William Kennedy (1859-1918): From Paisley To Paris

October 24, 2026

At 31 High Street in Paisley, there was once a bakery run by a man named John Kennedy. It was a well-established business, occupying part of a substantial stone building with rooms above the shop. ...

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James Nasmyth: The Engineer Who Never Stopped Drawing

October 20, 2026

James Nasmyth (1808-1890) is remembered as the man who invented the steam hammer. This is understandable. His machines could strike iron with terrifying force, drive piles into the ground and trans...

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Why Restoring A Painting Isn’t Quite Like Putting Up A Shelf

March 24, 2026

There are many things in life that reward a bit of DIY spirit. A loose hinge, perhaps. A wobbly chair. Even a set of shelves, if one is feeling particularly bold on a Sunday afternoon. But there ar...

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Living With A 16th-Century Panel In A Modern Home

December 01, 2025

There’s something quietly disarming about a small painted fragment from the late 16th century. It arrives not with the authority of a full altarpiece, but with a gentler presence - a companionable ...

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Ask Anything: The Thursday Art Clinic

November 25, 2025

Have you got a painting that intrigues you? One which sits there in silence, yet to reveal its secrets? Every painting has a story - an artist, a context, an age, and a place - waiting to be discov...

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The Extraordinary Mr Peregrine Latchford, Esq.

November 24, 2025

This early Victorian portrait by John Robert Wildman (1788-1843) has long intrigued us... Not only for its technical assurance but for the weary character held within the sitter’s gaze. We do not k...

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A Lost Welsh Bridge & Paul Sandby Munn’s Romantic Eye

November 19, 2025

This little watercolour has been with us for quite some time now, one of those gentle works on paper that sits patiently on the wall, neither demanding attention nor giving up its secrets too easil...

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A Day in The Life Of A Forgotten Marine Painter, London, 1700

November 18, 2025

Over the centuries, hundreds of artists worked in relative obscurity, painting away in humble studios to earn a meagre crust. But each of these carried their own ambitions, despite toiling in the s...

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Dating A Painting By Its Surface: A Collector’s Guide

November 17, 2025

The art market is awash with falsehoods, poor attributions, and under-researched works. So, examining the surface of a painting is vital to ascertain its age and validate any assumptions. When cons...

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