Landscape Watercolour of Lanzarote, 15" x 11"

A view looking towards the Plaza de la Constitucion of Haria.  Haria's a quiet town in Northern Lanzarote and in the centre of the 'Valley of Palms', allegedly over 1000 palms giving the whole area a very green and lush feel at contrast to the rest of this mainly dry volcanic island.  The main challenge with this painting was the lighting - being a dull day and trying to get some different tones in amongst all the white buildings.

Landscape Watercolour of Bristol, 11" x 15" 

A short stretch of inland waterway in Bristol called 'Welsh Back'.  This old part of Bristol is a popular place for Bars and restaurants, including part of my subject here (on the left), a boat called the 'Apple' and of course it's main theme is a range of local ciders, one of which is over 8% alcohol.  Not to be drunk before any serious painting.

Landscape Watercolour of Fuengirola, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

Fuengirola port is a hive of activity all year round and it offers a full range of facilities to the public. It is also a very popular area for outdoor café culture and has excellent terrace restaurants incorporating bars offering an interesting night life. The port is currently a high priority topic with local authorities who plan to turn it into the largest port of its kind in Europe in the not-too-distant future.

The port is split into two distinct areas; one is the traditional fishing port where local fishermen bring in fresh fish every day for the local market. It is very interesting to take an early morning or late afternoon stroll alongside the working fishing boats to see the morning catch or watch the fishermen mending their nets by hand. On the distant horizon at night, they can also be spotted, fishing by floodlight till dawn.

Landscape Watercolour of Bristol, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough paper 140 lbs

Another sketch of the Waterfront area of Bristol near the centre of the city, and a near dusk scene. The picture I felt needed some interest with the background lights coming from the Bars, and their reflections done in parts with a little body paint.

Landscape Watercolour of Lanzarote, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

Sunday's Market Day in the old capital town of Teguise on Lanzarote Island.  There's all sorts of vendors there from arts & crafts, clothing, local foods and British burgers and bangers.  The stalls line all the narrow central streets.  I think with this painting what worked well for me was the framing of the two side walls and merging in the characters into the shadows.

Landscape Watercolour of Lynmouth, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

A view looking at the North Devon seaside town of Lynmouth looking towards the high coastal cliffs which form the edge of Exmoor.  The Rhenish tower on the quayside was destroyed by the terrible floods of 1952 which swept down through the town.  The tower has the resemblance of something medieval and the design originates from buildings on the Rhine.

Landscape Watercolour of Chipping Sodbury, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

In the middle of Chipping Sodbury High Street stands the clock tower, now a posh place for a public toilet and on the other side the local tourist office.  Chipping Sodbury presents a challenge I think for painters mainly from a point of view of choosing a good subject and composition.  You see it has a very wide street and really the best choice is painting against the light and almost head on with the buildings.

Landscape Watercolour of Lanzarote, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

Even on a dull overcast day, it's still bright on Lanzarote, emphasised I guess by the white-washed buildings.  San Bartolome is almost in the centre of the island and has a nice square and church.  Very very quiet when I visited there.  I took the liberty of introducing a few more palm trees for my sketch than existed in reality, just to try and improve composition and interest.

Landscape Watercolour of Staithes, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

This was my second attempt at this scene from a referrence photo of mine and I was looking to improve on the original sketch.  I though with my first attempt the background was too strong and maybe did not push it back far enough. Well on this one I tried to make the background a little more muted and I think it's a minor improvement.

Landscape Watercolour of Chipping Sodbury, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough Paper 140 lbs

A painting completed in my local Art Society evening and a scene local to me.  Sharing the picture with my fellow artists and locals, they would quickly point out what the buildings in the scene were thirty, forty years ago.  Sadly yesterday's high street of local shops, butchers etc. are now replaced by charity shops and coffee houses.