So here's the first book review from my Christmas stash. Being in a post-Christmas slump, I started with a book that was all about inspiration...
Year: 2025
The 2025 Artistic Actuary Video
Now that all my 2025 artwork is in the public domain, it's time to release the 2025 video. As usual, everything in portrait format gets a harsh...
The 2026 Christmas Haul
Not much to report this year. I have these three new books: reviews to follow in due course. And some silicone mats that I can use to paint at my...
Annual Awards 2025
It's time for the 2025 annual awards. Just like last year, there are seventeen prizes to hand out and lots of brilliant paintings will be going...
Chateau De Villeneuve De Milhac
It's the 16th of December now and I should be settling into my year end hiatus, sitting back, reading books, watching Westerns and reflecting on...
Portrait Artist Of The Year 2026 Entry
That's one more pre-Christmas job out of the way. I've put in my entry for Portrait Artist Of The Year. I've gone for watercolours again. The...
Muhammad Ali
This one has taken me a couple of days. It's a coloured pencil portrait of Muhammad Ali. I'm not a great boxing fan, to be honest, but Ali was...
Tom Read Wilson
After a break of 27 days I was back to watercolour today. I thought I'd have a go at Tom Read Wilson, runner up in I'm A Celebrity 2025 and the...
Dave Barnes
Because (i) I was feeling a bit tired after yesterday's efforts, and (ii) I came back from my morning walk without a painting and plan in mind, it...
Stowes Hill
No excuses today. I'm back in the studio doing some proper painting after Thursday's loosener. Rather than doing another local landscape, I went...
Luana In Inktense Pencil
The dog's pretty well back to normal now after two bouts of illness, so I've been able to get back out to the studio. As is normal after a longish...
George Orwell
The painting's slowed down this week as our dog's had a big health scare and isn't yet back to normal. So I’ve been keeping her company a lot of...
Steve Clarke
There's been too much other stuff going on lately for me to be able to do any painting since Saturday. One of those distractions was Scotland's...
Kristy Jo II
I wasn't in the mood for hard work today, probably because I'm only 40 pages away from the end of a 1300+ page long Murakami novel and feeling...
Billy Showell’s Botanical Painting In Watercolour
It's a book review today. This is a book that I spotted in the shops on my most recent trip to London. I've never really given botanical painting a...
Jackson’s Art Prize 2026
No painting today but I have submitted these two works for the Jackson’s Art Prize 2026. Both have been taken down from the shop window for now. ...
Self Portrait 2026
After a sleep and a walk, I decided that yesterday's painting wasn't going to be next year's official portrait me Portrait Artist Of The Year...
How Do Mountains Hear?
It's that time of year when I need to start thinking about the next call for entries to portrait Artist Of The Year. And that means I need to come...
Abraham Lincoln
It's time to give the Artgraf blocks another go. Today's subject is Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. I still don't...
Then Came The Lawyers, Then Came The Rules
Someone in the village laid down a challenge. He asked if I could paint a portrait of his husband David in the style of Amedeo Modigliani. After...