Italy

A number of paintings in this collection feature Venice. Paul was a regular visitor, a place he loved for its architecture, beauty and light. He would rise at dawn to beat the tourists, painting until the squares and piazzas filled. Working in the morning light at a place of such history and artistry filled him with joy.

Paul visited southern Italy back in 2010 with a group of fellow painters and returned beguiled by the beauty of the countryside. Stunning, crumbling hilltop towns dotted the landscape, their decay increased by migration as people left to see work in cities, leaving behind an ageing population occupying ghostlike towns. In March 2011, Paul was awarded the Turner Watercolour Award for an outstanding group of paintings by a member of The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour. The winning group were from his previous year’s Italy trip. A number of these are still available to buy in the collection.