Roy Connelly

Saturday Morning in Hammersmith.
8×10 inches, oil on board.

The warm summer mornings seem to draw everyone down to the river. This view towards Hammersmith Bridge and The Rutland Arms was painted from Furnival Gardens. One of the challenges of painting on location is capturing moving figures. Fortunately, fine days on the embankments of the River Thames provide the artist with a countless stream of figures to paint.

I have  just designed a new cover for the romantic comedy Flights of Angels.

Flights of Angels is, as you have probably realised, by my wife, Victoria Connelly. It was originally published in Germany where it was a bestseller and it was later was adapted into a film for SAT1 television.

A scene from Himmlischer Besuch für Lisa.

Although written in English it has only been available in German until now. You can download the English version from Amazon – Flights of Angels

Spring in Oxford, oil on linen, 20 x 24 inches (50 x 60cm)

Above: the painting nearing completion.  As usual, this picture was painted entirely on location.  There was a gap of two weeks between beginning the painting and going back to finish it. You will notice that when I started (photo below) the trees were bright pink with blossom. When I returned for the second session they had turned green, fortunately I had got far enough with the trees to have got away with it!

Ken Howard has been in the news this week.  He has been moved on twice recently while painting the streets of London. Details in The Telegraph.

Ken Howard painting in Richmond

I also paint in the streets of London. In my experience most people are very happy to see artists at work.  It seems to be private security, under the direction of CCTV controllers, that try to move you.

I usually try to stand my ground.  After a polite chat they will often relent and I can carry on with my work.

The South Bank however is a wonderful place to paint. I have found the management and security guards of The Southbank Centre have a friendly attitude to artists.  The buskers, artists, skate boarders and the Golden Carousel all add to the wonderful atmosphere and nothing beats a walk along the river on a sunny afternoon or evening.

Above: The Golden Carousel on the South Bank by Roy Connelly.
Oil on board, 10×20 inches. Private Collection.

One advantage of working outside throughout the year is being aware of the changing seasons.  It definitely feels as if spring is here at last.

I thought I would share a few of the photos I have taken while out painting over the last few days.

Clockwise from top left: The Chess Valley, Richmond Bridge, A friendly heron at Richmond, a tiny bee that settle on my painting kit.

Roy Connelly painting at Cookham. Picture: Rowan Griffiths

Its been a while since the snow melted but I thought I would post this photo of me painting at Cookham in Berkshire.  I was working on my final picture of the day when I was spotted by photographer Rowan Griffiths.

I have written a brief guide to keeping warm while painting in winter. You can read it here.

I have been painting out in the snow again so thought I would pass on a few tips to keep you warm on your winter plein air painting trips.

The key to staying warm when you are painting in the cold is to dress in layers.  Several thin layers will trap more warm air than one thick layer and can be easily adjusted to suit changes in temperature.  Start with a synthetic (or silk)  base laser with long-sleeves -  I use Paramo‘s excellent and seemingly everlasting thermal clothing.  Next, a number of thin mid-layers, fleece jumpers etc, and finally a water/wind-proof outer layer.

A lot of heat is lost from your legs, so fleece-lined trousers like those made by Craghoppers and Rohan will really help to keep you warm.  Otherwise, get some long-johns.  A pair of waterproof over-trousers can be useful too if it is raining or windy, or just as an extra layer on very cold days.

Don’t forget to wear a hat!  Mine is fleece lined and waterproof, with a peak to keep the low winter sun out of my eyes.  Most importantly it has ear flaps!

I usually wear gloves to paint in winter.  I use thin liner-gloves. These are designed to be worn inside mittens or over-gloves but they are warm enough to be worn on their own and thin enough not to interfere with brush handling.  If it is very cold I will wear another thin pair over the top.

A thermal ‘headover‘ or neck warmer is a great asset.  If your neck gets cold you tend to hunch up your shoulders – making it difficult to paint.  Avoid scarves if you don’t want the end to dangle in your paint!

The secret to warm feet in the snow? Make sure your boots really are waterproof.  If the damp gets in your feet are going to get cold.  I use Muck Boots which are completely waterproof and have a good solid sole.  Avoid ordinary wellies, they might be waterproof but they are not designed to keep you warm.  If you wear leather walking boots make sure they are regularly treated to maintain their waterproofness.  Thermal socks are essential and it’s important to make sure your boots are big enough – you should be able to wiggle your toes even with a thick pair of socks on.

As well as having the right equipment it is also important to make sure you have food and drink with you.  A flask with a hot drink can be a life-saver, but don’t forget that even just drinking water will keep you hydrated which in turn will help your circulation and keep you warm.

After an hour and a half working on this picture my feet were just as warm as when I started and if it wasn’t getting dark I would have carried on with another painting.

Painting Santa Maria Della Salute at night.

I recently spent a few days painting in Venice with fellow plein air painters; David Bachmann, Paul Rafferty and Karl Terry.   This photo was taken on the day I arrived.  I had been up since 3am to drive to Gatwick in the snow and not even darkness was going to stop me painting.

It was an eventful trip with flights home cancelled by the snow in the UK and an unusually high acqua alta of 140cm left more than 55% of Venice flooded.

Rising water in the Piazzetta San Marco

Painting the Salute in the rain.

The fishmarket at night. Oil on board, 10×8 inches.

Here are some of the paintings from my trip to Bath last week.  I was there for 2 and a half days and painted 19 small panels.  The smallest was 6×8 and the largest 12x16inches.  There are several I am quite happy with and a couple that were not finished due to changing light and heavy rain, but overall it was a good trip.

The heavy downpour on Friday afternoon resulted in one of my favourite pictures from the whole trip.

Above: Downpour in Queen Square, 6×8 inches, oil on board.
Below: Busker outside the Pump Rooms, 6×8 inches, oil on board.

While I was painting I met up with the winner of last year’s Bath Prize Plein Air award, Adebanji Alade. He has posted photos of several  painters he found at work on the streets of Bath on his blog.  You can see me, Karl Terry and Michael Richardson as well as plenty of Adebanji at work on his own marathon painting project.