Tom Davey
Contemporary Impressionist, TOM DAVEY, uses loose brushstrokes and works with shifting light to create scenes of everyday life in his home city of Bath. He tells Sarah Edghill how he creates in oil between the street and the studio
After spending years working as a chef at a restaurant in Bradfordon-Avon, Tom Davey became a full-time artist during the first lockdown. “When I started selling paintings I went part-time, but trying to paint after sixteen-hour shifts was tough,” he says. “I’d wake up sore and knackered, and it would usually be pouring with rain. The last thing I wanted to do was stand out the street with my easel. Lockdown was a blessing in disguise for me. It forced me to commit properly. I’d sit by the window of my flat overlooking London Road and paint for hours, watching the morning light move across the city.”
As sales of his work began to take off, he built a website, posted on social media every day and started selling paintings online, along with prints through Etsy. “At one point I was ▸
The View looking down Walcot Parade, oil on board, 30x40cm
Outside the Garrick’s Head, oil on board, 40x50cm
Lynton Parm
From capturing the urban scenes of city life to painting en plein air in the more genteel settings of Yorkshire, LYNTON PARMARHEMSLEY tells Alfie Hoyle how he has fostered a lifelong love of art
Based in the North Yorkshire village of Staithes, Lynton Parmar-Hemsley is a primarily oil-based painter whose work is inspired by his daily life encounters and surroundings. Having enjoyed a successful career in commercial illustration, he decided to pursue his true calling: painting. After spending time depicting urban scenery in Manchester and London, Lynton’s move to Staithes prompted a shift towards en plein air scenes of the coastal and countryside landscapes in which he now lives. Heavily involved in the art scene of his local community, he has also recently become the Artist in Residence for the Staithes and Runswick RNLI. He also hosts painting getaways in Staithes, where he teaches his artistic approach to a wide variety of people. His work has been displayed across various galleries in England and Scotland, and one of his claims to fame is being commissioned by former American President, George W. Bush, to paint his daughter Barbara. lyntonartist.com ▸
ar-Hemsley
On the Beach, oil on canvas, 50x60cm
Ways of seeing
British Art Prize winner MICHELE ASHBY creates honest and individual paintings in pastel. Here’s a reflective self-portrait
MICHELE’S MATERIALS
Pastel pencils
Faber Castell: 101, 280, 273, 175, 199
Stabilo CarbO thello: 100, 105, 215, 585
Caran d’Ache: 011, 541
Support Clairefontaine
Anthracite Pastelmat
Pastel Pencils
Putty rubber
Istarted my working life as a graphic designer but always hankered to become a professional artist. Ten years ago, I made the leap. My former career has been pivotal in my practice today. As a designer, I found my conscious and unconscious mind working overtime to come up with ideas and the subsequent solutions to fulfil a client brief. It has definitely spilled into my life as an artist: I don’t ever seem to switch off from it. If I’m not in the studio, I will be thinking of the next project which involves gathering photos I’ve taken, taking walks in my beautiful Suffolk surroundings, reading books for inspirational text or listening to music for possible triggers for working titles. Inspiration is all around. This self-portrait is partly inspired by my painting that won third prize in The British Art Prize 2025, Get A Dog, They Said. The editor at Artists & Illustrators loved it so much, she commissioned me to do another. Here it is. micheleashby.co.uk ▸
Breaking the wave
SHARON’S MATERIALS
Paint
Acrylic: Titanium White, Medium Magenta, Naples
Yellow Hue, Prussian Blue or Indigo
Michael Harding O ils:
Titanium White, Cadmium
Yellow 402, Yellow Ochre, Indigo or Prussian Blue, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Violet, King’s Blue, Viridian Brushes
Large flat synthetic brush (blocking in sky and sea)
Medium flats and filberts
Small round brush (refining droplets and details)
Old hog hair brush (splatter effects)
Support
60x60cm primed canvas
Michael Harding Miracle Medium
Liquin Original
Liquin Fine Detail
Palette knife
Masking tape
Protective glove
Cloth or paper towels
Gamvar Satin varnish
For SHARON GOODENOUGH , the sea has always been a place of restoration, perspective and expansive possibility. Here she paints a scene from the smallest of the Balearic Islands
You may know the feeling: being drawn to the sea for both its calm and its energy. For me, the coast has always been where I pause, breathe and reconnect. My shoulders soften, my thoughts clear and as a result my imagination begins to flow.
This painting grew from one of those moments: a warm sunrise along the coastline of Formentera in the Balearics. The sky was soft and understated, while the sea was alive with movement, waves striking the rocks and lifting foam into the air.
What captivated me most was the contrast, the quiet of early morning light against the raw force of the water. Perhaps this is what moves us most about nature, its ability to hold stillness and strength at the same time, and that was what I wanted to translate into paint.
Rather than a literal depiction, my aim was to convey the feeling
of that moment, a space where calm and energy coexist. The push and pull of light and shadow carries that balance, while the layers of paint echo how experience settles beneath the surface, unseen yet felt.
Loosely following the rule of thirds, I divide the canvas into soft sky, the energy of the crashing wave and a partially submerged rocky shoreline. I am always looking for ways to speed up drying times when working in oils, so I often begin the process in acrylics, using the underpainting to map out the next layers. When I switch to oils, I have found that Michael Harding Miracle Medium and Liquin Original are excellent additions. Mixed into the paint, they improve flow and blendability and, when used in the correct proportions, offer significant benefits in building layers and moving more quickly to the next stage of the painting. shzstudioart.com ▸
Quick pastels
Learn how to draw in just a few steps with this edited extract from ZENA KAY ’s new book on working with pastels
Many artists and illustrators would agree that art shops are wonderful places to explore and immerse themselves in creativity. They o er a wide range of supplies, from paper and paints to an extensive selection of pastels, including soft and hard, oil pastels, Pan Pastels and pastel pencils. Unlike many other mediums, I have often found that some of the most a ordable options can be the best quality. My favourite pastel kit, which I have used consistently throughout this book is one produced by Caran d’Ache. I love the quality and versatility of its products, along with the extensive colour range it o ers. Some of my biggest inspiration comes from food. It’s a way to acknowledge the changing seasons and o ers an a ordable means to practise my artistic skills without leaving the comfort of my home. These are two classics that I love to draw. zenakay.com
Olive oil
Ever since I started sketching things around my kitchen, I’ve fallen in love with how beautiful packaging can be. One of my favourites is olive oil cans. Why not grab the prettiest one you can nd or snap a photo of it?
1
THE OLIVES
Begin by drawing a label for the can. Illustrate olives in a lovely green colour, along with branches and leaves.
