Tavira, Algarve, 15" x 11".
The small Chapel "Capela de Nossa Senhora da Piedade" in Tavira, a very old part of the town, and in a fairly small square in the old part of town. Quite pleased with how this turned out with the shadows connecting the various parts of the painting (maybe I could have dragged the Chapel shadow to connect with the figure or car on the left?) and just enough figures to add a bit of interest and a focal point.
Faro, Portugal, 15" x 11"
A dusty lane along the side of the estuary in Faro, southern Portugal. Not an especially interesting subject to paint - some distant buildings in Faro in the background, a square building on the shoreline and some bushes along the path. So hopefully added a bit more interest with the couple of figures and the rendering of the surface of the road - different colours dropped in while still wet, some splatter marks, then when all is dry, some dry brush strokes (neutral tint with a synthetic brush)
Olhao, Algarve, 15" x 11".
A loose sketch of the main street in Olhao leading down to the seafront. Quite a loose painting done with two brushes - a medium sized mop brush for all the washes and a 'sword' brush for the tree on the right and a few thin lines here and there. While the initial wash was still damp, I painted in the tower block with slightly thicker paint so it bled just a bit into the background. Neutral tint was used with ultramarine blue and burnt sienna for the darkest shadows.
Tavira, Portugal, 15" x 11".
I try to keep telling myself, never paint a scene with a strong light behind you and well here I go again. It's difficult to get that light and shade contrast which is so much easier with light coming from the side or coming towards you. Anyway in this one I have tried to put the white clothed gentleman against a dark shadow, so maybe I have got a bit of a focal point here. The other difficulty is the shadow of a figure - it gets hidden somewhere round their feet and you try to slip it in there as best you can.
Vilamoura Marina, 15" x 11".
The newish marina in Vilamoura. A wide promenade around the perimeter of the marina and surrounded by lightly coloured buildings with warm terracotta roofs. The actual marina and yachts on the left were given a very loose treatment as were the palm trees - this time a medium sized synthetic brush and starting from the crown, some quick radiating strokes for the leaves and then a quick downward stroke for the trunk. I kept a few light coloured figures to contrast against darker background shadows. I generally always make up my figures and rarely use a photo as reference. I think this way for me, it tends to give them a bit more movement and not looking too static.
Tavira, Algarve, 15" x 11".
A quiet residential square in Tavira. Steps in this painting 1) initial wash starting of course with the sky then coming down warmer to the bottom. Dropped in a bit of weak cobalt blue into the foreground while still damp. Dry the 2) background buildings, darker of course and varied the tones as I came down. Then 3) vehicles, figures and their dark shadows. Last 4) very dark trees painted in loosely and a bit of random splattering for leaves.
Tavira, Algarve, 15" x 11".
Another street scene of Tavira on the Algarve. This time quite a bit of shade, which helps connect the figures up and were done almost in one go. I was a bit careful painting round the smaller white figure - sometimes going too quick on a wash, I obliterate something I had wanted to leave. On the initial pencil drawing, I might draw in some light hash lines around something to be left showing the paper. Having a rough surface on the paper makes it easier to have that loose feel of the building on the right.
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 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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