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
Fabriano, Italy, 15" x 11"
Not sure exactly where this is in Fabriano, but it struck me as a half decent subject for a watercolour despite me not often choosing to go with the light behind me (I prefer contra jour or the light coming from the side, to help with values and contrasts). I had a little help with a bold shadow on the right and me sticking a lightly coloured figure against a dark background.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press 300 gms.
Vernazza, Italy, 15" x 11"
A painting I have done a good few months ago and videoed but no commentary added to it as yet. I am 50/50 whether I upload as I am not sure what the subject of the painting might be. Maybe use of White paint in watercolour? I thought it made a good subject from a composition point of view with the sweep of the promenade leading into the central square at the back of the harbour.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, cold press 300 gms
Vernazza, Italy, 15" x 11"
A simple sketch using the format of a shady foreground, a brightly lit background and some silhouetted figures on the harbour wall. A suggestion of a row of boats moored up on the right with some simple reflections. As I regularly do, I like to connect the different elements up in the picture - the shadows to people, the right hand figure to the boats and so on.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms.
Fabriano, Italy, 15" x 11"
Yes, Fabriano where the other paper comes from. Based on a photo of mine from a visit a few years ago. It's sometimes a good idea to keep going back over older reference photos and those you dismissed before, maybe suitable now, especially if your style of painting has changed over time. Which was the case with this one. I jazzed it up a bit with some people (my photo had none or they were way in the background).
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
Cagliari, Sardinia, 15" x 11"
I love trying to get the form of trees. They all have their own character and shape. Here are some Umbrella Pines (or Pinus pinea for the arborists out there) or parasol pines as they are called in France. Very characteristic tree with a spherical crown flattened at the top and a strong, straight or leaning trunk, creating a lovely parasol shape. So a scene of bright sunlight, the intense green of some healthy pines (they can get a bit grey and thin if drought stressed), terracotta buildings and blue sky. Oh, and a couple of figures thrown in.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
Venice, Italy, 15" x 11"
A smallish canal in Venice and a fairly typical scene with figures and small boats. Quite a loose picture done with my three colour palette and a bit of fun trying to connect all the different shapes - the background - the boats up the canal side and the figures almost as one. Just a minor bit of the use of white gouache on the railings on the bridge.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press 300 gms
Venice, Italy, 15" x 11"
Didn't know what to call this one, but then it was obvious - a guy on a barge in Venice. Much of the scene with the boat and figure is made up, but a proper square and bell tower behind. This is just up the canal from a recent YouTube video I published recently. Well that one was in the shadows but this one is more in the light. With many narrow streets and canals in Venice, there's plenty of opportunities to have light and shade.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300gms.
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