Landscape Watercolour of Bursa, 15" x 11".
The Muradiye district of eastern Bursa. A very old part of Bursa with the foothills of Mount Uludag as a backdrop. Apart from the complex of 600 year old mosques, there's like in my sketch quite a few blue and brightly painted houses with well defined frames around the windows painted in a different colour. Down in the valley is the more modern part of the city sprawling northwards.
Landscape Watercolour of Bursa, 22" x 15".
Yesil (pronounced yea-sheel) Caddesi in the higher, older Yesil neighbourhood of Bursa and just round to the left is the Yesil Turbe - the tomb of the 5th Sultan, Mehmet the 1st. The old buildings facing us our now souvenir shops selling quite nice stuff, carpets, lamps etc. The rising Uludag mountains form the backdrop to the composition.
Landscape Watercolour of Istanbul, 15" x 11".
Istiklal Caddesi (Avenue) in the historic Beyoglu district of Istanbul, and lined with old Ottoman period buildings now housing foreign embassies and up market shops. Trams take you down from Taksim Square. These old buildings have far too many intricate details in their architecture for a 'loose' watercolour, so best approach is simplify and just a few windows in random places.
Landscape Watercolour of Kusadisi, 15" x 11".
A view across the bay at Kusadisi towards the mountains behind the town. This was quite a tough sketch as the day was partially cloudy yet bright, so no deep shadows as such, and the hues of the town, boats, quayside and the fishing nets were all so similar.
Landscape Watercolour of Antalya, 15" x 11".
A challenging watercolour for me, with the light coming from behind and then trying to make light and shade. Anyway I think I was helped with some dark shadows on the cliffs and the shade under the restaurant canopy. The figures add a little contrast, with some head and shoulders bumping into the darker shade. On the left is just an impression of a busy restaurant with seated figures.
Landscape Watercolour of Kusadisi, Turkey, 15" x 11".
The small harbour of Kusadisi on the western coast of Turkey. These boats are utilitarian, not there for the tourists, but having a serious role in local fishing and many in need of a lick of paint. The scene was painted on a rather drab day in spring, with thick cloud cover and the prevailing hue was a greyish brown.
Landscape Watercolour of Kusadisi, 15" x 11"
The port area of Kusadisi, Turkey, with the mountains behind the town. Key steps for this painting were 1) Sky wash from top to bottom, cutting round the car, figures and pedestrian crossing. 2) After that was dry, wet the areas where the mist will be over the mountains, then drop in the darker was of the mountain. 3) Middle ground trees and buildings on left and right. 4) Car shadows and then the figures, and foreground shadow and 5) White highlights (not too many) on figures and signpost. 6) Tyre marks on road with dry brush strokes.
Landscape Watercolour of Antalya, Turkey, 15" x 11".
Five little fishing boats in a row, below the cliff top wall surrounding this sheltered harbour in southern Turkey. Well there were more boats in the source photo of mine, but I simplified it a bit and resisted the temptation of making the background too detailed. The second from right fishing boat was all white like the rest, but 24 hours after 'completing' the sketch I decided it was too monotonous and slapped on a light yellow wash and slightly darker for the reflection.
Landscape Watercolour of Antalya, 11" x 15"
My second attempt at this harbour scene in Antalya, southern Turkey. This is quite a simple composition with not too much detail and the background of the apartment blocks high on the cliffs overlooking the bay, deliberately kept understated. The wash for the sea was made gradually darker as it came to the foreground and thicker pigment for waves added while the wash was damp.
Landscape Watercolour of Antalya, 15" x 11"
The busy harbour of Antalya dates back to Roman times, but now the sheltered port is home to yacht excursions and small fishing vessels. The largest ships you find here are adorned to look like pirate ships with popular names like Barbarossa. I decided to simplify the scene and take out these pirate themed ships and leave just a straight forward white fishing boat and a few people walking around the harbour's edge.