My take on painting palm trees - keep it simple. In fact they can be easier to paint in my opinion compared to broad leaf trees and conifers/pine. Just a simple stroke to do the fronds with a very soft medium brush, one with a good point and water retention. Also, try not to make them look too symmetrical!
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms.
This painting is for sale. Please contact Tim Wilmot for details.
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Bergerac, France, 15" x 11"
Just an ordinary country lane with a bit of negative painting - painting around objects to keep their lighter value - as in the tree trunks on the right and the round road sign. However when it comes to highlights on figures, sometimes you've just got to reach for a little white gouache. As you can see, I don't mind cauliflowers in watercolour. I sometimes encourage them and they really work I think in foliage.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms.
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Dordogne, France, 15" x 11"
Another painting based on a dashcam image of mine. Do you have a dashcam? Many people use them now and it's surprising how many images you may have lurking on your device which might make decent subjects for a painting. So here's mine, a quiet country road in SW France, could be anywhere. But a play on light and shade and an accidental figure coming towards us.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
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Lido, Venice, 15" x 11"
Cedars are one of my favourite trees (wish I had a Cedar of Lebanon) so I could not resist this attempt at the top of a blue cedar just popping over the roof tops at the Lido, Venice. I suppose an ordinary street scene, but jazz it up with some light and shade and a couple of street signs, row of park cars. Probably I prefer doing this sort of scene than the run of the mill gondolas and canals.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
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Canada, 15" x 11"
A painting from a recent one to one workshop I did online. Something new for me as I don't normally do lakes, fir trees, but this was a nice challenge and I might end up doing more of these when I tire of boats/street scenes - you never know where art takes you in a virtual way. What attracted me to the source photo was the fact it had a bit of everything - foreground, middle and background interest and lovely stillish reflections in the lake. I popped in the small boat as an afterthought - I think it needed something out there on the left as a focal point and the floating log almost pointing to it.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
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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
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Watermouth, North Devon, 15" x 11"
A composition based on this sheltered bay in North Devon. The slipway here at low tide is a long way from the water's edge. Just to the right of it is a small building - not sure if it is the harbour master or something to do with the lifeboat station. My reference photo was taken on a very overcast, but bright day, and I imagined it here being sunny with the late afternoon sun coming from the South West. I introduced a figure to balance the boat on the left.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
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Watercolour, 22" x 15"
Once a year at my painting group, the Bristol Savages, we organise a "Palette and Piano" event. So the format is 3 artists paired with 3 pianists and over 20 minutes the artist paints with some matching music. I was very lucky to be playing along with the great Allan Schiller. I chose the subject and went for a snow scene - a figure with dog walking in the snow and leaving some footprints. So 20 minutes to do a painting and watched by 90 guests! - No pressure then!
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
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Cala de Mijas, Spain, 15" x 11"
Maybe a midday scene this one and off season, so quite streets and just a solitary figure out in the sun. I normally like to have figures going into or out of the shadows rather than having then in isolation and also rarely paint with the sun behind me as in this one. So I decided to go in heavy with the shade on the left to balance the brightness on the right. A bit of wet on wet with the soft edges on the buildings on the right and the skyline.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms
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Mijas, Spain, 15" x 11"
The Plaza de la Constitución in Mijas - a spacious square in amongst the narrow streets of this pretty hillside town on the Costa del Sol. Done with my 3-colour palette and quite a simple composition with the corner of the square, looking into the sunlight and the palm tree almost mirror-imaged in its own shadow. The major fronds point towards the figures in the street. Very loose detailing of the windows on the buildings.
Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms.
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