Paul Browne Art

The Snow on Lydgate Peaks.

oil on board

This is another draft peice. It was 2 days after heavy snowfall in Oldham. Some twilight, thinly vapourising clouds and street lights everywhere. Not sure whether or not it’ll be a keeper.

Pots & Pans is not that far.

14" x 10" Oil on Canvas.

This little piece was a pleasure to paint. The location is about halfway up the hill to Pots & Pans in Saddleworth. Pots & Pans is a World War monument and features all the names of local men who died in WW2. The monument can actually been seen in some of my other paintings.

The thing about this painting is the colour, the slow movement in the sky and the story between the two hikers. Are they a couple, or are they just friends? Human nature likes to poke its nose.

“Goodnight lights”

12" x 16" Oil on canvas

Same as the bigger piece but just shot from another angle. This is a much smaller piece.

In Oldham there is a light that never goes out.

40cm x 100cm oil on canvas.

For many years I’ve always tried to paint this scene. Finally I was able to execute a half decent photo and some quick sketch studies all on a very cold windy night. I then took it back to the studio and got to work right away. I already had the canvas picked out.

This scene is truly immense, I hope I’ve done it justice. It is an ocean of endless lights. Some say on a clear day you can see the Welsh Mountains from this view, and I think they might be right. This is one of the wonders of Greater Manchester or Lancashire, whichever way you want to put boundaries around it, for me I like to think I’m standing on the edge of The Pennines looking out on the rest of England.

Several more oils of this scene to come.

Pool night.

20" x 30" Oil on canvas.

This is a pool room I hang out in most Thursday evenings. It’s a walk away from my house. I love how the light bounces off the balls and the table. I’m not sure whether or not I captured a real feel for “pool night”, so I think I might try another painting from the same scene. In 10 years of painting this was one of the hardest.

Drinks are cheap in this place. Some people call it the Cartshaft, I call it the working men’s club.

“I just wanna scream hello”

20" x 30" Oil on canvas

If you were to stand on the edge of Indian’s Head, this is what you would see. In all honesty, I can’t remember which county you’d be standing in — Lancashire, Greater Manchester or Yorkshire? I should find out.

I’m content with the outcome of this piece. The person in the painting is not me.

There is always a light in Delph Valley.

There is always a light in Delph Valley, 30" by 20"

Another picture of Saddleworth. Throughout my life, I’ve roamed, camped and rode my mountain bike all over these hills. The sun cast a lot of shadow on that day.

Be proud of your flag, Oldham Church.

30" x 20" Oil on Canvas

This is St Mary’s Chruch the main Church in Oldham Town Centre. It has such dominance in the townscape I could never ignore it. I love the flag above it.

It was built around 1890, I would say it’s Neo Gothic. Before it was another Church, that was apparently built in the 1500′s and then before that 1280.

I think most Oldhamers take it for granted, so I’ll take it as my duty to propell it back into the conscious of its townsfolk.

On a bright day such as the one it was painted on, the building catches great light and casts some nice shadows.

Tameside will always be in the shadow of Oldham.

oil on canvas. 60 x 60

This is also a viewpoint looking from Scouthead, as if you’re looking across over to Tameside. I don’t know what it is, but as sweet as Tameside appears from the heights of Scouthead, I have no desires to ever go there. Tameside doesn’t have the character of Oldham, this also goes for Rochdale. If you’re not from the Greater Manchester area, Oldham borough is a rose between the two thorns of Rochdale & Tameside borough.

I like how on the day I painted this, the north winds blew and forced me back to the studio quicksharp.

Fading lights of Oldham.

oil on canvas 30 x 20

If you’re on Roebuck Lane, you can see where I’m coming from with this piece. Because of Oldham’s hilltop location, its benefits are that you can see the night lights all the way across Lancashire & Greater Manchester, even as far as the Mersey.

Upclose the street lamps are just “street lamps” but from the hills and on the peaks, there is romance in those street lights.

This is just the first “night scene” of many to come. There are so many great views at night, I hope I can do some justice.