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Cambrils, Spain, 15" x 11".
A largish fishing trawler moored up in the working harbour of Cambrils on the Costa Dorada. A little bit of contrast with the side of the boat lit up against the background of the fish market. After the initial wash, this was a bit of fun painting in the shapes fairly loosely with plenty of Ultramarine Blue plus Burnt Sienna.
Corfu, Greece, 15" x 11".
A painting from a photo I took from a TV travel program about Corfu (never been there myself!). It's the house of the late British author Gerald Durrell, which I think is now a guest house. Anyway, it's a bit tricky getting the values right with a low res photo of a TV shot as reference, and I had to invent the two guys walking on the shoreline. The bright house really stands out against the background hills, so I dulled it down a bit with a light wash of some yellow ochre.
Quarteira, Portugal, 15" x 11".
A few small boats moored up in Quarteira Harbour in Portugal, with the boatyard in the background. The background was done very loosely - a big fat dry brush stroke for the harbour wall and plenty of paper left unpainted to hopefully give the feeling of sunlight on the shore line. All the small craft are connected with their reflections and I thought a bright Cadmium Red rope for one of the boats might give some contrast with the coolness of the water.
Olveston, England, 15" x 11".
The main road going through Olveston in South Gloucestershire, with the White Hart pub on the right. A fairly simple composition with the two sides of the street almost mirroring each other with the high walls. I was careful to leave the top of the right hand wall unpainted to show the light hitting it. Maybe that figure could have been a fair bit lighter to give a bit more of a contrast with the background shade. It could have been a good idea to do a tonal sketch beforehand to get the values planned.
Tortosa, Spain, 15" x 11".
A dusty street in Tortosa, in the Catalonia district of Spain. I might have proved myself a little wrong by stating painting with the light behind you is a bad idea for watercolour. Well it's coming at a slight angle and I think what helps is the foreground shadow, plus figures against the dark background. Painting was done almost entirely with large new mop brush with a very good point. Sadly for me, those nice points don't last long!
Vilamoura, Portugal, 15" x 11".
Three areas of high contrast here - the parasols, a couple of figures and the white van. I think the van could have made a painting on its own, that little reflection on the windscreen improves it 100%. I have used many watercolour techniques in this painting - a wash, wet in wet, splattering into damp paint, dry brush strokes (e.g. the tyre marks on the road and the palm tree fronds), plus a little 'body' paint with the white gouache used for highlights.
Tavira, Portugal, 15" x 11".
A quiet street in Tavira based on an early morning photo I had taken. A great time of day to get those long shadows and clean lines. Hopefully the pedestrian crossing in the foreground works with the shadow parallel to it. Maybe next time have the shadow going at an angle. Anyway, I think the white strips help lead the eye into the picture. And a couple of figures there in the foreground shadows connected with the middle ground shadows.
St Raphael, France, 15" x 11".
A scene I probably would not contemplate painting had it not been for the shadows coming across the street offering some contrast. Light from behind, just going down the street would have been impossible. I also brought in a couple of figures in the centre to add a focal point. I think maybe the roof tops are a little too red, but they were quite bright as I can recall.
Hotwells, Bristol, 22" x 15"
Another accepted painting into the Bristol Harbourside Art Prize 2014. Similar to me previous sailing race painting, this has the old red-bricked buildings of the tobacco factory in the background. There's a few made up boats here and I've made some simplifications to the foreground buildings. While the paint is still damp/moist, I will often dab out small areas to blend things together. Reflections are done with the side of a medium sized mop brush, with a good point!
Here's a link to the Watercolour demo I did last night, attended by 45 fellow artists from all over the place! Thanks to all who attended and hope to do another soon! Please let me know of any subjects you would like me to paint - Landscapes only please!
Here is the completed painting...
Size is 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford 300 gms rough
Here's a picture of me and my setup. Notice all those wires and cables, plus my webcam right in the middle of me and obscuring my view!
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