Scratching around this week for inspiration. I have had other calls on my time, so I have had to steal time to get a few things done. This was the reason I have decided to limit commercial work because it is very hard to keep up the impetus to paint and improve when you are forced to squeeze your own paintings into inconvenient moments. So it’s more watercolours as they are quick to paint but often go wrong and have to be abandoned. A friend posted a picture of a lock keepers cottage on the Barrow near Graiguenamanagh Kilkenny Eire that had watercolour written all over it and appropriately autumnal as well. The other was a painting I had been meaning to do for a while. A few years ago when in Cornwall I settled to paint the very dramatic Morwenstow Church, but little did I realise there was a small herd of bullocks lurking in the dip out of sight. Within 20 minutes I was surrounded by huffing beasts trying to take a bite out of my canvas! I took a few photos of them as they made their approach as the light on them was beautiful. I took these and the less than half finished acrylic and recreated the moment. I have garnished this post with a few life paintings where I have been trying watercolours as I was getting a little too comfortable with the pastel pencils.
A fairly straightforward painting I had to be careful to keep the balance of green and warm orange in control and not over detail the trees, unusually for me I actually used some black on the lock gates as they had to be strong to hold the composition. Picture can be clicked for a larger view.
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This was great fun to paint. I tried to limit my palette and split the painting into well defined zones. The clouds and the cattle are painted in the same hues which helps unite the composition, with the warm path and cool sky acting as opponents. Picture can be clicked for larger view.
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I have forgone the pastel pencils for a while as I was becoming a little too comfortable with them. Watercolour adds an extra challenge but rewards in the feeling of spontaneity when they work… with of course the bi product of more of them ending in woe and disaster!
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Here’s a brave one with no drawing but 30 mins is not really enough time.
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These three were done with a quite large flat brush which I think is an improvement. I only use 2 colours on these Indian red and French Ultramarine