Finished working on the allotments this week. Gardening is not my strong point but this one seemed to grow all right. I've been thinking about it for over a year, a painting with no people in it, just for a change. Apart from the scarecrow. Anyway, the earth is very red, like it is in Herefordshire, which contrasts well with the artificial greens, and The Lion Gallery have snapped it up to exhibit next week in Leominster.

Hawthorn Gallery

The Hawthorn Gallery have just framed up these two paintings. It's not easy to choose frames for my busy images but these are really smart - plain, deep, chunky - and neatly offsetting colours from within the pictures. I recommend all my customers do something similar. http://www.thehawthorngallery.co.uk/

England fans again

And here's a detail. A few of the fans are wearing unlikely gear like viking helmets with red crosses on, or traditional St George's bikinis. With only 3 weeks until kick off I am now quickly jumping on the world cup bandwagon to produce some merchandise.

England fans

Up at 5am to get on with the painting of England fans. Still working on it at 9pm but getting a bit of RSI. Must stop these painting marathons. Couldn't decide how to mix up the white home and red away kits so instead made the whole crowd into a giant flag, all waving their little flags.

It felt like winter in Summertown on Saturday. Arctic winds and drizzle almost quenched the street festival, but somehow managed to draw the crowds. There were bands and dancers, a living statue, an accordion player on stilts and kids having their faces painted. As soon as I finished the drawing one of the organisers asked to use it for the poster next year, and then one of the band members bought it off me! Thinking about turning it into a painting...

Punting

Up at 6am to finish the painting of punting on the Cherwell. Yesterday I had the water too turquoise and too choppy so now it's muddier and flat. A duller painting perhaps but at least true to life whatever that means. Anyway I hope the punters of Oxford enjoy it when it goes on show for Artweeks on Saturday. I'm at Venue 84, 7 Oakthorpe Road. If it's not raining I'll be out on the streets of Summertown in the morning with a large drawing board sketching the people enjoying the festival. See website for more details: www.artweeks.org