This week I visit Percy House Gallery in Cockermouth where several of my large landscape paintings, smaller abstract paintings as well as limited edition and open edition giclee prints are exhibited. I am delighted to have been accepted by Percy House Gallery as one of their artists and look forward to working with them moving forward. I have also finished my final seascape painting this week, in oil and recycled plastic, which I collected from beach combing the very same beach that is depicted in the painting. Despite being a Blue Flag beach, sadly there is still plastic to be found on the beach and so I use this in my paintings as a way of highlighting the issue of plastics in Our Beautiful World. This week coming, I am visiting New York, and the Guggenheim, to see the Hilma Af Klint exhibition, which I am hugely excited about!

I haven’t managed to catch up on any painting this week as I have been travelling back to the UK from France, and have been busy collecting paintings from across the country in readiness for my Open Studio over the Easter weekend.

Additionally I have also delivered my first live painting workshop - Sip and Paint with all proceeds going to Steeple Aston Pre School. It was a great evening with fabulous people and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. The standard of finished paintings was mind blowing - I could not be more proud!

In this video I show how to apply plastic to a canvas and how I use beach combed plastics in my paintings as well as how I add sand from the beach at the Northumberland coast to create my seascape oil on canvas paintings. I also use sacred geometric patterns as underpaintings, which I then paint over the top with my seascapes inspired by Tynemouth and Newbiggin by the Sea as well as Hartley Bay on the North East Coast of England.

We will be opening the doors again to The Old Police Station on Saturday 24th, Sunday 25th and Monday 26th August to show you an exhibition of smaller works from 2019 to my most recent works. There will be huge offers and discounts for subscribers to my mailing list so please don’t miss it, as well as this painting being on sale and show for the first time.

This week I finish my seascape of Dunstanburgh Castle on the North East Coast, prepare for a commission and frame some high quality giclee prints for Rydal Mount and Gardens, and the Dennis Kilgallon Gallery.

This video shows me out and about gathering information and sketchbook work for future paintings. I visit several locations, and make preparatory studies in my sketchbook en plein air. Looking at colour shape and form, I use the work done in the open air to inform my final original oil paintings with a geometric pattern underpainting. From a lake in Lincoln, to a Sculpture exhibition in Doddington Hall, from a meadow in Oxfordshire to a garden in Solihull - I might not have been in the studio but I still managed lots of time to paint outdoors. I have also added a gift card option to my website, so if you don't already subscribe to my mailing list - hop over there now https//www.helenalicejohnsonartist.com and take advantage of a 10% discount this week in celebration of my new gift cards and updated website courtesy of Kalkidan Legesse at https://www.kalkidanlegesse.com

Pattern in my oil paintings has always been important and the use of the golden section as well as geometric design is shown in all three of my hand stretched canvases this week. I also try to paint en plein air for the starting point of all my art work and spent time this week at the North East coastline near Dunstanburgh Castle in readiness for my next painting. And finally, I have been painting a small watercolour of a gosling for my grandson.

As well as a painting finished and a weekend at the Landmark Arts Fair in Teddington, London, we have still managed to put on a great show for you at The Old Police Station, Alston as par of my Open Studio event Spring Bank holiday 2024. Check out the video blog for what I’ve been up to this week.

We Are All Made Of Stars - Oil on canvas. I'm delighted to announce that the oil painting of Ullswater in the Lake District is complete and I think it’s absolutely breath-taking! The beautiful blend of pattern and landscape, which is neither abstract nor representational, creates a unique aesthetic. Stay tuned for more of such captivating work in the upcoming months!