Demonstrations

On this page you can see samples of Bob's demonstration paintings which he painted for art clubs, art societies, small businesses and including painting workshops around the North West and Central parts of the UK and North Wales. Painting demonstrations are usually two hours long unless you have a workshop directly after the demonstration which could be another two or three hours long.

The actual real time you have to work on a painting is around 90 minutes, you have the introduction and any other business at the start, and then half way though there is a tea break were members of the group can get a cup of tea or coffee and biscuits, and some come up to the artist to chat and ask for advice, Bob also uses this time to clean up and prepare for the final part of the painting session.

Although a demonstration is generally two hours long, getting to a venue can take hours, one example was when I had a demonstration for an art group in Penrith, which is 100 miles from where he lives on Merseyside. You have to give yourself enough time to allow for traffic, which means, if everything goes well you could be sitting in your car outside of the venue waiting for it to open, which could be a while, on the other hand, if the traffic is bad you could get to the venue late which means you have less time and you have to hit the ground running…

Typically, Bob use 'Atelier Interactive' acrylic paints for his demonstrations, and sometimes for his plein air paintings, which are made by Chroma, a company based in Australia. He paints on Saunders Waterford or Arches 300lbs rough watercolour paper, this paper is less prone to cockling when it is wet and it is tough enough when stumbling. Occasionally, Bob will do a demonstration using oil paint on canvas or panel, but not every venue will allow you to use oils for health and safety reasons.

Derelict Shed 33x51cm

I have used this image of the derlict shed a few time for demonstrations and workshops and it has always been received well by the artists in the art clubs I have visited

Farmers House

A number of the paintings in this gallery were requested by members of my art group. Sometimes someone would ask for my advice about a painting they were trying to copy from an art book, Alwyn Crawshaw was one book I remember. It was easier for me to show them a step by step demonstration of the process

The Flood at Port-Marly after Alfred Sisley

Demonstrations usually last less than two hours, therefore it is essential the painting you are about to paint in front of an audience is 'doable'. Choosing the right image to paint is important, it could be from your own sketches or photos or from an artist photo reference website, whatever you choose it should have good composition, interesting subject, and good values

Snow Covered Field

I think this was another one of Alwyn Crawshaw's painting I painted at the request of one of my students. I have been an admirer of his work for a long time

Mountain Pass

Mountain scenes always go down well with an audience at an art group
demonstration, particullarly as Bob Ross was making a big hit with his paintings of mountains for many years

Old Hut by a Stream

Sheep Farm after Richard Robinson 12x12 inches

Two of the painting in this gallery were from paintings I watched New Zeland artist Richard Robinson paint on TV, his paintings are fresh and airy. This particular painting uses broad brush strokes to achieve the desired effect

Mekking Church as seen from the canal 31x50 cm

I thought I would try my new 'Abstract Vector Impressionism' style when painting this view of Melling Church from the Canal bank for a local art group, but unfortunately, they were not as enthused as I was…some you win, some you lose

Australian Gum Tree 33x53 cm

Slightly abstract approach again here with this painting of an Australian Gum Tree. I wanted to get across to the art group, "it's ok to experiment" don't be afraid to do things out of the box. I have found that this approach is enlightening, you may descover new horizons

Australian Farmstead 31x50 cm

Broad brush strokes and colour are what I wanted to express in this painting of the Australian Farmstead.

Australian Farmstead number two-31x50 cm

Entrance to the Village of Voisins, Yvelines, 1872 after Camille Pissarro

I was discussing the French Impressionists with my art group when one of them asked me if I would do a demonstration using one of the impressionist as an example, so I chose "Entrance to the Village of Voisins, Yvelines, 1872 after Camille Pissarro"

White Cottage in the Lakes

Sometimes I may take a couple of images with me to a demonstration then ask the group members which image do you want me to paint, I also usually take a double mount and frame to show a complete painting at the end, all done in less than two hours. The particular image for this painting was chosen for it's white washed building

Mountain View

Complimentary colours work well with this painting of the mountains and pine forrests

Red House on the Lake 35x55 cm

I painted this painting for the Penrith Art Society, there were around 60 members of the art group who turned up for the demonstration. This was a lively demonstration, during the break a lot of people were asking me questions about the technique and colour scheme I was using, thankfully the group were delighted with the finished painting

Spanish Church and Hay Bales 35x37 cm

This was another painting I painted from a Richard Robinson demonstration. I liked the simplicity of the composition and colour harmony. When I put some of my paintings on display at an art group in Chester prior to my demonstration, I was asked if I would paint this image for the grup

The Old Red Barn 33x52 cm

I was attracted to the image for this painting because of the mountains in the background which are called the 'Grand Tetons' and of course, the old red barn. The Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It extends for approximately 40 miles in a north–south direction through the U.S. state of Wyoming, east of the Idaho state line

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Demonstrations

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