Cagliari, Sardinia, 15" x 11"
Another fun exercise in some splattering and connecting (joining up major objects in the composition). A scene of people under the shade of a canopy in the Piazza Yenne area of Cagliari. Some made up figures going in different directions and the background deliberately kept simple. Also quite a limited palette used for this and concentrating on tonal values.
Painted on Saunders Waterford. Cold Press, NOT, 300 gms
Biddestone, Wiltshire, 15" x 11"
Just a slightly different angle from #1 plein air, and a view right down the front of the White Horse pub and the row of pretty cottages on this side of the village centre. I raised the pub sign just a little to suit the composition. Can't remember if there really was a 'Real Ale' sign there, but they served real ales in the pub anyway! Last painting before lunch on the day with the 'Exiles' Plein Air painting group.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms paper.
Biddestone, UK, 15" x 11"
A plein air at Biddestone Village, a very pretty village in Wiltshire - country pub, duck pond, green etc. This was the first plein air of the day, and I had a nice bit of shelter from the sun on the right hand side. When it's a hot day, doing plein air you sometimes need to choose a comfortable place to paint from first, then decide exactly what to paint from there.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
Watercolour 15" x 11"
Bristol Savages Sketch Night and the topic for the evening - "The promise of things to come". So you then have two hours to do a painting based on that topic, without the use of any reference material! I decided to go with a French Cafe scene and a waiter emerging from the shadows with a bottle of Bordeaux for a couple of customers. Quite a simple composition and the shadows repeating the edge of the roof.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press 300gms
Villefranche-de-Lonchat, France, 15" x 11"
I think I have used quite a few watercolour techniques for this one! Wet in wet, negative painting, dry brush strokes, splattering and washes of course. Also plenty of different edges - soft and hard. A little courtyard in a cafe in the charming village of Villefranche-de-Lonchat in SW France.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
La Cala Mijas, Spain, 15" x 11"
A study of a beach bar in the seaside town of La Cala on the Costa del Sol. A large area like the sandy beach has to have something added to it as regards subtle changes in colour, tone and texture (maybe dry brush strokes or some splattering). Here also I have dragged some shadows across the beach. Those shadows along the side of the bar, connect with the silhouetted shapes of seated figures inside. The last touch was to go in with some real dark darks to add a bit more detail to shadows and the building.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
Winterbourne, UK, 22" x 15"
My first demo painting to Frome Valley Art Group. With a common 2-hour slot for a demo, I complete at least one painting, maybe two depending on complexity and subject. As per other demos to art groups, I ask for a few photos of local scenes. This one was the old Wheatsheaf Inn, now an Indian Restaurant (hence the elephant on the pillar!). An exercise in just taking an ordinary scene that most people might not consider for a painting and introducing some figures and so on.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms.
Almondsbury, UK, 15" x 11"
The Bowl Inn at Almondsbury - a typical British Village pub in a village in the South West of the UK. This of course is looking across the front of the pub and the village church in the background. Painted with my 3-colour palette and 2 brushes - a Mop and a synthetic round (for the more detailed touches). I try to connect shapes/elements together - for example, back wall shadow to car, car shadow to figure and so on.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press Paper, 300 gms.
Ich Dien, Watercolour, 15" x 11".
Bristol Savages Wednesday sketch night again and the topic from the Chairman - "Ich Dien" or I serve. Very pertinent for time of year and whilst many of many fellow painters went down with a Military theme, I went off piste and interpreted this as waiters serving at an outdoor cafe. A completely made up scene (we are given the topic by the chairman and then have 2 hours to complete a painting without the aid of sketchbooks or access to the internet etc...). Is it Carcassonne or somewhere in Germany? I don't know....
Madrid, Spain, 15" x 11"
I took an old photo I had taken and tried to make something of it. The main thing I change when painting based on a photo is moving the people around. My photo had loads of people which I reduced in numbers for my painting. I especially wanted some people of the left interacting with the shadows and columns.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, 300 gms, NOT paper.
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