I was attracted to the white silhouette of this impressive lump of carboniferous limestone which constitutes the first and biggest of the three cliffs of Three Cliff Bay. Beyond is Cefn Bryn the more than four-mile-long ridge that forms the spine of the Gower Peninsula.
This is a small 8-inch square oil painting on canvas board. Below is a preliminary sketchbook study.
Looking down at Pobbles Beach near Three Cliffs Bay – one of my favourite Gower beaches. A small 8inch square oil painting finished today. I was in two minds whether to include a couple of figures on the beach; in this kind of painting it’s always a difficult decision to make. Sometimes I think figures can help to animate the image, give a sense of scale and/or provide a focal point… but in this case I prefer the feeling of solitude the empty beach suggests.
Painted on a hot steamy August afternoon from Oxwich Point looking towards Pwll Du Head, Gower. There’s thunder in the air!
Another small 8-inch square oil painting on canvas board.
Looking down from the coastal path at the eastern face of Thurba Head, the precipitous lump of rock that dominates the Swansea end of Mewslade Bay, Gower. There is an Iron Age hill fort on the summit and also an ancient lime kiln.
A small 8 inch square oil painting on canvas board completed today.
This is a second painting of a subject posted previously. 30cm square oil painting.
This is actually a detail from a painting I sold last year. I sometimes find that severely cropping a painting can produce a stronger composition, and sometimes I have taken the drastic step of physically cutting down finished paintings in order to produce a better composition. In the case of this detail, which measures no more than six inches across, I like the simple structure of the composition, just a few interlocking shapes. I think I may re-paint this detail as a picture in it own right.
This is the original painting:
This painting has been around for a while. I’ve just picked it up again today and finished it. It’s a view from the Southgate to Three Cliffs Bay walk on the Gower Peninsula, towards Oxwich. It’s oil on canvas mounted on board, 30cm/12 in square.
Small 10 x 12 inch oil painting completed over two days in my studio from photographs and sketches made on a recent trip to Cornwall. Such a beautiful walk along the cliffs from The Lizard to Kynance Cove.
A slightly larger version of my painting Secluded Beach posted 14 March. This oil painting, completed today, is 10 x 12 inches (25.4 x 30cm). I’m trying to simplify shapes and keep the brushwork lively, but as you can see it is still quite detailed for a small painting.
Another in my series of small 20cm square oil paintings of the stretch of coastline between St Ives and St Just in Cornwall. It was the kind of day when a heavy shower was never far away.
Les Thomas - the painter's progress 