Lock Keepers Inn, Keynsham, Bristol. 15" x 11".
A view across the bridge approaching the Inn. A mixture of warm and cool. The warm with the ochre colour of the pub itself with some dabs of bright red here and there representing the flower hanging baskets along the walls. Left a bit of sunlight on top of the bridge walls, and some dark shadow left made up of viridian green, neutral tint and cobalt blue on the road.
Chipping Sodbury High Street, 15" x 11".
A littel experiment here with 1) doing the sky wash, then 2) going in with the buildings base colour while sky still damp. The building wash was slightly thicker in consistancy than the sky wash, and left to bleed together where it wanted to. Then when everything was bone dry, I continued with shadows, forming the chimneys and around the vehicles. Lastly a few dry dark brush strokes were dragged up the road to give it a bit more form.
Painted on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms.
The Plough Inn, Charfield, 15" x 11".
Probably some of the cheapest beers you'll get in this part of the UK and good pub grub as well. While I was waiting for my food I took a quick reference photo on my phone as a basis for the composition. I changed a few things - e.g. the side extension roof tiles were blue-grey. I changed to a sort of warm terracotta to hopefully look a bit more appropriate against the cooler tone of the pub wall. Added a car and couple of figures as a focal point. Also I missed out a bright red parasol in the front pub garden as I don't think it added anything. Dangerous place to take a photo - nearly got run over by a speeding lorry when I was'nt looking.
Weston Super Mare, 15" x 11".
Meadow Street in central Weston Super Mare. A painting of perhaps high contrast with the left brightly lit and casting dark shadows on shop facade. A banner across the street adds a bit of interest and it's far enough in the distance, you don't need to put any lettering on it. I think that car could have done with the top being left unpainted - could have made a little focal point there.
Paper: Saunders Waterford Rough, 300 gms.
Watercolour of Albifeira, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms.
A quiet street leading down to Albufeira Old Town. Here, I have tried to give a sense of warmth with a predominant yellow ochre wash, almost down the whole painting, and a fiery bougainvillea flowering at the entrance t the car park. When the first wash was bone dry, I then painted the building shadows with mostly cobalt blue and a touch of burnt sienna and yellow ochre again. The very dark shadows and windows were mainly neutral tint with ultramarine blue.
Watercolour of Olhao, Algarve, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms
A fairly quick sketch and looser style painting of a quiet back street in Olhao on the Algarve. There's a fair degree of contrast here between the light shining on the shop blinds and the darker shadows on the right. Neutral tint was added to ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson to get that dark tone, and a weaker mix as I went left into the light, with some added cobalt blue.
Watercolour of Vilamoura, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms.
The road, mainly pedestrianised, running around the marina in Vilamoura. Just in the distance on the left, a hint of whitewashed buildings, terracotta roofs and yachts moored up. There was a bit of careful painting around the structures on the building facade, people and shop blinds. Sometimes there's a bit of a danger with the tall lampposts of cutting the composition into separate pictures, but hopefully minimised this by merging the darks of the posts with the background shadows.
Watercolour of St Tropez, 15" x 22" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms.
My second painting of this 'off the beaten track' beach in St Tropez, this time with the light behind me. Success with a watercolour is far more likely I think with the light coming towards you or from the side. Here I think I can almost get away with it by having 1) medium tone background 2) figures in lighter tone and 3) dark shadows below figures - not too much.
Watercolour of Tavira, Portugal, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms
A street-side cafe in central Tavira. With what seems like hundreds of chairs underneath the parasols, painting them is made a little easier when they're in rows and you've just got to paint the tops and not the legs! Maybe I went a little too extreme on the contrasts between the bright parasol top and the darler background, but I think it helps the sense of the strong light.
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