The weekend features numerous activities and events as well as an open exhibition of art inspired by the Power Station. “We have had the most fantastic response from artists, and the exhibition will host an amazing collection of art inspired by the iconic building, for sale at all prices with 20% of sales going toRead more…
Sign up to my newsletter and you can enter the free draw to win this preparatory pencil study. About this drawing I was drawing in Broadway Market in Hackney, London and noticed a man taking a photo of one of the buildings. He had a dog at his side, and this dog was craning its headRead more…
This framed painting is available to buy here or to buy as a limited edition print here Pintar Rapido London, is the UK’s largest outdoor painting festival, competition and exhibition. A weekend celebration of art and of the London cityscape. It is open to professional and non-professional artists of all skill levels and it inspiresRead more…
See this painting larger by clicking here I was recently asked to paint The Real Food Market on the Southbank in London by a client who used to work there with his wife. They had great memories over the years and wanted something permanent to remember it all by. About the The Real Food Market MarketsRead more…
The painting above is Michelin House painted at Pintar Rapido 2013. Read about this painting here The past few years I have entered myself into the Pintar Rapido painting competition in London (see images at the top and bottom). This takes place over two days. On the first day you paint your picture, and onRead more…
I lived in Hackney for a few good years and really enjoyed my time there so I was pretty pleased to re visit the borough to paint one of the typical terraced houses that still remain in the borough. In my lifetime, Hackney has spent many years being viewed as a bit run down andRead more…
This painting is available to buy as a limited edition print here I got caught in one of those ‘spoilt for choice’ situations in London recently. All artists get it at some point. You really want to go out and paint something though you don’t have a clue what you want to paint. You areRead more…
This painting is available as a limited edition print here Producing a painting of this scene of Spitalfields Market has long been on my list of ‘Paintings to do’. I love painting markets, and this one is a real treat with plenty of history attached too. The Edards family at Spitalfields Market So when IRead more…
I was recently commissioned to paint a few places in the London Borough of Greenwich. All the places featured, are within 15 minutes walking distance of each other so on a visit you can pack a huge amount into a day. Much of it is open spaces and parkland too, so if your are aRead more…
This painting is available to buy as a limited edition print here I was recently commissioned to paint a few places in the London Borough of Greenwich. All the places featured, are within 15 minutes walking distance of each other so on a visit, you can pack a huge amount into a day. This partRead more…
This painting is available as a limited edition print here There has been a market on Brick Lane since the 17th Century and was then known as ‘The Truman Markets after the old brewery that used to be on situated at number 91. In those days, it was just a Sunday market to cater forRead more…
This framed painting is available to buy here or to buy as a limited edition print here Camden market is situated on the Regent’s Canal and occupies a complex of disused Victorian warehouses, and even an old horse hospital, that cluster around the canal and up Camden High Street. It mainly sells clothes, books, music,Read more…
This painting is available to buy here You can buy a print of this painting here Leaning back in a metal chair outside the Shawarma Lebanese kebab house in Shoreditch, I surveyed the scene before me. An odd site to be sure. Hazardously perched high above the street on top of what looked like glassRead more…
Earlier this year, I was commissioned to do a painting of the Old Bailey in The City of London. It was a double commission really, she wanted one of the Royal Courts of Justice too. They were a retirement present for her husband. He was a TV camera man for many years and had witnessedRead more…
You can buy a limited edition print of the painting here ‘I got it from a man I met in a pub!’ I was in the Barley Mow Pub in Shoreditch waiting for a friend of mine. After a short time he texted me explaining he would be late. Normally this is a bit ofRead more…
Sign up to my newsletter and you can enter the free draw to win this preparatory pencil study. A drawing of a shopper at Columbia Road market, London I was recently commissioned to do a painting of Columbia Road flower market in London, so I popped over on a Sunday morning to get the initial drawingsRead more…
This painting is available as a limited edition print here. Pintar Rapido is essentially a painting competition where you have to paint a picture in a single day and exhibit the next day all within the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Last year I did a watercolour painting of the Michelin Building and IRead more…
I was commissioned to paint this bar (Casa Blue) which is situated on the corner of Brick Lane and Bethnal Green Road in London’s East End. Now many people say that London is the hippest city in the world. And if London is indeed the most hippest city in the world, then the mostRead more…
The painting is available to buy as a limited edition print here Someone who has never visited Brick Lane Market before could be forgiven for thinking that ‘Brick Lane market’ was all there is, you will discover, however, a few scattered other market gems huddled in the surrounding streets and one of these is BaconRead more…
Sign up to my newsletter and you can enter the free draw to win this preparatory pencil study. Who are they? I was at Paddington Station in London waiting for a train back to Somerset and just about to set off home when the train was cancelled. It looked as though I would haveRead more…
Just across the road from St Paul’s Cathedral and down the wee side street of Dean’s Court you will find Carter Lane and here you will discover the old St Paul’s Cathedral Choir School. I did a drawing of the old school in January and a client asked me to develop it to a watercolourRead more…
5 Fournier Street On Good Friday I was invited to be interviewed by ‘The gentle author’ – the anonymous blog and book writer of ‘Spitalfields Life’ who has set the rather daunting ambition of: “Writing at least ten thousand stories about Spitalfields life. At the rate of one a day, this will take approximatelyRead more…
This painting is for sale on my online shop here. I am a member of London Historians, a group of like-minded London history enthusiasts. Director Mike Paterson invited me along to one of its tours: The Royal Courts of Justice in The Strand. I have a keen interest in history and am an artist whoRead more…
This painting is available as a limited edition print on this link A client who is a great Spurs’ fan, commissioned me to paint the Tottenham Hotspur Football Stadium in North London. There is some urgency in this commission as the current stadium will be demolished pretty soon and be replaced by a new 56,000 seaterRead more…
Sign up to my newsletter and you can enter the free draw to win this preparatory pencil study. I send out my newsletter when I feel I have got something to say which is of genuine interest, usually once or twice a month. Included in each newsletter is one free drawing or Giclee printRead more…
I was commissioned to do a painting of Covent Garden in central London. The client asked for a picture of the present market hall built in 1830, also including a few local characters. A delight to do. When I arrived on site sketchbook in hand I began pulling in the shapes and counting the chimneysRead more…
Prior to doing any painting I generally do onsite drawings first. In this case I chose to do a quick drawing tour of the St Pauls area of London. I decided to do all my drawings just within a few hundred yards of each other as it was a decent challenge and it was a great opportunity to get downRead more…
This framed painting is available to buy here or to buy as a limited edition print here I was recently commissioned to do a watercolour of Borough Market in London at the south end of London Bridge in Southwark. Although sellers have been on the site for well over 1,500 years the market wasRead more…
I was talked into entering the Pintar Rapido – create a picture in a day. This is a self-explanatory exhibition based in Kensington and Chelsea, London. Essentially you have a day to complete one picture in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea and deliver it to the Town Hall in Kings Road to be hungRead more…
I have recently completed a commission for a client who requested three views near the Thames at Waterloo in London. The location was the only restriction really and within that area it was a pretty open brief. I had a generous deadline too so I could look about and choose carefully. Perfect What toRead more…
Looking for subjects to draw and paint can be a bit frustrating sometimes. It’s not that there is nothing on offer to work on in London; it’s totally the opposite. There is far too much choice and I end up springing a trap on myself looking for the perfect subject and I end upRead more…
The weather in the last year in the UK has been nothing short of appalling. There are only so many winter scenes or rainy landscapes an artist can cope with. Yes, this last year would have even challenged the great Turner. I have to say though the last week things are slowly moving to aRead more…
Those nice people at The Royal Society of British Artists have put me on their website for the 296th annual exhibition at The Mall galleries. The exhibition begins on the 6th March until the 23rd of March. I am looking forward to it, Its good to get out a bit.
I heard late last week that my painting ‘Brick Lane Market’ has been selected for The 296th RBA Annual Open Exhibition at The Mall Galleries. I am really pleased about getting in as I know the competition is rather brutal and the gallery is such a lovely place to show work. I didRead more…
I am currently working on a commission to paint a number of scenes around the Waterloo area of London. I began just before Christmas drawing in the main façade of the station featuring commuters, Christmas shoppers, and those going on holiday. All pouring in and out of the main entrance. On site atRead more…
The powers that be were kind enough to allow me in to the allotments at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. A bit about the hospital The Royal Hospital was founded by fun loving so called “merry monarch” King Charles II in 1681 for soldiers of good conduct who were no longer fit forRead more…
I have over the years painted my neighborhood, The London Borough of Hackney. Hackney could well be the most famous borough in the country and despite its often insalubrious reputation there is still something of the ‘Exciting reckless friend’ about it. Even big international brands have recognised the ‘outsider’ reputation and attempted to buy intoRead more…
This painting is availabe as a limited edition print I have just finished an oil painting of Brick Lane Market. Well technically it is Sclater Street although most people will know it as part of the Brick Lane market. It’s just tucked around the corner a wee bit. Blink and you’ll miss it. It isRead more…
Well technically it is Sclater Street although most people will know it a part of Brick Lane market. Brick Lane Click on the image to see it larger Like any area in transition there are quite distinctive parts. On the south side can be found the Bengali community who replaced the Jewish community, and inRead more…
At the LLEWELLYN ALEXANDER (Fine Paintings) LTD London I have a water colour exhibition at the Llewellyn Alexander in Waterloo. All six are scenes of London. Do pop along if you have the time. Chase away the January blues! “Familiar and unusual scenes of London by this group of nine well-established artists: Dianne Branscombe, RoyRead more…
When I plan my paintings of the gardens, allotments and such I often do small studies for reference. Secondly i have begun to collect those dreadful discarded ornaments that are found in charity shops. I suspect these are just picked up in house clearances and handed to the shops en masse. They all have aRead more…
This painting is available to buy as a limited edition print This is the Whitechapel Road in East London. I have painted this scene a number of times and i am still drawn to it. A street like this will at first site appear static, unchanging. Though on closer observation you notice it is inRead more…
Really pleased that the Royal Academy has again accepted one of my paintings for The Summer Exhibition. And I am happy to say it has sold before the opening. This allotment by the sea may seem fantasy though the site is not entirely fictitious. It is based on my mum’s allotment in Portsmouth which is locatedRead more…
Latest news. I have an exhibition entitled London Scene, A Capital Exhibition at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in waterloo. Exhibiting both watercolour and oil paintings. From the 11 January – 10 February 2010. Gallery Open 10am to 7:30pm Monday to Saturday: 124 -126 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 8LN UK (Opposite the Old Vic Theatre)Read more…
See the article here Taking a photograph in a public place has become the quickest way to attract police attention, as increasing numbers of photographers can verify. But now it has emerged that anti-terrorism officers are uneasy about a far less sophisticated piece of surveillance technology: the watercolour brush and canvas. Liam O’Farrell, an artistRead more…
I was stopped and searched twice near London City airport – for watercolouring! I was not even facing the airport. I was painting the Tate and Lyle sugar factory opposite. They said they saw me on a camera and thought that “no one would want to paint a factory”. I explained that LS Lowry didRead more…
All good news that three of my six paintings have sold on the first day of the exhibition at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in waterloo. One of which is featured above. It is of the bridges above Bourough Market. When i was painting it every second person kept telling me “That pub was in BridgetRead more…
Latest news I have an eight man show at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in waterloo. Exhibiting both watercolour and oil paintings. It starts on the 8 – 28 November 2009. Private view on Wednesday 4th 2009. Gallery Open 10am to 7:30pm Monday to Saturday: 124 -126 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 8LN UK (Opposite theRead more…
This painting is available as a limited edition print After much aggravation in the initial drawing stage I have finally completed the painting of Columbia Road Market. It was a challenge to do and took much longer than I first anticipated. I just kept adding figures. The last being the small girl in the front.Read more…
I am currently battling away with a painting of Columbia road flower market. I say battling because when the market is open it is utter mayhem. A virtual 80’s trading floor at the summit of a black Wednesday. There are great eddying tides of people heavy with boxes of plants and flowers elbowing each otherRead more…