Author Archives: norman

Back from Venice and on a Roll

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After another frenetic week in Venice with the Northern Boys,

it’s back to business on the home front.

I will have three works on show at the 

Manchester Academy of Fine Arts Autumn Exhibition

Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery

21st Sept until 1st Nov 2019

 

 and 15 paintings at the

ART FAIR CHESHIRE

Macclesfield Town Hall

Come and see me at the Opening

Weds 25th Sept 6pm to 9pm

The Fair runs until 3rd Oct

Full details of these shows can be found here

Also at the Art Fair, on Saturday 28th September, at 12 pm, I am giving  a free demonstration in 

Figure Painting from Life in Oils

Come along and heckle!

 

Manchester Sunshine

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PAINTINGS OF THE WEEK
1st to 8th August 2018
Here I am in Manchester painting a demonstration painting for my book. You can pre-order the book here.
That particular painting will be available at the book launch exhibition at Contemporary Six Gallery on 22nd Sept, details here.
For now, I am presenting two sunny Manchester works for my paintings of the week.

“St Peter’s at Dusk”

12 x 10 inches, oil on board
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(click image to enlarge)

£545

“Passersby and Pigeon”

12 x 10 inches, oil on board

(click image to enlarge)

£545

Cornwall

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PAINTING OF THE TWO WEEKS
18th July to 1st Aug 2018

“Esplanade to Readymoney Cove, Fowey, Cornwall”

18 x 12 inches, oil on board
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(click image to enlarge)

School’s out and we are heading to beautiful Cornwall. We will be staying in Newlyn, near Penzance, the home of the famous Newlyn School of Painters (1800s to early 1900s). Back then, artists couldn’t resist the spectacular light, available models and cheap accommodation. Not much has changed. The light is still unique, folks on the beach still make great models and AirBnB is fantastically affordable!
Painting of the week is a view I painted last time we were in Cornwall. Back in the studio, I felt that the subject needed a wider format, so I worked from the on-site study (below).

Tayah’s Cafe

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PAINTING OF THE WEEK 
11th July to 18th July 2018

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“Tayah’s Cafe”
14 x 20 inches, oil on board
Saturday 14th July is the Create Longridge event, a one-day painting challenge. This is my  attempt from last year. Tucked in the corner, I had a window into the life of a small community. Those elderly folks meet every morning at the round table, whispering local gossip loud enough for all to hear. The little girl, partway through the meal, took a free transfer to her mum’s lap.
Though completed in one day, a piece like this takes some preparation. On my first visit, I bought a meal and broke out the sketchbook, looking for visual possibilities but also to gaining the interest and trust of the staff. On a second visit I did a full size drawing to figure out the perspective of this intimate space.
I was promised my spot in the corner, but on the day of the event, the owner was present and not inclined to give me valuable space on a busy Saturday. After much pleading she relented and the fun began.
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(click image to enlarge)

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4th July – Paintings of Plymouth, MA

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PAINTINGS OF THE WEEK 
4th July to 11th July 2018
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In honour of 4th July, this week’s paintings feature the spot where the Pilgrims
 landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts. My lovely wife is from just a few miles North in Boston. We enjoyed fresh lobster in this very town where the first Thanksgiving meal was celebrated.
“Plymouth Pier”
12 x 10 inches, oil on board
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(click image to enlarge)

“Plymouth Harbor”

12 x 12 inches, oil on board
(click image to enlarge)

Watching Time Go By

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PAINTING OF THE WEEK 
27th June to 4th July 2018
“Watching Time Go By”
24 x 12 inches, oil on board
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(click image to enlarge)

Once again I am thinking of the stages of life, the elderly contemplating the rush of youth.  For much of the life of the painting, there was a walking mother on the left side, at whom the old man was looking. However, I found that her head in the top left was taking all the attention; we couldn’t get past her. In desperation, she was reduced to a foot, travelling apace to catch the runaway child.

By the way, the gentleman also appears in my 12 foot painting “The Bench”, but his wife sadly was painted out.
 
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Hannah

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PAINTING OF THE WEEK 
20th to 27th June 2018
“Passage”
20 x 20 inches, oil on board

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(click image to enlarge)

–Hannah is an enigmatic, talented young lady. We met when I gave a talk at her Art College and she is now launching her musical career with the band “Dream English Kid.” The two small paintings of Hannah below have already sold and the top one was shown  at the Mall Galleries, London, in the New English Art Club Exhibition.

The painting of the week presents the relaxed, contemplative Hannah, very different to her stage presence. The armchair, fireplace and decorations were set up in the studio to give a domestic feel. The title refers not only to a section of the book but to this transitional period in her life after Art school.

Hannah, 8 x 10, SOLD

Of Another Time, 8 x 10, SOLD

See more paintings from life here

Going The Distance

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Norman Long’s most ambitious painting to date.
“Going The Distance”
89 x 59 inches, 225 x 150cm, oil on linen

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(click image to enlarge)

––Newly married and enjoying long beach walks near our home in Lytham St Annes, this monumental painting records my contemplation of a future life together. The young couple, actually based on a photo I took on honeymoon in Venice, look towards the middle distance, where as parents they are busied with children and responsibilities. The sunlit far distance is where they once again walk side by side, reflecting upon the distance they have travelled together.

The canvas is the largest dimensions that would fit on the studio wall. The setting is based on many drawings and small studies (like the one below) done on the beach. As you can see, St Annes pier once featured in the painting but was distracting from the true message so was painted out.

The little girl (below) in “Going the Distance” also appears, albeit walking the other way,  in “Divided Interest”.
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Painting in Berkley Square

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History in the making. I’ve sketched in London plenty of times but here I am for the first time ever painting in the big smoke.

This was right after a really relaxed meeting with Geoffrey and Ellie of the Osborne Studio Gallery in Knightsbridge where I will be having a show early next year. My painting buddy Michael Ashcroft is joining me on these painting excursions over the next few months.