Llangollen, Wales, 15" x 11"

Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, on the River Dee at the edge of the Berwyn mountains and the Clwydian Range.  Here's a view looking up river near the town centre and the boulders strewn across the whole width of the river.

Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms

Watercolour of Tenby, Wales, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300gms

A painting based on a reference photo used by a fellow watercolour painter who did a demo at our local society one evening recently (if you follow my drift).  Steps were 1) sky and continued was over whole painting - blueish at the top and a bit warmer down the bottom.  2) Background buildings and roofs were allowed to bleed into the walls.  Left a highlight of a thin broken line for the top of the harbour wall.  3)  Boats, growing darker towards the bottom, then the channel of water.  Darker pigment was dropped in to create soft reflections.  4)  Figures and masts (white gouache).

Steve Hall's open Summer Competition.  Yet again a challenge to paint the above scene, probably South Wales and probably not in recent times.  Well I decided to keep it fairly dark, a little bit of warmth in the sky and a few figures walking down the tracks to have some interest in that middle area.  My entry is below.  Any watercolor artists out there, please have a go at Steve's Autumn Competition.  Curved railway lines are a bit of a challenge, so simplify them and miss out a few sleepers etc...

Landscape Watercolour of South Wales, 15" x 11".

Watercolour 15" x 11" on Bockingford paper 300g

Castle Street in the walled medieval town of Conwy, of course looking up to the Castle.  On the left, the 'Fishermans Cafe' and probably the best fish and chips in North Wales.  Up the top of the road, the 700-year old castle dominates the mouth of the River Conwy and indeed the town.