KEIGHLEY Art Club learned that Harry Caunce specialises in canal scenes, landscapes and cartoons. He provides prints for a pub chain, local cafes, and on the Internet.

He prefers the strong colours and immediate results of oil paint, unlike watercolours which change when dry.

From Blackburn, Harry can often be seen out in all weathers painting in Clitheroe. His works hang in Clitheroe Books, in a restaurant near the Swan Courtyard, and in Abbots Harbour Café in East Marton.

Harry went to Clitheroe and East Marton intending to study reflections in the canal. He asked the café owner to hang his work, and now all paintings in the café are by Harry.

Basil the Cat cartoons by Harry are available on the internet. These are inspired by Punch magazine cartoonist Roland Emett.

In his latest visit to Keighley Art Club, Harry gave us 10 tips on oil or other painting.

I found it interesting how he showed how to create a 3D image from a 2D surface by paying attention to perspective, tone and light.

He conjured the appearance of moisture in the air by making distance a blue shade to grey shade, by glazing back on totally-dried oil paint.

Harry discovered that some tubes of paint contain a square. This means the paint is translucent so the paper shows through.

From this discovery he invented his method of adjusting walls, stones and foliage from heavy backgrounds by applying paint shapers to fresh paint.

A decorator’s soft brush thinly softens and blends applied oil paint, to give a vapour illusion to the sky. Harry “follows” David Curtis, a skilled Staithes artist.

Harry prefers masking tape instead of masking fluid, to obscure buildings for a clean line.

Light direction and shadows are important and should be in the same angle. Harry showed this with a radiator, which would be flat without shadows.

Harry has online sites for queries.

Keighley Art Club’s programme and some members’ works are on Facebook, and are managed by Jeanette Bray who also supplied the photograph for this article.

We were recently informed that the rate of commission for paintings sold at Cliffe Castle Museum has increased from 30 per cent to 40 per cent. This relates to the exhibition of paintings by Bingley Art Society and Keighley Art Club.

We hope you will support this exhibition, which opens in March 3 and runs until April 22 in the upstairs gallery in the beautiful Cliffe Castle building.

Admission to the museum and our exhibition is free, daily except Mondays.

Keighley Picture House kindly displays some paintings in the coffee lounge all year round.