October 2026
A visit the Northumberland Coast in September reminded me of my exhibition ‘Half Way Round.’
It was held a few years ago featuring paintings of the UK Coastline, in part following the locations painted by J.M.W.Turner.
This was the view of Dustanburgh Castle
However, this visit to the Northumberland Coast led to a series of sketches.
Tank Traps at Boulmer
Edlingham Castle
They were completed in about 45 minutes and a quick sketch often captures
the spirit of the location.
Other sketches are shown in the latest paintings.
Finally as I believe poetry is like a painting in words, this one is called, ‘The Westwood.’
It describes an open space of over 600 acres that was given to the people of Beverley in about 1600 for their recreational purposes.
The Westwood
The Westwood still standing after several hundred years.
Oak trees decaying, broken and falling,
amidst a carpet of English bluebells, wild garlic,
and white flowers in spring sunshine .
An old golf course mellowed roughly with age.
The race course, centuries old, adjusting to modernist trends
and the Black Mill, redundant but listening to Beverley Minster.
The land was given to the people of Beverley 400 years ago.
Now for their recreational use, golfers drive and play,
people wander freely, cows still roam, old gallops can still be seen,
all close to a quarry still extracting it’s earthly offerings.
Today, it offers with beautiful light blue skies, wispy clouds and warmth.
Exercise, contentment and solace with an enjoyable walk
on Beverley Westwood and Pastures and the past.
© David Humphries 2026
September 2026
I have been reviewing a retrospective of my work over the last few weeks and have updated several in the latest paintings section.
Many were completed for exhibitions, new ideas or new styles, which I was surprised to find are still as fresh today as they were when I produced them.
I have also given a talk on Looking at Art as so many people walk around a gallery without really understanding what the artist has produced in terms of the design of their painting.
It is engaging the person to think more about the about subject and perhaps to see more in a painting each time they look at it.
In addition I have added a poem
Mrs Constable
in the Humour Who section
which I hope will make you smile.
July 2026
Against a back ground of sweltering heat I was remembering a trip to the Artic
and have added some photographs that may help cool you down.
There is also a poem I have added about the scenery about walking in Snow Shoes.
Finally in Humour Who there are four additional poems about worldly women and an egg
May 2026
What a start to Spring….Sunshine and Inspiration.
A visit to Bempton Cliffs to see if the Puffins had a arrived.
They had as well as Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Gannets.
Photographs and Poetry followed and they are shown in the Poetry section.
A traditional cinquain is a 5 line poem
Line 1 2 syllables, Line 2 4 syllables, Line 3 6 syllables, Line 4 8 syllables, Line 5 2 syllables
This is an ideal way to remember the occasion.
I have also added a special one in Potpourri to remember My Mum on Mothers Day.
Finally there are also some new photographs and paintings being prepared at present.
March 2026
Finally Spring has nearly arrived but first two new poems.
These are a reflection on two photograph which are attached.
Stag Party
A glimpse of a stag in a woodland in Shropshire last year.
Fred and James
A momentous occasion in my life when I met Mary and proposed a week later.
Her dog was called Fred a labrador, his friend was called James a retriever, was owned by Alexandra.
February 2026
A slow start to the year and until the light improves no new paintings.
However, the poetry continues apace with a three new poems in the Potpourri section.
Two curses related to the modern world
Switch Off
The demise of the writing and the domination of twitterish nonsense.
Aye AI
The domination of images both real and unreal and the need for original thought and verification.
Stag Party
A different interpretation of life.
October 2025
Whist this year draws to a close I have numerous paintings still to complete.
In the meantime I have added two poems to the Potpourri section.
Nammick
Words capture so much of local areas and the cultural aspects.
In this case dialectical delights of lunch or dinner?
Hallowe’en
The influence of our past from Pagan, Christian, English, Irish and American customs.
Scary or What ?
August 2025
A new poem has been added as a suitable introduction to art
2B or NOT 2B
To be found in the poetry Humour Section.
A selection of latest paintings in Shropshire include
Oil Painting
Clun Castle painted alla prima
A defensive ruined castle built by the Normans to control the Welsh border.
Pen and Ink
Stokesay Castle
This is in fact a fortified manor house largely unchanged since the 13th century.
Collage
Ludlow Castle
The collage was reflecting the ‘very perfection of decay’ as described by
Daniel Defoe after the civil war, now gradually restored to a picturesque ruin.
It was another defensive castle built by the Normans and has hosted King Edward V
Catherine of Aragon and Mary Tudor.
May 2025
New poems has been added to Potpourri , Humour and Imagery.
In particular following a wonderful visit to Sicily, a Sicilian Pastiche was added as a memory of the countryside and warm welcome we felt.
Walking, cooking and tasting of the Marsala wine, local food and cheese and especially the busiata pasta which we learned to prepare.
A memory of my Boyhood is based on the reality of my adventurous childhood.
The Sound of the Trees was inspired by a similar titled poem by Robert Frost but reflecting the current concern of
the impact of climate change and the deforestation and fires.
March 2025
This last year has seen a further expansion of creating a new way of imagining the world by adding my poetry to paintings in both form and words.
Concentrating on the artistic elements, as they are translated into the design elements, led initially to finding the words for the colours I was seeing. In turn that vocabulary continued to expand and developed into expressing words in poetry in a variety of formats.
Duncansby Stacks
stacks
deadly,
erosion,
a cobalt sky,
aquamarine seas,
emerald greens and blues,
surf, breathtaking white surges,
dangerous rocks enticing the
foreboding beautiful sculptures,
waves breaking and scouring the jagged cliffs,
a textural impression of a seascape.
A new section has therefore been added to the website to incorporate both paintings and poetry to illustrate as well as stimulate the feelings that are contained in the words.
The poetry includes a range of subjects as well as a selection of formats such as Haiku, Cinquain, Humour, Potpourri, Sonnets and Found words.
In addition a selection of photographs has been added of creative images of colour and light.
© David Humphries 2025
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David Humphries
www.avidart.co.uk
david@avidart.co.uk
March 2024
Artist off the Old Block
After 30 years of producing a wide range of images David Humphries has added himself as a found object in a Block of wood.
After an engineering career of 30 years, transmitting images, commissioning radio and television stations, and using machine vision to inspect a wide variety of industrial products, glass bottles , pharmaceutical products such as tablets and blister packs, he retired and became a professional artist. Now 30 years later he has found himself in a Block of wood.
His artistic imagination has encompassed watercolours, oils, collage, mixed media and digital art images using fractal software to create exciting paintings and prints. The Block though just illustrates what you can find if you look around. It’s a fun piece but it seems to summarise his creative imagination looking at things in a new way. His work started in a traditional way but then began to develop as collage and mixed media became an experimental way of expressing textural impressionism. His work has been widely exhibited and sold and now 30 years on he has launched a new website illustrating the range of his work.
It also includes a bibliography of some of the books and artists that have influenced him on this road to artistic discovery.
He likes to encourage anyone who wants to paint to think outside the box, try new ideas, new media and he has given several talks to art groups suggesting new ways of looking at art and new paths to travel.
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David Humphries
www.avidart.co.uk
david@avidart.co.uk