Roy Connelly

I spent this afternoon at Messum’s in Cork Street where Peter Brown NEAC gave a very entertaining talk on his life as a painter on the streets of London and Bath.

Having recently spent a day painting with Peter in London and watching his painting emerge from the blank canvas it was good to hear his thoughts on everything from coping with changing light to why he wont use a camera.

The talk coincided with the exhibition The Magic and Poetry of Everyday Life. A collection of paintings by New English Art Club artists from its beginnings in the nineteenth century to the present day.  This fine exhibition is well worth seeing and runs until the 3rd of July 2010.

The paintings shown here are two of my favourites from the latest exhibition by my friend John Dobbs. I visited the show last week and was pleased to see an impressive selection of his latest work.  John and I often paint together by the Thames in London.

11th to 23rd May 2010

The Fountain Gallery,
Bridge Road, Molesey,
KT8 9HA

Just across the river from Hampton Court Palace.

As well as being a fun evening, the auction at Heatherleys was a great success.  It was an exciting experience seeing my painting of Albert Bridge auctioned by Nick Bonham, formerly of  the Bonhams auction house.  Nick has auctioned over a million works of art in his career.

Other artists in the auction included Julian Barrow, Ken Howard and Jane Corsellis.  Both Ken and Julian were there along with many of the other artists taking part in the Chelsea Riverside exhibition.

Congratulations to Adebanji Alade, who won first price in the competition and many thanks to David Waddell and the Cheyne Walk Trust for organising the event.

The Cheyne Walk Trust is raising funds for a bursary for young artists at Heatherley School of Fine Art in Chelsea.

There will be an exhibition of paintings of the Chelsea Riverside at Heatherleys 18 – 22 April, 2 – 6pm.

On the evening of Thursday 22nd April there will be a reception, prize giving ceremony and an auction. Prizes will be presented by Ken Howard RA.

Full details here: Chelsea Exhibition The cover image is a detail from my painting of Albert Bridge which will feature in the auction.

If you would like to reserve tickets for the Reception and Auction click here: Reception tickets for Chelsea Riverside

Island Fine Arts. Bembridge, Isle of Wight.
27 March – 24 April 2010

For more information or to purchase any of these pictures please contact Island Fine Arts, tel: 01983 875133.

Click on any thumbnail to view full size. Then click on the image to see the next one or press ’start’ for slideshow.

The annual open exhibition of the Royal Society of British Artists is on now at the Mall Galleries in London until 21 March.  I have two pictures in the show, both of the King’s Road in Chelsea.

The Private View was good fun and my friend Karl Terry won the Red Rag Gallery award.  Karl was in London for a couple of days with another friend, Paul Rafferty.  The weather was very cold but we painted all day only stopping after it got dark.

Yesterday I visited Room A at the National Gallery.  This little known room is rarely visited as it is only open for a few hours each Wednesday afternoon.  It houses around 800 pictures.  I was there to see the gallery’s collection of works by Eugène Boudin.  I made sketches of several of them – the one shown here is a beach scene at Trouville.

In the evening I visited the historic Life Room at the Royal Academy, for two hours of  drawing from the model with the New English Art Club Drawing School.

Next time you are in London on a Wednesday you know what to do.

I have work in two exhibitions in London at the moment.  ‘London Seen’ is a group show of London paintings at Llewellyn Alexander Fine Paintings.

‘Venice in Peril’ is also a group show,  in this case featuring paintings of Venice.  This popular annual exhibition, at W.H. Patterson in Albermarle Street, helps to raise funds for restoration projects in that most beautiful city.

At Venice in Peril there are works by Ken Howard, Auguste Bouvard, Ivan Lapper, David Sawyer, Robert E Wells, Roy Connelly, Jonathan Trowell, John Stillman and other talented artists.

London Seen features Tom Coates, Bruce Yardley, Roy Connelly, Liam O’Farrell, Terry McKifragan, Robert E Wells, Fraser King and others

If you fancy seeing both wonderful cities in a day, its only a short 20 minute walk between the two galleries.

London Seen Llewellyn Alexander Fine Paintings
11 January – 10 February 2010

Venice in Peril W. H. Patterson
13 January – 5 February 2010

The paintings above show the view from Riva Degli Schiavoni in Venice with San Giorgio on the left and the Doges Palace (under scaffolding) on the right,  Santa Maria Della Salute is in the distance.

Below that is a view of Cleopatra’s Needle by the River Thames in London.

The New English Art Club (NEAC) annual open exhibition opens on Friday 27th November.  I am pleased to once again have work in this prestigious show.  Early exhibitors in this exhibition include Claude Monet and Edgar Degas along with Walter Sickert, James McNeil Whistler, John Singer Sargent and Philip Wilson Steer.

Above: Stainforth Autumn Morning, oil on board, 4×10 inches.

If you can’t make along in person or want to make sure that special picture doesn’t get bought before you get there, most of the paintings in the exhibition can be seen and purchased online now. 

Waterloo Bridge, oil on board 10 x 20 inches, 25.5 x 51 cm. Sold

The painting above is one of sixteen of my oil paintings of London, The River Thames and Surrey that will be on show in London for the rest of the month.

Eight Man Show
Llewellyn Alexander (Fine Paintings) Ltd
2 – 28 November 2009

Featured artists:
Roy Connelly
Lisa Graa Jensen RI
Chris Kendrick
Tina Morgan SWA
Liam O’Farrell
Steven Outram RBA
Richard Sorrell NEAC PPRWS
Tessa Shedley Jordan

Gallery Open 10am to 7:30pm Monday to Saturday:
124 -126 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 8LN UK

(Opposite the Old Vic Theatre and just 2 minutes from Waterloo Underground and mainline station) Tel: 020 7620 1322/1324

 Visit the gallery website for more details.