Original Watercolours by Tim Wilmot

Chipping Sodbury, Beaufort Inn 2

Chipping Sodbury, UK, Watercolour 15" x 11"

I keep saying I won't paint my local town again.  It's a pretty market town with a very wide street, but many scenes are not suitable for paintings in my opinion.  So take this scene.  We are looking at a row of old buildings, shops and a pub.  We are facing due South,  The direction of the sun does not give ideal shadows, especially in the Winter months.  Ah well, I painted it again to try and prove myself wrong.  The other claim to fame is that Chipping Sodbury ha sone of the widest high streets in the UK (well they used to hold agricultural markets here).

Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms.

 

 

Hatter's Lane, Chipping Sodbury #2

Chipping Sodbury, UK, 15" x 11"

I did this scene about 5 years ago or more and wanted to see any difference in my approach and style.  Well on comparison, I think it's looser and uses a couple more watercolour techniques not used on the older one.  

Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms

Biddestone Village Pub, Plein Air 2018 #1

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

 

A view down Silver Street, Tetbury

Tetbury, UK, 15" x 11"

A loose painting of Silver Street in Tetbury, just near the centre of town.  Figures in shadows are tricky.  Generally I suppose with most clothing styles, they are darker than their shadowy surroundings.  Here, they are almost the same tonal value so maybe a bit more difficult to pick out.  A painting here though to play around with values and shapes and having a bit of fun making the car appear with just a bit of negative work around it.

Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms.

 

3 Pedestrians, Chipping Sodbury

Chipping Sodbury, UK, 15" x 11"

Quite a loose painting of Chipping Sodbury High Street.  Simple first wash starting with the sky and then the background - a weak yellow coming to a warm value in the foreground.  I was careful to do a bit of painting around the cars at this stage.  Then when that was dry, I went in with the darks - starting with the background definition of the buildings up the High Street and then creating the figures and foreground shadows to connect.

Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press 300 gms.

 

Market Cross, Castle Combe

Castle Coombe, UK, 15" x 11"

A Castle Coombe painting based on a photo taken by Jem Bowden.  This is the very centre of the pretty village in Market Place.  I might have adjusted the 'furniture' as they say, so some locals might not recognise the placement of things.  With the second wash for the buildings and road, I let the warm Cotswold stone colour blend down into the cooler road - easy with a slight slope with your board.

Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms paper.

 

Central Tetbury, Snooty Fox and Market Hall

Tetbury, UK, 15" x 11"

A painting based on a photo taken from a 2017 plein air session with the 'exiles'.  This is the very busy centre of Tetbury, Market Hall on the right and the Snooty Fox on the left.  As can be seen, I do invariably leave pencil marks showing from the original sketch.  I think it adds to the loose feel of the picture.  You can of course rub them out on unpainted surfaces and if I had done this here, it would have made those car windscreens quite bright.

Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms

 

Chipping Sodbury Police Station

Chipping Sodbury, UK, 15" x 11"

A painting which might have been difficult doing Plein Air - one of the entrance to the yard at the back of the local Police Station.  There's a dozen such little alleyways up and down the high street, but this one was quite interesting with the sun hitting the left side, some deep shadows on the right and some extras with the sign and yellow bollards (well am impression of some...) sitting in the lane.

Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms.

 

Gumstool Hill Tetbury

Tetbury, UK, 15" x 11".

A steep road leading up to Tetbury town centre and the venue for the annual wool sack race - I would rather paint this scene rather than have to carry a 100lbs sack of wool on my back!  Perhaps this painting is an exercise in handling things in shade.  Still we have to think of values.  Starting with the main value of the shadow and then thinking other objects are they lighter in value or maybe darker.  Also these objects may not be well defined e.g. loose the legs on figures.

Painted on Saunders Waterford Cold Press Paper 300 gms.

 

Tetbury Plein Air - Market Hall from the Snooty Fox

Tetbury, UK, 15" x 11".

My second plein air from a 2017 trip to Tetbury and this time a side view of the covered Market Hall, painted from the Snooty Fox pub (well I was just outside !).  I kept the right side of the street in the light deliberately simple and not too much detail.  The darkness between the columns of the market hall was done mainly with dry brush strokes of neutral tint and burnt sienna.

 Painted on Saunders Waterford Paper, 300 gms and NOT surface.