Chris Richards' Uploads

I know it looks a little sunny, but the reference photo for this one was a winter shot. It's the countryside in the hills surrounding Carreg Cennen castle, Carmarthenshire, Wales

I was going to do a full landscape sketch of the ascent to Cadair Idris, but I kind of chickened out. Still, I quite like the simplicity of this little sketch.

I got a pack of loose watercolour paper from eBay in 2018. The side this was painted on had a really strange pitted texture on it. I thought it might be interesting but I didn't like the way the paint gathered in the pits. I just use it for sketching and testing colours these days.

A colour study for a larger piece. Unfortunately with the larger piece, I screwed up with the thick over thin rule and consequently, the paint cracked after a few months. Frustrated at having to start it again, but lesson learnt.

The river up above Sgwd Gwladus waterfall in Neath's Waterfall country.

Looking towards Carn Goch hill fort near Llandeilo. Pen on sketchbook paper (6"x8")

My second oil painting of 2020. Hargate Forest in autumn morning light.

Looking down on the Afon Mellte from its rocky riverbank in Neath's 'Waterfall Country'. I was a little perturbed by the complexity of this scene at first, but soon got into the flow of it. I love doing these wild nature scenes. Uniball Eye Micro on 6x8" sketchbook.

Another early acrylic work from 2017.

This little acrylic was inspired by the autumn morning skies over Penrhos. My partner and I lived with her parents for a time while we renovated our first house. I used to hang out the 3rd floor window in the mornings to take reference shots of the skies.

In late 2018, I started trying to be a bit more playful with art and experiment. This was a quick watercolour sketch I did. I'd like to revisit this one as a full watercolour painting.

One of my early oils from 2017. I was still getting used to the medium. I liked how the oils worked well for the misty distant hills, and I used glazing for the first time on the clouds.

My first foray into acrylics from 2017. At the time, I wasn't that happy with it, but it sold within a day of posting it on social media. Looking at it now, I like how loose it was.

I passed this old workshop numerous times going from Carmarthen to Drefach-Felindre. Eventually I parked up and took a photo so I could sketch it. I love old buildings like this which seem to be everywhere here in Wales.

Playing with quick, minimalist watercolour landscapes.

My first foray into oil paints in 2017. This one is inspired by the view from the mountain pass (a road featured several times on Top Gear). Being new to the medium, I had a lot to learn about how it worked. I'm still not sure whether I'm happy with it or not, but I think it would be worth doing again now a few years down the line.

Just playing with pastels. This one's tiny.