Marseille, France, 15" x 11"
A view along the harbourside in Marseille with a fish market on the left and some small fishing craft moored up on the right. Another exercise in simplifying what you see. Reduce the background buildings to shapes, and just put in a few windows. The market on the left has to be just suggested, or I think it would take the eye of the viewer away from the centre and the boats.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300gms
Venice, Italy, 15" x 11"
A study of a couple of builders filling a barge with building rubble, and a little bit of dust as a consequence. So a an exercise in creating a figure with the wheelbarrow, just at the point of tipping his load over the edge and maybe his colleague offering some instructions. A tricky scene to get the composition right and keeping everything else in the picture really simple. The dust was the last thing to go in - a mixture of white paint and a little cobalt blue, painted in with little water - almost dry brush strokes.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
Venice, Italy, 15" x 11"
A fairly recent painting of people in Venice which I videoed but have not published yet on YouTube. What do you think? If I posted it, would it be interesting maybe as a subject for getting people into your landscapes? Let me know and I can post the video. I think this is up the Arsenale end of Venice and the far bridge just melting into the background. So it's open to a public vote with your comments below or email me.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
Sidmouth, UK, 15" x 11"
The fourth and final plein air painting from my recent trip and a painting done in the Fore Street in the middle of town. Probably the busiest street in Sidmouth, all pedestrianised and plenty of shops and nice bunting across the street which adds another dimension to a street scene looking down the road. Of course I have included some different sized figures as well.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press Paper, 300 gms
Sidmouth, UK, 15" x 11"
My third painting of the day and plein air painting right in the middle of Sidmouth on the High Street or Fore Street, not sure which. Quite a busy spot, but I was lucky to take a position located by a street busker so I sort of lead on where he led off so to speak. A fairly simple composition this one looking down the street, with strong values (the sun was lovely) and some diagonal shadows.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
Bath, UK, 15" x 11"
A fairly loose rendition of a typical Bath street, and trying to capture the warm ochre of the stonework. I'm also mixing different silhouetted shapes with the figures coming out of shadows, as I quite often do now, shadows on the far buildings, and some street furniture catching the light and contrasting with the background. I have achieved the soft edge of where the rooftops meet the sky by doing a little wet in wet, with the building was being slightly thicker than the sky wash.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 Gms
Pisa, Italy, 15" x 11"
I'm probably the only artist to visit Pisa and not paint the leaning tower. The side streets and little squares around the area however are a lot more interesting. This is the Via Santa Maria leading up to the tower from the centre of the city to the south. A small ice cream cafe here on the corner of the square and looking into the light with almost abstract shapes of figures and cars.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press 300 gms.
San Sebastian, Spain, 15" x 11"
A street scene based on the Avenida de Descubridores in La Gomera, Spain. From a composition point of view, I had these dominant white shapes on the left, so I balanced this with some figures on the right. The largest figure, I try not to have too close to the middle, again thinking about balance and to me "just looking right". Quite a simple background - palm trees in silhouette are so much easier than deciduous trees in my opinion!
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms.
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