Artist of the Week - Maureen Greenwood

Artist of the Week - Maureen Greenwood

Maureen Greenwood was born and educated in Dublin. She came to London in the early sixties and has lived in Stanmore, Middlesex, since 1965.

From early childhood she has been interested in painting and in 1988 she gave up her full time job to devote her time to art. Although she has attended art courses at various colleges, including The Camden School of Art, Stanmore College, Hendon College and The Harrow Arts Centre, she is fundamentally a self-taught artist.

She had her first public exhibition at the Stanmore Library in 1991 where her exhibits covered a broad spectrum of subjects in which she has used a variety of painting media. Her work is represented by Galleries in the South of England and has been sold in Art Fairs and Exhibitions throughout the country.

Maureen`s vibrant interpretation of semi-abstract landscapes, seascapes and skies shows her great love of colour. She also enjoys working in mixed media using different textures and collage, adding colour to create exciting effects and is always on the lookout for new ideas.

Her other interests include photography and gardening, both hobbies assist in formulating her ideas for new paintings.

She has travelled extensively in Europe where she derives inspiration for further paintings. She has been successful in selling her work in many places, including France, Italy, Ireland and South Africa.

Click HERE to see more of Maureen's work on Affordable British Art

Artist of the Week - Audrey Greaves

Artist of the Week - Audrey Greaves

"Oban Sunset" by Audrey Greaves

This painting is of one of the many beautiful sunsets that Audrey saw while on holiday in Oban, Scotland. It is a view from Oban looking out to the sea and the Islands. Audrey is a self-taught artist living and working in West Yourkshire. Audrey says@

" I enjoy painting landscapes, flowers, wild life, portraits, pet portraits, abstract and naive paintings. At the moment I am painting a few still life works in oils. My inspiration is found in the English landscape as well as scenes from abroad. I am also inspired by flowers in my own garden as well as parks and gardens that I visit and life in general. I paint in oils, acrylics, watercolour and mixed media."

Audrey's work has been hung in several exhibitions throughout Yorkshire and Lancashire over the last 17 years and also in various galleries. While exhibiting at the Ilkley Art Exhibitions in 1998, she was elected an Associate of the British Society of Painters. 

Click HERE to view more of Audrey's artwork on Affordable British Art

Artist of the week - Trevor Ferguson

Artist of the Week - Trevor Ferguson

"Simply Red" by Trevor Ferguson

"Simply Red" is an unusual dramatic, romantic and atmospheric study of a female nude. It is painted in oils on a 20mm deep canvas panel. This is one of Trevor's latest nude studies. Trevor's aim is to achieve realism while at the same time creating a scene or picture which may or may not exist in real life. Many of his works are based on French life, portraits and the female form.

Trevor says: 

"My love of human faces prompts me to paint portraits – again using photographs – either supplied by clients or taken by myself I try to capture the character & personality of the sitter. 
I have learned a lot by studying the techniques of the old masters and in some ways by trying to emulate them – I feel I might be half way there – the old part anyway – not too sure about the master part though. My animal portraits are treated in the same way."

Click HERE to see more of Trevor's work on Affordable British Art

Artist of the Week - Paul Dixon

Artist of the Week Paul Dixon

"One Day in Autumn" by Paul Dixon

Autumn, that fleeting time of year when the trees glow with colour and cry out to be painted before the wind and rain strips them bare. This is a beautifully worked painting by Paul Dixon. Paul paints in most media - oils, watercolours, acrylics and pastels and never one to feel pigeon-holed, tackles most subjects - landscape, seascape, cityscape, portraiture, still life, fantasy, surrealism and abstract. 

He has previously exhibited at the Ferrens Art Gallery, Hull, the Leeds City Art Gallery, Y.T.V. Studios, Leeds, the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds and the Art Shows at Ilkley where he was a prize winning artist who was elected a Companion of the International Guild of Artists. He was a regular exhibitor at the Valley Gardens Art Exhibitions in Harrogate and the Original Art Exhibitions at Addingham, Nr Ilkley, West Yorkshire. He has also had two paintings reproduced as limited edition prints.
He has completed various commissions in landscape and portraiture and has work in private collections as far afield as Italy, Germany, America and Canada.
Click HERE to see more of Paul's work on Affordable British Art

Artist of the Week - Helen Davison

Artist of the Week

"Blue Abscape I" by Helen Davison

Helen is an artist from East Yorkshire specialising in acrylic abstracts on canvas. Helen says about her work:

"I work mainly in acrylics, as I like their versatility - they can be used like watercolours or oils, depending on the finish required. However, I will try anything once, and am quite willing to take on a commission for someone if a particular idea springs to mind. 

My work is usually done on deep edged box-framed canvases, which eliminates the need for additional framing. This is a very popular format currently as it creates a very minimalist look on the wall. Having said that, I also do paintings on acrylic card and boards, which I can arrange to have framed prior to dispatch if you prefer. If you take a look through my gallery, you will notice that some of my paintings have already been framed ready to sell - "Hornbill" for example, plus "Freak Handles", and "Testing The Water", 

I tend to have a variety of subject matters from which I draw inspiration - my style is not restricted to just one subject. I think that would, quite simply, bore me silly! I need variety in all walks of my life and since I always have more than one painting on the go at any given time, it helps that my subjects are so wide. I do, however, have a fascination with faces, expressions and the naked figure, as I think the shapes created by our bodies are so lovely to look at. I also like to explore different textures within a painting, despite the subject matter, so I try to include some texture in every piece I create - whether I am using acrylic paints or pencils.

I sometimes utilise collage-effects within my paintings, such as in "Bark The 7th" where I have glued dried leaves onto the canvas prior to painting it, plus in "Exhibere Papillas" I stuck some woodchip wallpaper onto the canvas prior to painting it as part of the figure's clothing. I think this sort of effect creates a very textural look - I want my paintings to be touched as well as looked at - they are a very tactile item in the creation process so should be the same once complete!

My other main love is of bright colours and bold lines - I cannot imagine I would ever get to grips with an impressionistic style of painting as my leaning is far more towards the neat, precise brush strokes and lines such as my "A Bit of Orange" or "Not Everything Is Black and White". I do occasionally let rip with the palette knife and stray from my usual neat style, as can be seen with my "Abstract in Jet & Emerald", but more often than not I create images with several straight edges.

Click HERE to see more work by Helen Davison on Affordable British Art

Artist of the Week - Ros Callander

Artist of the Week - Ros Callander

"Stonehaven coast from foot of Dunnottar" by Ros Callander

"Stonehaven coast from foot of Dunnottar" is an original oil painting by artist Ros Callander. It depicts a soft and dreamy view of the coast around Stonehaven as seen when looking north, standing at the foot of the Dunnottar Castle escarpment. Ros Callander is a professional, contemporary Scottish artist. She paints mainly sunset paintings, seascapes and landscapes and her art has been described as “arresting and atmospheric”. Ros occasionally does portraiture, however her main love is nature and it’s influences on her native Scotland. Ros’s work, which is still very affordable, is increasing in popularity, often leading to waiting lists for her commissioned pieces.

Ros's Statement: "For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed drawing and painting. As a young girl, my passion for horses led me to drawing animals, and from there to drawing children and adults. My favourite mediums by far are acrylics, oils, watercolours and pencil drawings.
I hold a number of group and solo exhibitions throughout the year at various venues, one of which was opened by the (at the time) current Miss UK - Nicola Jolly. This was featured in the local area broadsheet/press. I have exhibited throughout Scotland and also in London, Paris and Berlin. I have had work photographed for Interior Design magazines - the latest of which was the prestigious "Homes & Interiors Scotland" magazine (Issue 43) and "25 Beautiful Homes", leading to a marked increase in interest in my work both in Scotland and throughout the UK.
I now live in the picturesque North East of Scotland, in a small rural coastal village, having previously lived and worked both in London and Southampton.
Being witness to rugged coastal scenery, stunning sunsets, sunrises and the breathtakingly beautiful Aurora is inspiration for many of my paintings, and I love to inject warmth, light and atmosphere into my work.
I feel very privileged to know that a piece of art which I have poured my heart and soul into creating, finds it's own place in the hearts of other people"

Click HERE to see more of Ros's work on Affordable British Art

Artist of the Week - Tony Broadbent

Artist of the Week - Tony Broadbent

"The Tears of Picasso" by Tony Broadbent

Painting for 46 years, Tony is self-taught. Primarily he is interested in colour and form as well as the abstract representation of theme and/or angst. 
Tony says: 
"With a firm footing in traditional oils and techniques, painting landscapes, wild seas etc, my work is now less commercial but more expansive - exploring reflections, observations, philosophy, religion and commentary on the condition of man, myself and this British enviroment.

 Art is in the mind, I just, set the mood "

Click HERE to see more of Tony Broadbent's work on Affordable British Art.

Artist of the Week - Melanie Barrett

Artist of the Week - Melanie Barrett

Bluebells by Melanie Barrett

After graduating with a degree in Fine Art from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 2003, Melanie went on to obtain a Masters in Painting from Wimbledon School of Art in 2004. Since then she has been continuing to paint and draw, focusing on portraiture, and in particular the narrative within painting. She has taught Art in schools in Mexico and Uganda, and to date has exhibited in various venues in Newcastle, Hackney, Kings Cross, the Discerning Eye Exhibition 2003, London Art Fair 2005, and in Glasgow for the regional finals of Channel Five's Big Art Competition.


Melanie says: "I am fascinated by the drama that can be created by the interplay of light and dark within a composition, and am preoccupied with recreating the beauty that can be captured in fleeting moments of every day life.
My work is heavily influenced by photography and I take inspiration from the work of Sickert, Degas and more recently, Tim Gardner."


To see more of Melanie's work on Affordable British Art, click HERE

Artist of the Week - Tina Ashton

This week we have Tina Ashton as our Artist of the week.

"Let Autumn Begin" by Tina Ashton

Tina Ashton was born in Caerphilly, South Wales in 1961 and amongst her memories of education, at a welsh speaking shcool, she remembers enjoying art and recalls winning prizes in creative competitions. However, she also remembers her disappointment when discouraged from studying Art for school qualifications in favour of more academic subjects. Tina’s career then took a very different path commencing with several years service with the Royal Air Force in Air Traffic Control followed by a long career in administration. In time Tina’s career also took a back seat to married life and bringing up two sons.


Many years later at the age of 39 Tina gave up her career and returned to full time education to study Art and Design. Creating art and particularly painting again was a “very personal and emotional awakening” she recollects, and indeed she hopes it is just the beginning of a long creative journey.


In 2003 Tina was proud to win the prestigious Malcolm Kendal Award in recognition of her talented contribution towards a motivated and artistic awareness. In the years to follow Tina went on to exhibit her work regularly across the UK, amongst them several solo exhibitions and a group exhibition at one of London’s Cork Street Galleries.


During the past 10 years much of Tina’s collection of work has been dominated by her modern portraiture in Acrylic. These bold, colourful portraits of today’s woman have proved very successful for her, although they are constantly evolving and are just a small part of a much wider body of work these days.


More recently, from her studio on the edge of the Buckinghamshire countryside, Tina has been painting on the theme of Love and Romance and her collection of semi-abstract paintings inspired by Lovers has been selling to private and corporate collectors across the world. Tina has a love of all things romantic and particularly old black and white movies which has fed and inspired this series of work, although the strong colours and loose fluidity of these new works are a much more modern statement. “I believe one of the greatest challenges for an artist is to display on canvas the special and intimate moments that lovers share and I hope that I go some way towards achieving that” Says Tina

Click HERE to see more of Tina's artwork on Affordable British Art

Artist of the Week - Angela Arnold

Angela Arnold is our Artist of the Week, this week.

"Showery Day, St Andrews" by Angela Arnold

Angela is a professional exhibiting artist who lives and works in the North East of Scotland. Angela says:

" I spent most of my youth on the Continent: born in Germany, I have also lived in France, Spain, Holland, Belgium...finally settling in Scotland in 1976.

I started out as a writer, with two books published (on psychological astrology, which I also practise), as well as occasional poetry. For thirteen years I ran a smallholding in Aberdeenshire, and then worked for several years as a hands-on garden designer. So I came to painting a bit later in life, and I'm self-taught - as much by design as default: I just love experimenting and discovering my own techniques. Painting to me is a challenge, a journey, and each work seems to proceed along its own path, often taking me by surprise.


I have been painting in South Aberdeenshire since 2001, inspired by the local land- and seascape: the view of big skies and changeable seas from the cliffs of coastal Kinneff, where I live, or the deep red earth of the Mearns.
In my paintings I try to capture both stillness and motion (often linked with the emotion evoked) – and maybe these are not so much opposites as two sides of the same coin, seeking the core of the subject. I also produce vibrant abstracts and most recently I have been experimenting with stark bl/wh, rather minimalist, painting.


A lot of my work is done in acrylic on board, rather than on canvas, calling for a different kind of technique. I have developed a method of mounting board on an integral frame and the finished product looks like a box canvas, with painted sides, ready to hang - or to frame, if you wish. You will find my paintings work especially well in larger/modern rooms, with a bit of distance and space."


To see more of Angela's work on Affordable British Art, click HERE