the artists wife

Pump Room, Bath

“Pump Room in the Snow” is a large studio watercolour by my husband Alan Reed based on studies made on location in Bath.

Over the last two years he entered the Bath Prize, a painting competition  held annually in Bath where contestants are given a specific location in Bath to paint “plein air”. Once they have painted their allocated scene before the competition deadline, they can enter other paintings they may have done of Bath.

In 2010 he came runner up with the painting of the Royal Crescent and in 2011 and won first prize for the best painting of the Circus in Bath.

The little girl dressed in a bright red coat (our eldest granddaughter Emily) added an important focal point to the composition. The original watercolour can be seen at the Studio & Gallery in Ponteland.

Alan Reed Winner of the Circus Painting, Bath 2011

Once again Alan Reed has scooped a winner at the Bath Painting Prize 2011. This year he has won the best painting of the Circus.

“ I wanted to retain the freshness of the location sketchbook watercolours I had painted of the Circus, so I kept my leather bound sketchbook open in front of me at all times as a constant reminder. The result was a winning painting, an original watercolour capturing the early morning summer sunlight warming up the classical Georgian architecture”.

The paintings entered for the competition can be seen at the Octagon, Milsom Place, Bath from 21st -27th October 10am-5pm (Sunday 12noon-4pm). An auction sale of Bath Prize paintings will take place at the Guildhall, High Street, Bath on Friday 28th October, starting at 7pm.