A move in the right direction technique wise. Never tried painting a sunset and rarely see a full one now because Pilton Village is blocked from such things. I’m still attempting to freshen things up and become more spontaneous and gladly this is going that way. This is Ashford Strand near Heanton in North Devon, on the River Taw. In the distance is Fremington Quay. I fished here as a boy and now you can drink coffee at the Riverside Cafe and eat at the Braunton Inn which used to be Heanton Court. This is oil on 36 x 36″ canvas. Al
Author Al Brown Artist.
Pyramid Fire.
The latest in the Glastonbury Festival series. Oil on canvas 36 x 36″. I usually work at the festival with the recycling crew and thoroughly enjoy the week but this year it’s sadly not on, so instead of going i’ve painted. This is a commission piece but hopefully the new owner will allow me to run off some prints. Al
Summer Reflection.
Completed oil painting of a reflection seen in a Braunton art shop window. In North Devon we’ve had an incredible summer, for a change, and this painting hopefully depicts that warmth and optimism. Painted on canvas and measures 36 x 36″. Actually a painting of me returning from a cycle ride around Crow Point and the Great Marsh in Braunton. Al
Giclée fine art prints of Red Pyramid.
A venture into limited edition prints. 400 x 400mm overall page size, giclée prints. I’m very impressed at the quality, colour and sharpness of these prints so perhaps will consider supplying suchlike editions of my work from now on. This edition of Red Pyramid will be of thirty, £50 each signed and numbered, excluding postage! Al
Picture from the 70s.
Just watched this being talked about on the Antiques Roadshow. ‘Oh this is an oil painting from many years ago painted by a rather odd painter from the west-country called Al Brown. Perhaps 1977ish in what is known to be his rather manic blue phase. I know we shouldn’t but let’s talk price, you say you purchase this for £2.50 at an auction in Exeter? Well you’ll be pleased you to know that you‘ve got a rather good return for your investment. It’s actually worth now, and we’re talking today’s prices, a breathtaking £2.55!’ The BBC camera pans away as the audience gasps!
On a more serious note I painted this oil in my mid teens and it’s resided in an old room. I discovered it today and took this picture. Well I quite like this and perhaps I’ve not really travelled on much! But who knows….Al
Wave Study.
A painting of a wave made in the beautiful weather we’re having at the moment. I decided to produce a timed study to try and loosen up my work. Hassled by horseflies and heat I came up with a partially successful composition. Sadly I decided to make a few adjustments a few days later and managed to lose the spontaneity and freshness. It was discarded, the canvas broken and thrown away. You win some you lose some and you learn! It’s all part of the stressful and creative process that people don’t consider when they purchase your work. Al
Storm Approaching Woolacombe Beach.
A Sunday spent on Woolacombe Beach and as the sky changed colour the humidity seemed to rise and there became a closeness. As the sky became dark the sunlight shone through the waves and illuminated them from within. Taken on my pocket camera and later finished in the studio. Acrylic on watercolour paper 470 x 620mm.
Leaving Tavistock.
Leaving Tavistock. When you leave Tavy and head back towards North Devon you approach a stretch of road with chimneys of old tin mines in a valley to your right. On a trip back from a weekend in Plymouth I glanced into my car mirror and glimpsed this view. I quickly pulled into a layby and with just a biro sketched this image and made a few colour notes on a scrap of paper. This pure watercolour was painted in July 2003, fifteen years ago, and still remains one of my own favourite picture for which I’m immensely proud. It is still in my own collection. Al
Humpback Whale & Calf.
With the new ecological worries of plastic in our oceans where will the likes of these wonderful species be in another few years? Watercolour & bodycolour. A painting from way back when. Al
Waves at Woolacombe Beach.
An acrylic on panel 610 x610mm of a sunny day on Woolacombe Beach with a stormy sky. Painted from a photograph taken last Sunday.
Al Brown Artist. 