Original Watercolours by Tim Wilmot

Capri Harbour looking towards the Ferry Station

Landscape Watercolour Painting of Capri, 15" x 11" on Bockingford NOT Paper 140 lbs

The charming seaside Port of Marina Grande, encompassed by two narrow arms or quays, borders the picturesque town of Capri.  The port sees many types of watercraft from the old fishing boats to ferries coming over from Naples and Sorrento (bringing over thousands of day trippers each day in the summer), and of course up market yachts.  A small square overlooks the port surrounded by the characteristic houses of Capri, close to the water and having great views over the bay from their open galleries.

 

Newquay Harbour 3

Landscape Watercolour of Newquay Harbour, 15" x 11" on Bockingford Rough Paper 140 lbs

Tranquility at low tide in Newquay Harbour on the North Cornish coast.  I thought this made a nice composition with the three different boats together, and their connected chains leading you into the picture. Also for me what pulled it together was the shadow coming across the picture adding another dimension.

 

Joseph Zbukvic painting course day 3

Day 3 and studio exercise was another Paris scene, on a rainy dark day.  For me this was particularly difficult because of timing the washes and the reflected highlights of windows and car headlamps (the yellow went in at quite an early stage I can remember).  I thought my attempt looked more like an illustration out of a Harry Potter scene.

Anyway job done and on with the next one. In the afternoon the group ventured out to a bay further into Cadeques centre, which offered scenes to either side so I painted them both!  First one, maybe a more orthodox Cadeques scene, looking into the light:

And my second painting I relocated a short distance to the other side of the bay and with a beer in hand (well I was sat in a nice cafe there) and a brush in the other (had to make sure I was dipping my brush in the correct glass), did this one. Not an easy one this because of lack of composition opportunities and no contrasts between light and shade because of the diminishing light levels. It did illustrate the very narrow road that hugs the side of the bay.

This was the first day I was using the better Saunders Waterford paper on my plein air paintings.  Until then I had used the much cheaper Bockingford.  Saunders takes longer to dry by comparison, is not so white, but the washes behave themselves!

 

Joseph Zbukvic painting course day 2

Day 2 and exercise in the morning was a typical Paris scene, looking into the light.  This was an exercise is tone, light and composition, with I suppose the most difficult being the pedestrian crossing and perspective.

Here is my rendition:

In the afternoon we moved outside for a spot of plein air painting.  And literally just outside the hotel in Cadeques (Llane Petit) is this great little bay with picture postcard boats high up on the shingle beach:

As always, Joseph spent a lot of time with the students and offering guidance and help along the way, as wel as a critique the end of the painting.  Joseph's comments on this one - foreground too small (or horizon not high enough), shadow on road too warm and too much detail in the foreground.

 

Corralejo Beach Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

Landscape Watercolour of Fuerteventura, 15" x 11" on Bockingford Paper 140 lbs.

Corralejo, a small seaside town located on the north coast of the island of Fuerteventura, is known for its beautiful golden sandy beaches, and the stunning view of the island of Lobos. I was quite pleased with the colour I achieved on the beach, taking the liberty of changing it's normal silver colour to a warmer tone and dropped in a bit of cobalt blue while the paint was still wet. Well that's what we can do as an artist is change colours to develop the mood and feelings of the location.

 

Weston Super Mare Harbour at low tide

Landscape Watercolour of Weston Harbour, 15" x 11" on Bockingford Rough Paper 140 lbs.

Two local ferries that operate in the Bristol Channel, the Westward Ho Ferry and the smaller Bristol Queen, moored up at low tide in the tiny Weston-Super-Mare Harbour.  The harbour here is at the end of the grand sweeping bay of Weston and protected from the north by 'Knightstone Island'.  Probably just big enough for these two boats, it makes a nice scene on a sunny day looking across the expanse of the muddy beach at low tide towards the headland of Brean Down in the distance.

 

Cliffs at Staithes, North Yorkshire

Landscape Watercolour of Staithes, N Yorkshire, 15" x 11" on Bockingford Rough Paper 140 lbs.

The pretty village of Staithes on the wild North Yorkshire coast is protected by impressive high red sand stone cliffs and 2 long breakwaters.   The Cowbar Nab is the strange local name for the cliffs I painted here and of interest I guess to anyone studying coastal erosion in the evidence of breakwater damage at sea level.  The cliffs were created over millions of years with many tiers and contain of course fossils of long extinct marine life (ammonites are popular finds along the coasts round Staithes).

 

Eastern Harbour, Alexandria, Egypt, 3

Landscape Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford Rough Paper

View South along the bay in Alexandria.  I am constantly experimenting with the rendering of palm tree leaves (of the Date palm variety).  The main trunks are normally an easy choice - one thickish dry brush stroke and a bit darker at the top or bottom.  But then the leaves, I flip between doing them with a rigger brush, or a sword brush or even a smaller pointed mop.  This time I elected for dry brush strokes on the foreground tree and ditto for the shadows.  Must try not to put on too many leaves else it looks over worked or false and aim not to make it too symmetrical.

 

Eastern Harbour, Alexandria, Egypt, 2

Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford NOT Paper 300 gms

Alexandria Bay - The Easter Harbour looking up to the Fish Market at the end of the bay. Small terracotta tiled shelters, almost like a bus shelter, give welcome shade from the midday sun. It's also a great place to rest your fishing boat and give the hull some much needed attention.

 

 

Evening stroll along the Wharf, St Ives, Cornwall

Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford NOT Paper 300 gms

An evening stroll along the Wharf in St Ives Cornwall.  Had to get in a reference to Ice Creams, this being a popular summer resort.  St Ives has for a long time been a rich centre of all forms of art (Barbara Hepworth, the Tate Gallery, etc).  Artists are quite rightly attracted by the light (one of the most southern points of the UK) and the mild climate.  Even Turner has done a few sketches of the area!