Benmo Art

The Farm. 200mm x 200mm. Oil on Board. £335 unframed. I can make one of my signature white frames on request.

Deep in the hills there is an abandoned farm house that really gets my imagination racing! I’m not going to tell you where it is– if you know, it’s our secret! One to dream of.

Worst Walk Ever #2. Oil on Board | 400mm radius | £315 unframed |
There was something niggling me about my last attempt at this vista (see 8 march). I woke up thinking about it one morning and had to get back to the studio and have another go! I think this would be really calming in view of a comfy seat somewhere! I’m excited by the possibilities the round boards are going to afford me for big dramatic skies.

I haven’t been brave enough to tackle making a round frame yet but watch this space 🙂

Falling Light; Shining Tor. Oil on Board. 280mm x 280mm £385 unframed. I can make one of my signature white frames on request.

One of the extra-ordinary things about deepest winter is that for a few moments at the end of an otherwise grey day we can be treated to a real light show as the sun makes its final descent.

Worst walk ever!!! At least that is what my daughter calls this lovely loop near Rainow.

This 40cm x 40cm - oil on board.

I painted this today and meant to include a clip of it in my latest Youtube video - bit forgot! See the vid here: https://youtu.be/8gF_D1GjRxE

The result of the recent circular painting. I had a lovely comment from .scapes.gallery (thanks Jessica!) about my recent stream painting, so I thought it would make a good candidate for my first attempt at the circle format. I’m already quite excited about the prospect of how to frame this!

Friday morning thoughts - I find that you rarely see a round picture, and that’s quite odd in a way. I can sort of understand that most rooms are pretty heavy on right angles, so perhaps it makes sense to make paintings to match, but the old 90’ corner is pretty rare in the nature. It seems a bit odd to make landscape paintings religiously to this format. So any way, I’ve had a go at making some circles on the band saw. Watch this space for the painting process, up next!

This is from Todd Brook, one of my favourite painting spots, regularly revisited. Never have I lavished a tiny painting with so much time and heartache! A whole day’s work went into this 15cm squared! I am however very pleased with the outcome. I really wanted to capture the sense of the low sun coming through the fallen tree.

‘Wincle in Summer’ - This painting was a bit of an experiment. I really love the landscape paintings of James Lynch, and I’ve always wondered how he creates such a sense of light and airiness in his paintings. In this view I had a go at trying to create that.

Bakestonedale Moor with the mid-Winter sun slipping down towards it’s early berth – and providing no warmth at all! I’m really pleased with this painting. I had quite a tough run of struggling to make decent paintings, but this one really encapsulates what I’ve been going for – a really fast, expressive painting process and no getting hung up on the details.

Fed up of February grey? A look towards some summer sun with this particular painting. “Over Kettleshulme-Longest day of the year” | 50cm x 50cm | £675

Some paintings are such a battle to make and others just seem to fall out of the air like a gift. This is one of the latter. I really wanted to capture the energy of a rushing hillside brook with its rain-washed shingle and the tenacious water plants clinging on.

Peak of the week. Another painting capturing the rolling hills of the local Peak District. Keep up to date with my latest adventures over on YouTube

I spent most of Christmas wondering about how to capture this view of the sun setting over Bollington and the Cheshire Plain. The winter tree was a break through for me. I talk a bit about this over on my youtube channel, check it out via the link in bio!

New year, new paintings. This beautiful bright and frosty winter weather is certainly providing a lot of inspiration for new paintings!

If you haven’t already had the chance, stop by Scoop and Scales or The Flower House Bollington to pick up my new Christmas cards. Featuring the print of Gritstone Trail at Brink Farm 🎄

Here are a few photos from my foray into the wintery hills last week. The weather has been so grey and damp that when Wednesday dawned clear and crisp I followed the call of the wild and headed up to Three Shires Head. What a tundra I found on the tops! Lots of interesting textures in the snow, ice and stone. A video this week to follow and hopefully a few paintings too!

Redway Sundowner | 29cm x 29cm

Lowerhouse in the Snow
Oil on Board | 37 x 33cm | Upcycled Frame

Can you spot a Benmo? I'm delighted to be included in the micro exhibition alongside in Macclesfield. I popped down earlier this week to talk with the brains behind the project, Lucie and another artist involved. Watch this space for a little film of that outing!

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I've been wrangling with how to capture the big views that characterise some of the high places in the Peak District. For a while, I thought I would go really big, but then I had a brain wave to go small, and paint on these small, heavy pieces of board.

Tried a new walk near the Stanley Arms this morning. Air like champagne, but the landscape felt strangely unfriendly: nitrate green fields, little wild-life, always a road in view and a scattering of grim farms. It's funny how sometimes the wildest places aren't in the wildest places.

Kerridge Wharf in Autumn 3

Kerridge Wharf in Autumn 2

Kerridge Wharf in Autumn 1

I love a drying cabinet full of bright little paintings. Like a jewel box.

My most ambitious lithograph yet – six colours! This is Rainow from Kerridge Ridge. I'm pleased with the white frame.

Had a walk above Chinley recently in the dazzling autumn light. This is a great loop if you want phenomenal long views across the Peak District at every moment. Start at the war memorial in Chinley (what3words: ///writing.tangent.pool) and give yourself a good three hours. I've come home wrangling with the challenge of how to paint these vast panoramas. Some interesting industrial artefacts too – both old and new.

Cloud Shadows - Making progress on this big view today.