The White Bear, Masham

14/10/2026

12/10/2026

Occasionally a painting becomes a story in its own right.

This one is a walk through some of my memories of the years I spent in Durham.

There’s the viaduct, from where I first saw the city; the tower of St Godric’s church, next door to a building where I once had an office; and St Mary of Antioch, close to a room I rented.

And looking down on it all is the magnificent cathedral, which for me, and for so many others, is the heart of this wonderful city.

I’ve brought all these places together in one painting. Each has its own memories for me, and together they make up something of the Durham I knew.

The painting is now in the keeping of .

11/10/2026

10/10/2026

One of my favourite colours is Burnt Sienna.

How can a humble bucket of iron-rich mud from Italy create such gorgeous effects like this sweep of warm evening sky behind the trees?

Ladyhill is one of Wensleydale’s defining landmarks — our equivalent of the Great Pyramid of Giza. (Well, almost.)

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10/10/2026

10/10/2026

A polar bear sleeping peacefully on a small iceberg became one of the world’s most loved wildlife photographs.

British amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani captured the image, titled “Ice Bed,” during an expedition around Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. After searching for polar bears for days in thick fog, the expedition eventually encountered two animals.

One of the bears climbed onto a small iceberg, used its powerful paws to carve out a comfortable place in the snow and curled up to sleep. Sarikhani photographed the moment from the expedition vessel.

The image went on to win the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award, receiving the most votes from a record 75,000 wildlife photography fans worldwide.

Polar bears depend heavily on Arctic sea ice as a platform for hunting seals, traveling and breeding. They are excellent swimmers, but losing sea ice forces many populations to spend more time on land or swim greater distances.

The photograph captured a completely natural moment, but its setting also became a powerful visual reminder of how closely polar bears are connected to the frozen Arctic environment.

Source: Natural History Museum, London; Wildlife Photographer of the Year

09/10/2026