Handbags and Gladrags

(76cm x 60cm acrylic on box canvas) SOLD

Every little girl at one stage or another would of raided her mum’s wardrobe and put on a few of her favourite dresses and a pair of oversized shoes!

Clip-clopping down the hall, giant handbag in tow, she'd get her sister or friend to join in or even rope her brother into dressing up too…..Dads hat would probably be the only thing that fitted but at least it meant he could wear his favourite cowboy costume instead!!

All dressed up and ready to go, it was time for a bit of ‘Mums and Dads’. This basically involved pretending to go to the shops or taking a trip to the petrol station to fill up the car with ‘£5 of 4 star’. Only ending when mum’s favourite hat became buckled and bent, or ‘Cowboy Joe’ deciding to shoot everyone with his cap gun!

It's Footy Season!!

.....You wont find any overpaid prima donnas on this park though.....

'Round Our Way' - 76cm x 60cm acrylic on box canvas
Available at ScotlandArt.com

A half decent playing area, jumpers for goalposts….or perhaps a conveniently placed sign, and anything up to 25-a-side were all the essentials you needed for a good kick-a-bout with your pals and anyone else keen to join in.

Undoubtedly there would always be a couple of kids who would constantly have the ball due to their far superior skill level, while the rest of us would have to chase a few shadows, yet there was still a sense of camaraderie, each and every ’player’ getting stuck in for the cause, some more than most obviously!

As darkness approached, the numbers would slowly whittle down as tea time beckoned, leaving perhaps only a few of the hardcore, determined players eager to find a winner, which usually meant a unanimous decision of “The next goal wins!”

I wonder what the score was in the end?

North Country Boy - homage to LS Lowry

(76cm x 76cm Original acrylic on box canvas)

Part of the Artist Collection
Available at ScotlandArt of Edinburgh and Glasgow

The World is Yours ii

(90cm x 76cm Original acrylic on box canvas)

The world seems a ridiculously large place when you are young and far away places may as well be on a different planet.

Yet how many times do you hear the phrase it's a small world?

As decisions and opportunities arise throughout life, the world does seem to reduce in size, not physically of course, but certainly metaphorically. At some stage, you have the ability and the freedom to do exactly what you want. The world is your oyster and you're free to go anywhere....bar the odd strict border control!

Most people may not have the money to get to the places they want to, but a bit of drive, free thinking and adventurous spirit can compensate for any lack of funds.

The World Is Yours for the taking.

Model Train Set... in a Case

For those of you that read the story behind Chasing Rainbows, I mentioned that when I was young I would always wish for a train set, but to this day still have never owned one.

Well whilst browsing on the Paul Smith website this evening, I came across what must possibly be the quirkiest of all train sets!

"Blumenau" Model Train Set

I'm not sure if I can justify it's price tag, and would certainly have to sell more paintings than usual over the course of a few months, and even then still never decide to actually buy it. But its a beautiful little thing to admire, if nothing else.

Now, with all this mix of rain and sunshine, where are those rainbows!!

Out By My Side

Here is a first look of the new generation I mentioned previously. Not much difference you might think at first glance but there are subtle changes. Let me know what you think.

And here is the complete painting;

(70cm x 50cm) Original Acrylic on Canvas

Do you remember your favourite toy that you just had to have with you at every waking hour.....and even whilst sleeping?

My favourite teddy bear I had as a kid was named Boo-ya, a sky blue bear that looked a lot like Yogi Bear’s friend Boo-Boo (Apparently Boo-Boo was too difficult for me to say at the age of 5, so the name Boo-ya had to suffice!!).

Like many kids with their beloved companion, he came everywhere with me, whether out on a day trip or just tucked up in bed. Acting as a comfort just like a blanket.

Whether it was a teddy bear, action figure, a backpack full of favourite ‘stuff’, or what seems to be even more noticeable nowadays, the ever-present Nintendo DS, a favourite toy was an essential item to have by your side. You couldn't leave home without it!

A New Generation

I have decided to create a new look for my characters for my latest painting. The overall visual impact will obviously remain the same but I wanted to develop the look of the children slightly.

I will carry on producing paintings using the original characters but all being well, I hope to start producing more work using the second generation too. My hope is that people will then have preferences for one generation over the other so should help to add a little more variety of choice and add even more individuality to their chosen painting.

I will post a new image soon and perhaps votes can be cast on which generation is preferred!


Happy Cycling!

Summer Sun!

Well, it's already been a good start to June, not just because of the gorgeous summer sun we have been enjoying but also for the sale of 2 original paintings at Artery Gallery in St Andrews today along with receiving my first royalty cheque from my publisher for the limited edition prints released last November

I've now been exhibiting with Artery Gallery for just over 2 years and they have been selling out of my work on each occassion which is fantastic and a real confidence boost, as well as being a real testament to the gallery itself.

I'm currently putting together some new stories and ideas for paintings and hope to get some fresh work to the gallery soon.

* * *

I was surprised to see the amount of prints that have been sold since their release with Washington Green, particularly in the first month when they were being exhibited around the country. With the turn of the new year, things did slow up somewhat but I think that was to be expected, especially as I'm told it does sometimes take a bit of time for a new artist to 'take off' with prints.

A limited edition print can be a good option to originals and I have 2 prints on my lounge wall myself, Kid For Today and What's The Story, so providing my paintings continue to be in demand, I look forward to, and hope, new editions will be released soon.


For those of you that own either an original or a print, I hope you can enjoy them for years to come. In the meantime, enjoy the hot weather, which I'm sure wont last nearly as long :)