Alan Reed's Painting Blog

Grey Street, Winter Morning Sunlight An original watercolour 14” x 10” For much of my career as an artist I’ve had the good fortune of being able to work in the city of Newcastle. This has enabled me to see the city through the seasons and in all kinds of weather conditions. One of my favourite views is looking down Grey Street from the base of Grey’s Monument. A sunny, winter’s morning provides the perfect light to produce Newcastle Art. In this new watercolour of Newcastle’s Grainger Town, Grey Street glistens in the winter sun. Morning commuters make their way past the burgundy screens of the now closed Pret a Manger. The pavement is still wet, so reflections add further interest to the scene. #greystreet #greystreetnewcastle #cityscapepainting #pretamanger #watercolour #watercolourpainting #northeastartist #northeastart (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqYOeB7oFcL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

London Eye 28” x 20” Many of the elements this painting of the London Eye which I love to paint all seem to come together in this watercolour: architecture, skies and sunlight being reflected in water. It’s also available as a limited edition print. The original watercolour can be seen at our Gallery in Ponteland. #londoneye #londonlife #londonskyline #londonpainting #watercolourpainting #architecturalpainting #cityscapepainting (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp7L2xLItFD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Thames Sunrise Over the years I have spent considerable time studying sunrises and the way light affects cityscapes. This painting of the Thames showing the ever changing skyline is the fruit of such studies. Available as a limited edition print. #riverthames #riverthameslondon #stpaulscathedral #londonskyline #cityscapepainting #watercolour #watwrcolourpainting #stpauls (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpxXQfXo_BH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Newcastle’s Quayside on a summer evening. An original watercolour 29” x 21” which started off as a demonstration for a watercolour class. I managed to paint most of the sky and the base wash for the water during the demonstration. That was the hardest part of the painting. Painting the rest of the scene was the most time consuming part of the composition. There’s lots going on in this painting so it’s important to balance the different techniques used. Loose fluid brush strokes for the sky and river are necessary to offer relief to the tighter, more considered marks for the detailed architecture, boats and bridges. The curves for the Sage and bridges break up the cloud shapes and compliment the vertical lines that run throughout the painting. #tynebridge #millenniumbridge #sagegateshead #newcastlequayside #newcastle #newcastlebridges #watercolourpainting #architecturepainting #bridgepainting https://www.instagram.com/p/Cps7KpHo14E/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Santa Maria della Salute by John Singer Sargent Here’s the full image of the painting from which the detailed photographs are taken from on my previous post. When I see such an expertly executed painting like this, I’m lost in wonder and admiration. I’m also equally inspired to get out there and paint from life. #johnsingersargent #oilpainting #venice #santamariasalute #venezia #paintingarchitecture #turin #torino #palazzobarolo (at Palazzo Barolo) https://www.instagram.com/p/CplTyZPoSVP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Turin from Monte dei Cappuccini A sketchbook watercolour painted on location. The Mole Antonelliana which was a former synagogue, dominates the skyline. It’s now the home for the fabulous Museo Nazionale del Cinema. The Alps provide a wonderful backdrop for this beautiful city. #turin #torino #riverpo #montedeicappuccini #sketchbook #sketchbookwatercolour #alpsmountains #cityscape #moleantonelliana (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpdK9Vao9Uj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Central Arcade Newcastle upon Tyne is full of architectural treasures, one of which is the Central Arcade, a stunning Edwardian shopping arcade built in 1906 within the Central Exchange, a triangular building built by Richard Grainger in 1836-1838 to the designs of John Wardle and George Walker. I’ve painted the outside of the building on many occasions as it appears in my paintings of Grey Street, Grainger Street and Market Street. Folk in Newcastle will best remember the Central Arcade as the home of J.G. Windows music. I recall going in to the basement to check out the latest rock music releases as a long haired Genesis fan many years ago! Back in 1993 I was commissioned to do an original watercolour of the Central Arcade in Newcastle. At the time, I was doing a series of paintings of Newcastle taken from ariel perspectives. The client had commissioned two other paintings along that theme and wanted the one of the arcade to be viewed from above too. This was a challenging task, as the Central Arcade is enclosed by a glass roof and there is no public access to the balcony that is on the first floor. I managed to persuade the caretaker at the time to allow me to climb through a small window from a room that overlooked the shopping area below, for me to be able to take some photographs. There’s nearly always somebody busking in the arcade but unfortunately on this occasion there wasn’t so a few days later I drew my son Oliver playing his violin on our driveway from an upstairs bedroom window to get the correct perspective. I was so pleased with the end result that I decided to reproduce the original watercolour as a limited edition print with only 250 in the edition. #centralarcade #centralarcadenewcastle #windowsnewcastle #architecture #arcadepaintings #watercolourpainting #violinist (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpW_PRGoNd0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

High Bridge, Newcastle has to be one of my favourite paintings of my home town. Over years it’s proved to be one of my best selling prints of Newcastle. Yet it’s depicting a time of day and year that is not seen very often. Strong, late afternoon winter sunlight is about to disappear behind the distant buildings. Busy shoppers dart to and fro, in and out of the dark shadows. They in turn, are being cast by the low level sun. Despite me using a very limited palate, the painting has a strong feeling of colour and light which somehow seems to typify Newcastle. High Bridge is named after the bridge which crossed the Lort Burn, a subterranean burn. The burn started in Leazes Park which used to flow through the centre of the city into the Tyne. It was used as an open sewer which backed on to the meat markets until 1696 when it was put underground. In 1749 Dean Street (named from dene) was built following the course of Lort Burn as a continuation of Grey street. Today, High Bridge Street has an interesting collection of buildings. These include pubs, a barber, restaurants and various shops with Lorts Burn still flowing beneath your feet into the Tyne. #highbridge #highbridgenewcastle #cityscapepainting #streetlife #watercolourpainting #watercolourart (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpNZuZrosqo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Righ & Rhum Sunset 21” x 14” An original watercolour inspired by a trip we made to Mallaig on the west coast of Scotland in 1998. We arrived early evening and went straight to the beach where they filmed a scene for the film Local Hero. A young woman was playing Celtic tunes on a violin, sitting on the sand dunes as the sun set over the islands of Eigg and Rhum. The only other sounds were a few sea gulls and the waves breaking gently over the white sands. We returned the following morning where I painted a couple of watercolours on the spot. #watercolour #watercolourpainting #localhero #beachpainting #sunset#beachsunset #eiggandrhum # (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpKKB6jodlN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Tyne Bridge Early Morning This scene of the Tyne Bridge Prints, Early Morning, is one of my best selling prints of Newcastle. Sadly, it’s a view that cannot be repeated today. It was taken from Gateshead’s multi-storey car park which was demolished in 2010. The car park starred in one of Britain’s greatest cult gangster films Get Carter starring Michael Caine. The car park’s cinema fame was sealed when Carter threw Cliff Brumby, played by Bryan Mosley, from the top in a gruesome scene. It’s architect, Owen Luder attended it’s demolition. He said in an interview that the car park should be kept and the shops below revamped. It’s demise made way for a retail and student village. I wonder if that will make it into the movies? I recall going to the car park’s roof top in the autumn of 1992. From the rooftop I did some sketchbook studies of the early morning light breaking over the Newcastle skyline. With the aid of some of the photographs I took on that day, I was able to produce what has become something of an iconic view of the finest bridge in the North of England. Nobody else has painted this view of the Tyne Bridge. #tynebridge #tynebridgepainting #watercolourpainting #watercolour #bridge #gatesheadmultistoreycarpark (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co4pjXZIjGG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Happy 25th Birthday to the Angel of the North. I’ve loved painting it over the years in all kinds of conditions in various mediums including watercolours, oils and the use of Gold Leaf. #happybirthday #25thanniversary #angel #angelofthenorth #gatesheadangel #goldleaf #goldleafart #watercolour #watercolourpainting #oilpainting (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cosa-N3LXin/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Catriona An oil painting painted from life of my niece in 2014 for her mothers 50 birthday present. I think it only took about 2 sittings plus a little extra time from accompanying photographs for some of the details. It was one of those portraits where everything seemed to go remarkably well from start to finish. I first gave my niece a painting lesson when she was 3 or 4 years old. I’m going to give her another lesson very soon as she’s exploring acrylic paints. #painting #paintinglessons #paintinglesson #sightsize #sightsizeportraiture #sightsizemethod #oilpainting #oilportraits #oilportraitpainting (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoreRViolxG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Sandhill, Morning Mist A new original watercolour 21” x 14” This started off as a watercolour demonstration for Hartlepool Art Club. It’s a scene I first painted as an A4 watercolour in 2007 with the intention of painting it larger. #fogonthetyne #sandhill #sandhillnewcastle #quaysidenewcastle #quayside #watercolour #watercolourpainting #newcastlepainting #tynebridge #tynebridgepainting #bridges (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CopHSNPo-PP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Grand Canal Painting in Stages I’ve painted the Grand Canal in Venice many times. On one particular painting, I decided to photograph the painting of the Grand Canal, Venice in stages. You can see the progression and development of the painting. From the initial pencil drawing through the sequence of washes, you can see the build up of detail. #watercolour #watercolourpainting #grandcanal #grandcanalvenice #painting #paintinginstages #stepbystep #venice #venezia #veniceart (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoVSL3krWJj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The Colosseum, Rome An original watercolour commission. Watercolour studies painted on location are invaluable when working on commissions. I also have a 12” x 9” watercolour of the Colosseum painted “en plain air” in 2001 hanging in our bedroom. #colosseum #enpleinair #enpleinairpainting #watercolour #watercolourpainting #paintingcommission #rome #roma (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoQKzOpr0pB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Water Melons Several years ago I was asked to do some food paintings for a restaurant. I painted a series of A5 watercolours of various fruit and vegetables which became very striking when enlarged. #watermelon #watercolour #watermelons #watercolourpainting #foodpainting #foodpaintchallenge #resturantart #resturantdesign (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoNnmzcLFEQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Via dell’Orso, Perugia I’m always on the lookout for possible subject matter. Whilst visiting Perugia, I was taken by the sunlight catching the architecture in this narrow street. I quickly whipped out my sketchbook and did this small watercolour making sure that I captured not only the sunlight and shadows but also the figure to provide a sense of scale and interest. When I returned to my studio I worked it up into a larger 21” x 14” watercolour painted on handmade paper from Fabriano. #perugia #perugiaitaly #perugiacentro #sketchbook #sketchbookpainting #streetpainting #architecturepainting #watercolour #watercolourpainting (at Alan Reed Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoCb5plItd2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=