Just a Janner Who Paints

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Just a Janner Who Paints I am a deaf, award-winning landscape artist!
2025 Gloucester Plein Air competition: 1st
2025 Spirit of Malvern: Highly Commended
2024 Exeter: 1st

This is a step-by-step guide to how I created my 'Overall Winner' 1st prize painting at for the plein air competition....
20/05/2026

This is a step-by-step guide to how I created my 'Overall Winner' 1st prize painting at for the plein air competition. I hope it shows some of my process, thinking, and decisions I make when painting outdoors - which is my favourite thing to do 😄

If you like this post, you will certainly like my newsletter, so head over to my website at joemeldrumart.co.uk and sign up.

Yesterday I entered the plein air competition at . And I WON! 😱 There's me recieving my prize from the legendary painte...
17/05/2026

Yesterday I entered the plein air competition at . And I WON! 😱 There's me recieving my prize from the legendary painter 🤩

It was a great day in a beautiful setting. We had to contend with the occasional light shower but thankfully the rain held off until the end of the day. I set up by the pond, doing my best to capture the reflections of the light coming through the trees and bouncing off the water, dispersed by the lily pads and floating plants. I painted it all back to front, spending a lot of time removing paint which felt a bit like anti-painting 😂 I'll post some progress pictures up tomorrow so you can see what I mean. And it was looking a bit meh until the final few minutes where some sharp eyed help from my amazing wife threw it all into focus and I was able to resolve something approaching a cohesive painting.

It was great to catch the prolific painter who won last year, who created a lovely textured floral piece and who received a highly commended award.

Congratulations to all the prize winners! It was a really high standard of work from I think around 50 artists who competed. And it was great to meet some new painting friends!

I think I have been invited back to the gardens to create more work over the next year. It's a bit of a drive from Plymouth, but I'll be back I'm sure to capture some more of this stunning place!

A big thank you to the T Shirt & Sweatshirt Printing Company for doing a great job on my new painting gear! They are bas...
15/05/2026

A big thank you to the T Shirt & Sweatshirt Printing Company for doing a great job on my new painting gear! They are based just off Mutley Plain in Plymouth. Having used a few printers before I can really recommend these chaps! Great job 👏

Thank you to both and for the art supplies voucher! A lovely part of the plein air prize from last Monday. Some great ...
15/05/2026

Thank you to both and for the art supplies voucher! A lovely part of the plein air prize from last Monday. Some great new kit for me to play with!

Some pictures of a start on yesterdays painting. Down at Mutton Cove in Mount wise, looking towards the Mashford boat bu...
12/05/2026

Some pictures of a start on yesterdays painting. Down at Mutton Cove in Mount wise, looking towards the Mashford boat builders across the river. What I'd give to do a painting from there!

I'm really not sure about this one, I introduced the purple a little too late in the process and it's bothering me. But it's a good composition at least, your eye cutting through a few gaps and slabby forms. These photos show the way I build a composition, literally wiping it out from the loose paint. It needs another two or three sessions to work on this style, building up the kayers of thinned oils.

I'll explain more in my newsletter, so if you haven't already, head to my website and sign up.

🌐 joemeldrumart.co.uk

Personally, I think understanding more about pigments and surface has evolved my art considerably. Transparency, particl...
11/05/2026

Personally, I think understanding more about pigments and surface has evolved my art considerably. Transparency, particle size, tinting strength, undertones - all of these are a science to learn, which in turn makes the art flourish. It's not just understanding shape, tone and colour - your materials are everything too.

We are all learning, every day. I try my best to understand and use that learning, especially when things go very badly ...
08/05/2026

We are all learning, every day. I try my best to understand and use that learning, especially when things go very badly 😅

If you want to learn from my mistakes, head to my website and sign up to my newsletter. I send it out once a month, and it's packed full of updates and painting information. It is genuinely the best place to hear from me.

joemeldrumart.co.uk

5 reasons why looking at artwork is good for you.And don't forget that social media is the opposite! Treat it with the c...
07/05/2026

5 reasons why looking at artwork is good for you.

And don't forget that social media is the opposite! Treat it with the contempt that it deserves.

Take the slow road with me and sign up to my newsletter on my website (joemeldrum art.co.uk) where I can take the time to talk about painting in a way which social media hates and won't promote. I guess probably because it's good for you.

Today I won BEST LANDSCAPE at the Plein Air Competition 🏆 Here's the winning painting... And where I decided to set up....
04/05/2026

Today I won BEST LANDSCAPE at the Plein Air Competition 🏆

Here's the winning painting...

And where I decided to set up. The reflections in the lake were interacting beautifully with all the lilies.

The judging tent...

And huge congratulations to my mate for winning the BEST FLORAL award!

Here's winning piece, a really nicely worked view through the hedge, with the light beyond and also hitting the hedge itself. A really tricky technical thing to capture but she does it so well 👌

And winning overall bronze for this sensitive, muted piece 👏

And overall gold winner with this moody tree house ♥️

Nutmeg was just the best dog joining me out painting today ❤️Work in progress, but it feels like this is a good start. I...
27/04/2026

Nutmeg was just the best dog joining me out painting today ❤️

Work in progress, but it feels like this is a good start. It's so beautiful at Shaugh Prior.

My Spring Studio Sale is now live! Head to joemeldrumart.co.uk and take a look. 10 pieces have sold already to my newsle...
23/04/2026

My Spring Studio Sale is now live! Head to joemeldrumart.co.uk and take a look. 10 pieces have sold already to my newsletter subscribers. So if you haven't already, sign up to that too.

I really want these pieces to find loving homes. All are painted directly on location (minus two sketch pieces) and are mostly oil paintings. Some are even framed! All the works in the sale are smaller, experimental and sketch pieces, so they will suit hanging in spaces where you can't stand too far back - think hallways, small rooms, even toilets. And all are priced between £50-300.

If you want to see higher res photographs of the work, just send me a message.

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GL6 6TH

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