Original Watercolours by Tim Wilmot

Funchal Madeira - An exercise in negative painting and perspective

Funchal, Madiera, 15" x 11".

For me, a serious bit of negative painting (painting around light areas with dark paint) and perspective.  On this mountainous island, here's a road going uphill, and taller buildings with their vanishing point disappearing into the distance.  The trickiest part of the painting was going around the white van and getting the shadows right.  Not sure if I needed that guy in the foreground - I drew in the outline of the foreground shadow and I think it needed something to connect it into the rest of the composition.

 

Pescado Conservas - Fish Canning Factory in Olhao, Portugal

Olhao, Portugal, 22" x 15".

The local fish canning factory in Olhao - Pescado Conservas - or as someone remarked when they first saw my painting - "Ah, Tescos"! - seeing my partial sign top right... The initial wash was a light cerulean blue for the sky, then changing to a mainly yellow ochre wash in the lower half.  After drying, the background trees then were painted, carefully around the tops of the cars, and then the road and foreground.  Next were building details on the right, going quite dark around the base and the right hand car.  Last were the left hand cars, figures and some street furniture.

 

Tavira, Algarve 14

Tavira, Portugal, 15" x 11"

A summer's day and 'siesta' time - so not many souls about, or you walk in the shade.  Two things here - the background at the end of the road had so many architectural details so simplified there and on the right hand side I kept it loose, being in the shade.  I think that sky could have been a little lighter in tone (or my photo of the painting had the wrong setting!).

 

Tavira, Algarve 13

Tavira, Portugal, 15" x 11".

A small square in Tavira - a small park in the middle, flanked by a few restaurants/cafes around the side.  I love painting a line of cars like this, head on, and a bit of random strokes on the windscreen hopefully passes off as some convincing reflections.  All figures are connected to different car shapes/shadows - not entirely intentional (I drew them in quite rapidly), but I think it worked out okay rather than having them too isolated.

 

Quarteira Harbour, Algarve, Portugal

Quarteira, Portugal, 15" x 11".

A few small boats moored up in Quarteira Harbour in Portugal, with the boatyard in the background.  The background was done very loosely - a big fat dry brush stroke for the harbour wall and plenty of paper left unpainted to hopefully give the feeling of sunlight on the shore line.  All the small craft are connected with their reflections and I thought a bright Cadmium Red rope for one of the boats might give some contrast with the coolness of the water.

 

Marina de Vilamoura, Portugal

Vilamoura, Portugal, 15" x 11".

Three areas of high contrast here - the parasols, a couple of figures and the white van.  I think the van could have made a painting on its own, that little reflection on the windscreen improves it 100%.  I have used many watercolour techniques in this painting - a wash, wet in wet, splattering into damp paint, dry brush strokes (e.g. the tyre marks on the road and the palm tree fronds), plus a little 'body' paint with the white gouache used for highlights.

 

Tavira, Algarve 12

Tavira, Portugal, 15" x 11".

A quiet street in Tavira based on an early morning photo I had taken.  A great time of day to get those long shadows and clean lines.  Hopefully the pedestrian crossing in the foreground works with the shadow parallel to it.  Maybe next time have the shadow going at an angle.  Anyway, I think the white strips help lead the eye into the picture.  And a couple of figures there in the foreground shadows connected with the middle ground shadows.

 

Shadows in a small square in Tavira, Algarve

Tavira, Portugal, 15" x 11".

A small square in Tavira, and a single mature tree in the middle, giving some shade.  Of course all the white washed buildings here aren't white, but take on the colours of surrounding objects, and some are in need of a lick of new paint so I can splash in a few more hues.  Going very dark at the base of buildings increases the intensity of light, and that's done with some neutral tint, ultramarine blue and burnt umber or sienna.

 

Praca da Restauracao, Olhao, Portugal

Olhao, Portugal, 15" x 11".

A central square in Olhao, an old fishing town in the Algarve, Portugal.  An ideal subject for watercolour with dark background buildings contrasting with lighter figures and the light catching the fountain in the middle of the square.  Domes are pretty tricky to get right - not a perfect circle from a drawing point of view and the the challenge of getting the shadows looking good with dark merging to light.

 

Car Park, Quarteira, Portugal

Quarteira, Portugal, 15" x 11".

Continuing my collection of car park paintings.  They're similar in style to how I paint harbour/marina scenes with cars taking the place of yachts - you have from the top, light sky, darker background buildings, then the car roofs highlighted, with maximum contrast their shadows and lastly, the lighter foreground.  These buildings look pretty dark to me (not like the original painting) - maybe an issue with my photo!  Painting done in approx one hour.