iPad sketch, short video

 

Very short iPad sketch video

Lair Hill House, from the road to Goodmanham.

14x10 inch, oil on canvas board.

Looking north, across Lair Hill, on the road to Goodmanham we can see Lair Hill House enfolded by a tree belt. It was a cold winter day in December, I am fighting time as the strong northern wind brings a spiritless numbing to my hands. I have to work quickly while I can still pick up the brushes. The painting has worked well, The winter colours speak of the season, soon it will be Christmas Day and though I see no Santa yet, robins are never far away. When winter sun illuminates the land we see subtle colours. The pale tree trunks, reddish tinges to some trees, ferted (fertilised) green fields beginning their journey to next years harvest. I see little traffic here except one or two local farmers who pass in 4x4 vehicles. Driving home I spot a Mortimers wagon reminding me of a conversation with trainee agronomists.

Available from my online store HERE

Landscape painting - ART books for the plein air artist.

Produced to open up as a sketchbook with all pages filled with double page pen and ink wash paintings. Showing the countryside of the East Riding and including the Yorkshire Wolds.

 

This first edition book contains examples of 12 x 10 inch pochade box, plein air paintings though the emphasis is focussed on how to make and use a pochade box. It explains in detail the elements and materials needed, gives examples of previous iterations finishing with my well proven portable design for a box, inside of which is everything the painter needs. Canvas holder, storage for brushes and paints, palette for mixing, water carrying etc. It is a 'must have' book for serious and aspirational plein air artists.

 

A first edition, seriously complete book of almost four hundred pages. Essentially a collection of paintings all produced using my pochade box. The paintings are all oil paintings 12x10 inches. Each painting is accompanied by a description of events, a kaleidoscope of serendipity, happenings, thoughts and poetry. Paintings have all been produced 'en plein air' in and around Beverley, Lockington, Lund, Etton, South Dalton, Holme on the Low Wolds. ( Another book is in the process of editing which will accompany this volume featuring the High Wolds).

 All available from my online store

Also lots of other items, 2025 Calendar, prints, ORIGINAL paintings, cards etc.

 

Plein Air Painting - Part 1 Beverley and the LOW WOLDS

 My journey into publishing has resulted in this book, my third art book. It details my plein air painting adventures over several years. This book is part one of two, featuring Beverley and the LOW WOLDS. It is a special book. It is nearly 400 pages long and the format is essentially a painting accompanied by a record of the day. It will be an invaluable guide for the prospective painter of landscapes, I describe how I work, my materials, method and systems. I also have included personal reflections on aspects of painting, in particular, the notion of time.

Short video here.

Available from my online store.

Happy Christmas everyone

 

Horse Dale, Huggate.

 Available from my online store

I have many happy memories of this area, especially meeting local farmers and listening to their stories. One of which being that, on a clear night, looking down Horse Dale gigantic container ships brightly lit up can be seen from here as the pass in the North Sea near Bridlington.

Beverley Minster from Hallgarth

 

I did this standing by the road in Long Lane. It was a pen and drawing which was used by Beverley Grammar School for some years on the cover of the School Carol Concert programme. The headmaster also used it as a letterhead, printed quite feint on school stationery. Here is the sketch with colour added, it is an A3 print available from my online store or by contacting me via the exhibition link ( at the side of the picture you will see a speech icon with three dots, this will send me your details).

Go here to see this in my exhibition

ONLINE store 

Print of Beverley Minster, inside view towards the organ.

Available here

Prints for presents 2 - all from reproduced fom my paintings.

Prints of Paintings by John Geekie

Have a look round this vitual exhibition of prints which have been taken from my paintings.

Prints of Paintings by John Geekie

Prints for presents? Virtual exhibition 1

Click image to go to the exhibition where you can inquire about any of the prints.

Sketch of table lamp using an iPad.

Cape Gooseberry fun

 

GRAB your 2025 calendar, price increase 1st December.

 Considered by many to be my best calendar, it features paintings made this year. It is A3 sized wall hanging. Check out my online store to order.

FREE virtual tour of 2025 calendar

Link 

If you are taken to another exhibition, hit the + sign on the left of the gallery to reveal the page below 

Then click the calendar

Make your own table christmas tree.

 

Father Christmas angel - print and make,

Here is something for you to make. It will stand on a windowsill, table but I like to put it on top of the tree. We know Father Christmas had a red coat so why not colour it in. See lower left of the sheet. 

PRINT ONTO A4 SIZED THIN CARD, CUT OUT AND ASSEMBLY.

 

 

Calendar reminder..Price increase 1st December.

 

 

Hi everyone, I have absorbed postage costs for some years but now find an adjustment necessary. This means that the price will increase from the 1st December. Please order before then to get the usual price. Click image to go to the store.

Westwood, BEVERLEY. Flood alleviation work.

Sketchbook capturing flood mitigation works

The excellent Landplan team worked on sloving the flooding problem on part of the Westwood recently. Did this quick sketch after walking George. The autumn colours are transforming the scene with the Minster, as ever, watching over.

 

Beverley Minster - Christmas Tree Festival

 

FREE virtual tour of 2025 calendar

Link

If you are taken to another exhibition, hit the + sign on the left of the gallery to reveal the page below

Then click the calendar

 

FREE virtual exhibition of recent sketches at Beverley Minster

 Click image to go to the virtual gallery.

FREE Virtual Exhibition, Burythorpe, Ryedale sketching and painting

 Click image to go to the virtual gallery.

Wonderful Beverley Minster mini-meditation, iPad sketch and video

 Click the image to be taken to a short video

Online store - Christmas presents from calendars to books to original paintings

Autumn gold at North Grimston, North Yorkshire.

On the way home saw this tunnel view leading to the cottage at the end of the road at North Grimston. Decided to quickly set up the pochade box to try and capture the ‘feel’ of the colour at this time. As I painted bright yellow and gold leaves occasionally floated down covering the road. Clumps of fallen leaves littered the road edges giving the effect of a road made of gold. 

Available at my online store.

Beverley Minster, an iPad sketch.

 This is a sketch using an iPad and Apple pen. I doodled about for four sessions and this is the result. Don’t forget your 2025 calendar, available from my online store. This is part of my Minster ‘Sharpie’ pen series of sketches, more on that later.

Online store

Virtual Gallery showing 2025 Calendar.

                           Click image to be taken to a gallery showing you the calendar.

Online store here

 

Artist Books with video links.

 John Geekie Art Publications, 

Two books

Available from my online store

Sketchbook VIDEO can be seen here

**********************

Plein Air Painter

Available from my ONLINE STORE.

Video showing more details here

Beverley Minster, a sketching experiment.

 

Above are a couple of experiments.

I have used a permanent marker to draw directly onto canvas boards, apply an acrylic transparent ground and then colour using Windsor and Newton professional acrylic paints. I focussed on floral arrangements within Beverley Minster and enjoyed the tranquility and shelter of being inside a building with so much history. As a teacher at Beverley Grammar School I spent many hours inside this church, our school church to which we are linked. Services such as Speech Day, Carol Services and, sadly funeral services. The Minster and BGS share foundation dates of 704AD. I have been privileged to be a small part of this shared history.

For my art friends I would encourage you to try this method. Canvas boards are an affordable medium and using a permanent marker will concentrate your mind. Also, remember, that if you are worried about making mistakes that these can be rectified using the acrylic paints. I found that using the W+N Professional series of acrylics, available online from Bromley Art Supplies are opaque enough to cover the permanent marker lines. So there is nothing to worry about regarding wasting a canvas. Good luck, if you need any help, message me.

2025 art calendar, limited print number.

This will see you through the year.2025.

It contains pictures of paintings from this year, 2024.

The online shop contains a drop down menu showing details of post and packaging worldwide.

The gigantic, magnificent Minningdale Stack

Back page with George.

Sample page (A3)

Short video here

Discounted price until end of November

Available here,

 

Sprinting to capture summer straw stacks

Now then, here are some things for you to try, you could choose a topic and get out there to realise it.

I wanted to share this with you as an idea. I saw some bargain priced canvas boards and decided to buy some. Also a permanent fine marker ( Sharpie ). The intention being to go up and sketch direct onto the canvas boards using the marker. It tends to concentrate the mind somewhat. Returning home I applied some Michael Harding semi transparent ground which allowed the drawn lines to show through. Then I used some Professional Winsor and Newton acrylic paints to add colour. This method allowed me to work quickly and perhaps, with less detail. The final work has a value. though  I will still work plein air when possible. The notion of painting stacks before they disappeared is an idea sparked off by L and L respectively from Canada and Japan, both of whom I gave one to one tuition in plein air painting.

Interesting to chat with farmers about stacking and the different sizes of bale. Mostly they are 2.4m ( 8’) long though their section varies. The Etton stacks are a mixture of 4x3 and 4x4 which made the seem illogical when sketching until I realised. in a previous post I painted the huge stack at Minningdale which was comprised 4x4 bales and built using a bale chaser. One farmer I talked to said his farm could’nt warrant the expenditure of a bale chaser though the farmers each side of him each had one. He also explained that he could manage seven bales high with a tele-handler but that his barn could only house six high. 

The Huggate bales are circular, approx. At least 4 feet diameter, possibly 5 feet, will check and amend.

So the next time you see a stack of bales, stop, and really look at them. They are built when the weather is dry, so if it rains the straw cannot be baled. Consider how high, long and wide. Find out what is a Heston bale.

Wetwang to Sledmere stack

Etton stacks from the south

Etton stacks from the west.

Etton stacks from the north west.

York Road, HUGGATE. Church spire extreme left.