Artists and illustrators Magazine summer Plein air special

Artists and illustrators Magazine Summer Plein air Special out today and I'm proud to be on the front cover, check out the shops for a copy, great article.

Painting in Swanage

Spent a few days away for a wedding down in Swanage and managed to get out a few times to paint, here are 3 of the pochades.

Malvern Hills in full colour

I popped up the hills at around 7.30pm to do a sketch and the hills were alive with people biking and walking enjoying the beautiful evening colour. See below my sketch.

Malvern in Yellow

I finally had some time to get out and paint the beautiful yellow rape seed fields that surround Malvern at the moment. More to follow on the blog soon and getting the large easel out on location this week also.

Artists & illustrators Magazine - Plein air edition 2013

I've kindly been invited to paint for the new summer edition of the Artists and illustrators UK magazine, a whole article on Plein air. Myself and Valerie Pirlot met the editor and photographer in Bath and spent the day painting. I decided to paint in an unusual palette with 'no blue', a limited palette of viridian, cad red, cad yellow and white. Very hard to paint plein air using no blue but I thought it would be good for the readers to see how you can paint using only 3 colours and get used to mixing colours. Below are a few of the sketches throughout the day. See the summer edition of the magazine for the full article, also with Paul Banning and Roy Connelly. www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk

Self Portrait Sketches

Decided in the studio to do a little 30-40min portrait sketch just using 3 colour limited palette and white. Heres the result in a few steps. I plan to do a small collection of these over the next month if its raining, anyone want to come and sit for me?

Painting at Malvern Offices

I was kindly given permission to paint from Malvern Offices at Acorn Business Centre in Hanley Swan. Offices don't have better views than here, beautiful sweeping views of the Malverns and set among amazing countryside. A very inspiring place if you are looking to rent an office. I spent the day painting the buttercups on one of the first hot days this summer. See below a few of my sketches.

Malvern Blue Bells

Every year the Malverns light up with colour and the blue bells in West Malvern is my favourite place to see them in all their glory. See below set up with the Open Box M and small sketch.

Sugar Loaf Painting - Wales

Sugar Loaf Mountain, just 600m above sea level with the most amazing views. I met my good friend Tom at the top and we decided to walk to the top to check out the view firstly. After a bit of lunch on the summit we had to get back to work and painted till the Sun went down. Half way stopping and having a brilliant coffee at the Sugar Loaf Vineyards, click here to visit their site.

Painting at the Talbot Inn Newnham Bridge

Every week or so my good friend Tom and I choose a place to paint. Today we found a little hidden gem near Tenbury Wells called Newnham Bridge and decided to base ourselves at the beautiful Talbot Inn, an amazing refurbished gothic building offering amazing food and rooms if you want to stay longer. We arrived at 10am to have a initially fresh coffee before painting and were greeted at the door by the staff asking us about our painting which was delightful. We ventured out around the bridleways and footpaths, stunning landscapes, red clay fields, distant hills. We set up firstly looking West, later heading up to the highest point looking down towards the Talbot. After painting we headed back to warm up over a coffee and delicious meal, also having a chat with the owner of the Inn Ian who gave us local information for our next visit, a great day.

On the way home we stopped off to paint Worcester (see below), was a little grey but managed to find a great view next to the river.

Painting with the new Open box m Easel

Tom high up on the Newnham Bridge Hills

Talbot Inn Newham Bridge

Painting Worcester

1st trip out painting the Geopark Way in Gloucester

A great day out in Gloucester painting a section of the GeoPark Way near to point number 83.
It was the very first day it actually felt warm. A great relaxing work from gloucester docks to the path along the river.

Paintings will be on show throughout the year at http://wyche-innovation.com/index.php/cafe-h2o

Geo Park Way Centre Cafe

I'm delighted to have been asked to show a permanent collection of my work at the new Geo Park Way Cafe which will be opening soon in Malvern. The Cafe is going to be the ideal place in Malvern for walkers to have a pit stop and recharge.

I will be painting the Geo Park way this summer and posting to a dedicated blog. Keep posted on this blog for more information. All paintings will be on show in the Cafe over time.

If you are passing please drop in and check out my work thats on display, any questions please ask a member of staff or drop me an email.

Opening up to more people

The web is most certainly changing the way buyers purchase paintings, selling on the web gives you far more viewers for your work.

For this reason I am now listing on the beautifully designed Esty online store.

I'll be just selling my larger paintings in Local galleries or from the Studio along with a few pop up shows around the area.

Please visit the my online shop below and any questions always feel free to ask.

Caught on camera

When painting out and about in the landscape or streets, every now and again a photographer comes up and asks to take a photo of you painting, some of which we never see. Taken as a nice compliment and great to get some good shots of the painter in situ. Here is one of Tom and myself painting in Kings Square in Bristol by Stuart Reading.

Plein air Brotherhood 2013 show?

The Plein air Brotherhood could be on for their 3rd show later this year, keep an eye out on http://www.pleinairbrotherhood.co.uk/ for more information or on http://www.akwilsongallery.co.uk/

The last 2 years have been great shows with great turnouts and sales. Below are a few photos from year one and you can read more about show 1 at www.outdoorpainter.com and year 2 at www.outdoorpainter.com

Pop Up Show at Hagley Stoves

This weekend 16th+17th March 2013 head over to Hagley Stoves to view a collection of my larger paintings along with a weekend of special offers on Wood Burners. Its within Webbs West Hagley with a great cafe, garden centre and studio buildings so plenty to, click here for more info or drop me an email www.hagleystoves.co.uk

Wetherspoons Malvern - 2011 Commision

In 2011 I was commissioned to paint 2 large scale paintings for the opening of the new Foley Hotel. Below are the paintings which they purchased, hope you are all enjoying them!

2011 Malvern Library Show a Great Success

MALVERN LIBRARY GALLERY

Saturday 1st - Saturday 29th October 2011

THE BEAUTY OF MALVERN

Recent Plein Air and studio paintings by ANTONY BRIDGE

The exhibition includes new and unseen paintings by this talented artist who continues to receive considerable acclaim for his work. 

Supported by Worcestershire County Council. Curated by Serge Conein Esq.

The Artist Magazine Questions from 2012

In 2012 I was asked some questions that went into an article in the Artist Magazine. Here are a few for you to read.

1. Why do you paint outside?
I paint outside to capture the very essence of the landscape itself, to see the landscape first hand and feel everything within it at that very moment.

2. Why/how do you paint outside when its cold, raining, too hot etc?
Always wear the correct clothing, its essential as you need to feel comfy to paint for the day, as soon as the -12degree wind gets you, you'll be off on your way home.

3. Why don't you just paint everything inside from photographs?
Paintings from photos can be very souless, lack the feeling and energy of a place. You can see from painters paintings who has painted outside.

4. How long have you been painting en plein air?
Since 2006 I think I painted my very first pochade which was awful, its always a struggle.

5. What does plein air work add to a painting?
For me it adds energy, life, passion into a painting.

6. Do you or can you achieve everything you want by working outside?
Its hard to achieve what you have in your minds eye but that is the drive which pushes us to keep improving.

7. Who are your plein air influences?
The french impressionists.

8. Is plein air painting important to the future of painting?
I think its the most important aspect for the future of painting if its going to stay alive.

9.  Do you mind people watching?
Not at all, you get the wise crack which isn't called for but I tend to have my headphones on whilst painting so any questions I can't hear and they walk off!

10. How do you cope with people watching.
Just carry on painting and don't chat to them as the window of light is always running out!

What is your best, worst, or funniest experience while painting outside?

Best
Whilst painting on the Malvern Hills watching a storm getting closer and closer, easel kept being blown over but I continued painting faster and faster until, downpour and had to pack up fast and run down the hill to my car over a mile away!

Worst
I would think walking 2.5miles in -12 degrees to a spot on the Malverns, as soon as I stopped I started painting but was far too cold to paint as only had my jeans on, couldn't feel my hands or feet so had to give up and walk home.

Funniest
I think being surrounded by cows breathing on you and blocking the view, I'm sure on purpose so I couldn't paint!

Self doubt as a painter - Plein air magazine USA

In March 2012 I was featured in the USA Plein air Magazine which I am on on the advisory board for. A great magazine for any painter or art collector, heres what I wrote:

I've just been out painting and have returned back to the studio feeling like everything I've ever learnt has vanished and left my body. Things sometimes
just don't go right but the passion increases and the motivation to produce something better next time doubles.

I paint away furiously for 30mins not noticing that people are watching, tree branches almost hitting me from the trees above, concentrating fully on getting something down before the light changes. It feels amazing and I'm looking at the painting as tho its my best ever, then I stop, turn away, step a few steps back and its not what I saw some 2 minutes ago,why?… you wonder where has that amazing painting has gone, from that point its making amends of all the chaos and errors the painting has thrown at you.

I started my painting career producing photo realistic cars illustrations and portraits, painted with no errors and tonally perfect until I came across plein air painting with a friend Carl Melegari who had been doing it for years. My first attempts where awful which frustrated me hugely put I've carried on pushing it for a few years on until I started to get just a little better. Sometimes I produce paintings that just work and I'm so happy with then other days my confidence is destroyed when everything goes so wrong, those paintings and days however maybe the time when your learning the most from being out there painting.

Many older painters I've painted with say this never goes away, your continuously fighting yourself and I see it while they are painting, getting wound up that the light has changed, cars parking straight in front of you. It knocks you back and forth, emotions all over.

A think of myself as very early in the scale of things plain air with so much to learn, so much to say in my work for the future. Painters just getting into plein air work should know that its so hard to achieve the ideal but to follow the heart and enjoy being outside in the open air and expressing ones self is what its all about. To feel alive when you mix 2 colours and place them next to each other which just radiate in front of you, to seeing that spark of colour in a green field that no one else will ever see and that you have captured.

All good things come with passion, determination and lots and lots of mistakes, so all painters in pain out there never give up.

I was once told by Jim Howie a painter that every mistake you make, turn into a task' something to think upon.

The article can also be read on the Plein air site at www.outdoorpainter.com/editorial/artists-motivated-by-self-doubt.html