Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford NOT Paper 300 gms
A wander round the backstreets of downtown Alexandria and now and then you stumble across an open area offering respite from the intensity of the narrow streets. Whilst some street vendors proudly show off their produce on the shady side of the street, those less fortunate opposite have theirs hidden from the midday sun under layers of drab tarpaulin.
Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford NOT Paper 300 gms
The sweeping bay of Alexandria and a walk along the El Gaish Road. Towards the fishing port at the end of the bay, many smaller boats are perched up behind the low sea wall, maybe for some protection or maintenance. Anyway a good chance to have some fun in this sketch with a bit of wet in wet on the horizon and some dry brush strokes on the palm leaves, which lend themselves well to that sort of treatment.
Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford NOT Paper 300 gms
Alexandria Port Gate and a chaotic scene of all forms of transport, cars everywhere, taxis, local buses, horse and cart, man and cart, and pedestrians trying to avoid it all. Many red-bricked tower blocks remain unfinished in the area, presumably waiting for the day when funds permit their completion.
Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford NOT Paper 300 gms
View from the Fort of Qaitbay back to the city of Alexandria. A main tourist spot of the Fort itself and location of the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. A little harbour here has many street vendors offering refreshments for visitors to the citadel and everything from lightship replicas, to toy camels.
Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford NOT Paper 300 gms
A street in the Al Shatby district of Alexandria Egypt bordering the Shallalat Gardens. Shallalat Gardens occupy a big area of Al Shatby neighborhood, characterised by wide boulevards lined with tall washingtonia palms. Had to get in the old yellow topped taxis!
Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford NOT Paper 300 gms
An anonymous vegetable trader down an anonymous street in Alexandria. Apart from the focal point of the stall, I wanted to also capture the essence of the beautiful ochre-coloured building behind with it's turquoise shutters and the confusing myriad of cables running above your head (I would hate to be a telephone engineer there). This painting allowed me to try out my new Nicholas Simmons Escoda size 20 brush - a synthetic brush with great holding capacity and a very sharp point. The brush easily dwarfs all my other brushes. Apart from the figures, I did the whole painting with this one brush.
Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford NOT Paper 300 gms
An anonymous backstreet in Alexandria, Egypt, and a typical scene, and work in progress with locals making do with what they have - Badly fitting Tarpaulin for shading market stalls, parasols past their use by date providing some protection form the strong midday sun, scaffolding cladding unfinished walls and people going about their business.
Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford paper 140lbs
A typical backstreet in Alexandria. Dust everywhere from a recent storm coming in from the North African Desert, and just adding to the general grime of the place. But despite the dirt, Alexandria has great charm with the ochre coloured buildings and sharp shadows caused by the strong sun. I just had to get in my painting one of the ubiquitous yellow/black Alexandria taxis - even the bright yellows of the bonnet and boot gets through that saharan dust.
Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford NOT paper 140lbs
Alexandria, second largest city in Egypt and situated in the North West of the Nile Delta. The location of the port entrance is a magnet for eager city taxi drivers and horse & carriage owners looking for fares from visiting tourists. At the time of my visit, the whole area was being excavated with huge new sewage pipes being laid, so not looking really at its best save for the gleaming mosque with it's bright white facade and golden dome.
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