BUDLE BAY, NORTHUMBERLAND by Maureen Stephenson

Know this area well Maureen and it’s pretty spectacular. Your painting is beautifully calming and I love how you have used the blues so subtlety. I really like the water soluble oils and intend using them more in seascapes.

Lovely use of blues and good differentiation between skies and seas

A lovely painting of one of the most idyllic places on the Northumberland coast.

I love your use of colours and the soft light - it makes me want to go there.

In passing - you don't HAVE to use solvents with conventional oils; it's easier perhaps if you do, but a small quantity of Linseed Oil often works just as well; and quite a few oil paints don't really need any additional oil at all: we just assume they do and add it, a bit like adding salt to a dish before we've tasted it (a good way to annoy a chef...). I've used water-miscible oils, but for the most part find I have to use far more paint to get anything like the same density of colour. Are you, I wonder, using oil painting paper or, as this looks to me, primed watercolour paper? (Feel no need to respond to this inquisition!)

Like this Maureen and good to see how you have used water based oil as I am hoping to try this method soon.

I thought I'd replied to all but it seems my reply hasn't uploaded (most probably I pressed the wrong button!). Just have to say how much I appreciate all your comments. It really means a lot. I certainly didn't expect anything as this was just an experimental piece on unprimed watercolour paper with an underlying failed watercolour. I'm now trying a seascape on canvas and am really enjoying seeing what these paints can do. I'll soon find out especially if I can't get the density of colour I want. (I'll let you know!) Many thanks Robert for your info on oils. I usually used turps as a medium but maybe if I use linseed oil it'll make a difference. I know there are products for cleaning brushes which aren't so environmentally dangerous as white spirit so maybe I should invest in these before deciding to ditch the oils permanently. But for now it's a test for the water soluble oils. I'm also going to experiment with MDF as a support so that should be interesting. Again many thanks for all your comments. It's given me the push to work harder!

Lovely work Maureen

Thank you very much Russell.