter where I positioned myself they never made a pleasing composition. In a last attempt for a view I found a slope to the South of the town, and found I got a semi-aerial view. Its the sort of thing that works well in pen and ink, but is very awkward to execute as its almost impossible to keep track of where you are flitting between drawing and source. It also required a lot of pencil work first to make sure the buildings all joined up (more or less) before committing to the permanence of ink. I've chose to selectively highlight the abbey and associated buildings to lift them from what would otherwise be ...

My only visit to Northumbria came a few years ago now, and with just a few days it was all too brief considering what the county has to offer. I focused on the hills for that trip, though I managed a foray to the coast before catching the train South again. There was something very photogenic about this view of Alnmouth. Was it the sharply defined buildings, the ripple of water draining off the warm tones of the beach, or perhaps the dramatic clouds piling up in the sky. I suspect it was the combination of all those that got me to take the picture. Now some years later I've got round to painting it. The result here, I've rendered in oil on board measuring 16 inches wide by 20 inches high - though I had considered getting a square board ...

This is another one of those pictures of the beach huts down at Hengistbury Head, Christchurch, Dorset, UK. This time I've focussed on a single white hut sandwiched between a couple of blue huts. why this one? Something caught my attention - possibly the boat in the background, the shape of the clouds at that moment or maybe the texture the boards dividing the grass from the beach. This original oil painting measures 12x10 inches

The Mermaid Inn is a centuries old hostelry in the centre of the historic town of Rye on the Kent Sussex border. The town sits on a hill overlooking what was once the lawless Romney Marsh, renowned for stories of smuggling. As you sit taking tea (or perhaps something a little stronger) you sense the history oozing out the ancient oak beaks. This original oil painting (on 16x20 inch board) goes with my picture of the lower end of Mermaid Street - http://www.redbubble.com/people/richardpaul/works/24533562-mermaid-street-rye

I came across this butterfly whilst walking in the British countryside. The exact location I no longer remember, but the stones it rested on were a good mix of colours and textures, which I hope I've done some justice to here. Painted in oil on a 12 inch by 10 inch board.

The Dumfries and Galloway coast is not a popular place to visit, but it ought to be. Some of the coastline is truly stunning, and none more so than the beach at Sandy Hills, where the tide retreats to the distant horizon, leaving the patchy wet sand to reflect the sky. I've painted this 30 x 20 inches oil painting based on two pictures I took whilst walking the cliff in early March 2017.

A few weeks ago I was asked if I could map the bollards around Romsey (Hampshire, UK) for a yarn bombing they are planning for the summer festival. During my walk around town I captured this lesser known view of the abbey from behind the White Horse Hotel, with a dark cloud looming behind. I got about half way round the town before a tremendous squall hit, but luckily I managed to shelter under an arch. I've painted this in oil on board back in the comfort of my studio. It measures 8 inches wide by 20 inches tall A quick note - I've updated the image 7th April 2017 as the original had some glare reflecting on the paint surface. Update - so lovely to hear from recent buyer of this print, and that you've enjoyed your time in what ...

About halfway between the English border, and the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh lies the Scottish village of Sanquhar. For most its a stopping point on the long journey North (with an excellent, if somewhat hidden cafe for a fry-up and mug of builders tea), or where the road branches to reach the historic mining villages of Wanlockhead and Leadhills perpetually hidden in the mist. I was visiting the latter, and had a few minutes to spare and so investigated what was marked on the map as Sanquhar castle. It turns out its quite a picturesque ruin left wild in a field grazed by inquisitive sheep. Built in the 13th century it has a long history and a stunning setting. This painting comes from the photo I took more than a decade back now...

I'd spent my fourth and final October night at the isolated Kingshouse hotel in Glencoe, hoping for a worthwhile view, and had all but given up hope. However on drawing back the curtains I could see the mountain (Buachaille Etive Mor) lit up pink by the rising sun. I leapt out the door half dressed and captured the view with my camera. 15 minutes later the cloud had crept up the valley and cut the light. This painting shows the effect at its best, with the top of the mountain orange as more of the wavelengths of light reached there than the base. the Buachaille At Dawn (Glencoe) is painted in oil on board

The little island of Iona off the coast of Mull, Scotland is known as the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland and hence attracts a lot of visitors to its abbey. Thats all most visitors see, which is a shame as it is one of the most beautiful islands on the Scottish coast. This view over the sound of Iona is based on a photo I took whilst waiting the ferry back to Mull. I've painted it on a 16 inch x 12 inch board in oils.

Down in the pretty town of Christchurch (Dorset, UK), you walk along a promenade with ducks and swans on the river Avon on one side and the greenery of a park with a traditional bandstand on the other. At the end of the walk there is a little ferry that takes you across the river and a walk of a couple of miles out to Hengistbury Head (where I've painted the beach huts). And it is just along from the little wooden jetty where the ferry leaves you, that this dredger is parked - next to a bank of reeds. I was particularly taken by the shed mounted on it, and felt the urge to produce this picture. The details dictated pencil to me, but without colour its hard to see through the jumble of parts, hence I've drawn this in pencil with a w...

Viewed from Pauncefoot hill, Romsey (Hampshire, UK) looks a particularly leafy town with the abbey standing proud of the other buildings. This depiction was done in water colour pencils and then wetted with a very slightly damp brush in order to retain some of the texture of the pencil work whilst bringing out the rich depth of watercolour pigment. Drawn on watercolour paper at A4 size.

Another scene from the New Forest in Hampshire, England, this time based on a photo of an unusually tall and skinny tree clinging on to the last of its Autumn leaves sometime in November. I like to think this is due to them being hard to reach by the leaf plucking elves that I imagine to roam the forest just out of sight.

With the exception of Cape Wrath nearby, Faraid Head is about as far away from here in Romsey that I can get without having to leave the ground or take to the water. This picture comes from a trip in 2006, where I went to the far North of the Scottish mainland to stay at Durness and investigate Smoo Cave. The beach looked idyllic with its dunes, but the frequent showers reminded me why no-one goes North for a beach holiday. Painted oil on board it measures 30 inches by 20 inches. 1044 views achieved on 29th March 2016

On the train from Romsey to Salisbury I've passed this saxon church at Lockerley (Hampshire, UK) many times. Last December I cycled out, and found a footpath near the railway from which I took a photo of the church and from which I drew / painted this sketch. It done in water soluble coloured pencil - so not sure if that counts as a drawing or a painting. Anyhow, having never used this media before I used a technique of first drawing as I would with ordinary coloured pencils, and then dabbed a damp or wet brush to get varying levels of smudginess whilst retaining some of the pencil marks.

Walking on Dartmoor one Spring a few years ago I was surprised to find an open valley filled with bluebells down to the stream that ran through it. With a granite tor in the background I took this view, and recreated it in oil on board (18 inches x 14 inches). One day I will return to spend a bit more time in this magical, tranquil location. I'd give a precise location, but don't want hordes of people trampling this delicate landscape.

A few hundred years after Constable painted this area I visited and took a photo of the river with a couple rowing between Dedham Lock and Flatford Mill. At the time I didn't have the skills to do it justice, so it got filed away as something to paint. Some twenty years later I've finally got round to it, and am proud to offer you my view of Constable's world, rendered in oils on board at 20 inches by 16. Historic note - Constable painted many pictures in the area, including 'Scene On A Navigable River' which is just downstream to the right of this picture, and 'The Haywain'. The landscape is largely protected because of this.

This is the the third of my Berney Arms paintings repainted twenty years after I originally did them. This one shows the walk in winter along the river bank heading East through the less frequented part of the Norfolk Broads towards Great Yarmouth. Berney Arms is still out of sight at this point, but two more derelict windmills greet you as you follow the river. Like any scene in a flat landscape it is dominated by the sky-scape. Painted oil on board 22 inches wide x 18 inches high

This is another of those drainage mills I saw on my March 2016 trip to Norfolk. Most are in some state of disrepair, but this one - St Benets Level (just North of Acle) seems in pretty good condition. It was originally built to drain the surrounding land before the age of electricity made it redundant. Painted in oils on board from the photo I took, this picture measures 20 inches x 16 inches.

Staying in Broadford on the Isle of Skye, I came across the limestone way - a narrow band of marble and limestone on an otherwise volcanic island. Following the path South towards Elgol, it ended at a deserted beach cut off from the rest of the world. Along the shore, I found this little cove and unnamed waterfall just a few feet from the tide. I spent the best part of an hour taking in the sun (yes really it does shine sometimes on Skye!) and the tranquillity of the location.

I'd spent a couple of days at Gerry's hostel at Achnashellach, when it started to snow heavily with clusters of flakes the size of a fist thumping into my head. Though pretty to look at the snowstorm carried on through the day and into the next morning. As it finally eased I set off for a moorland peak that I knew would be safe from avalanche. At 600m it offered views into the snow capped mountains in several directions, but none so stunning as this view into the heart of Torridon as the clouds finally retreated. The steep wall on the left is Liathach, and the peak on the right is Beinn Eighe, with Beinn Dearg sitting in the background. From the photo I produced this oil painting sized 30x20 inches on board.

The Norfolk Broads is a stubbing place at any time of year - but particularly so in the winter, when afternoon light is short and the place has a lonely deserted feel about it. The area is littered with disused windmills once used to pump water from the land, but now in various states of disrepair, since electronic pumps took over. Most are mere stumps (like the one in the background here), but Berney Arms has been restored. To reach here, there is one train a day that stops at the tiny platform, or you use a boat, or you walk a few miles along the embankment. Besides the windmill, there is a pub - but that is it, for this deserted stretch of the Norfolk Broads. I originally painted this in 1995, but my technique since then has improv...

Winchelsea in Sussex is a funny sort of place. On the surface everything is manicured and as perfect as its little grid of roads. The trouble is it all seems a bit too perfect. Amongst the neat residential streets we came across 'the little shop' - one of those places that sells an eclectic mix of things, so you can't label it as one kind of place or another. I took a photo, and a couple of years later I got round to producing an equally little picture, painted in oil on board and measuring 12 inches by 10.

I was up in the Orkney isles, and taking advantage of the summer Sunday deal on the ferry, where it takes a different route around the outlying isles each Sunday as a social thing so islanders can meet up, but to the benefit of anyone wanting a cheap day out. This day it visited one of the closer islands, and then went right out to far flung North Ronaldsay. The start of the crossing was calm, but when a car boarded and got chained to the deck at the stop off I was thinking this looked a bit serious. But then we got into exposed waters and the ferry was tossed around, along with my stomach. Still I got to North Ronaldsay, and walked along the shore of one side, watching as its famous seaweed eating sheep scattered over the loose flat st...

On my recent trip to the Norfolk Broads I took a number of photos of the disused drainage mills. This one (Commission Mill) just outside Stokesby has no surviving woodwork - just the stump of the brick tower. I painted this as a demonstration piece in front of an art group in about 90 minutes, and then at home added the extra hours to create this final polished oil painting. Its 20 inches x 16 inches on board.

About a year ago I took a winter's trip to the town of Glastonbury in Somerset UK (yes it is foremost a town, and only a music festival in nearby fields for a few days a year). The town is dominated by its Tor (a type of hill), under which two ley lines are said to cross, and has a rich and mysterious history. Anyway, after a nosey around the quirky shops, I took a short walk up the ridge on the far side of town. And thats where I got this amazing view above the rooftops (carefully cropped or removed for the purpose of this oil painting), to the Tor and the surrounding hills