Time to Experiment

I decided to chance my arm yesterday and made an experimental painting from the photograph below.

This is down Manor  lane near my home and I went through the gate this morning on my daily walk, down on the edge of the farmers field and into the Community wood. Saw a deer, a doe, she was only about twenty yards away, standing stock still until I walked off.  Since I took the above photograph, some weeks ago, the foliage growth has increased and looking at it from close up it seemed quite different. For one thing the detail in the rear was visible and the darks were not so dark.

 The Gate - 18" x 14" Not Canson Acquarelle.

I decided to experiment and move towards `realistic abstracts' a la Victoria Prischedko - well partially at least. The gate is the key feature and I have used colour in a far more vibrant way than the dullness one gets with greens. Although we are only at the beginning of June the weather here has been so warm and mild that everything is beginning to have a mid-Summer look.

I first made a loose drawing without much detail and then painted using a No.14 Sable brush labelled Simonart. This is one I bought in my early days when I was studying at Mary Shaw's studio by the River Avon. It was from a wholesale catalogue only for professionals. The head is quite large more like a 16 when compared to some other makes and it has a sharp point. The only other place I have seen them on sale was at a framing gallery in Bath.  I should have said I first applied Winsor & Newton masking fluid to the gate, parts of the trees and various other places. After this had dried I splashed paint! The paper is Canson Acquarelle, not one of my normal choices by any means but I just happened to have some. In fact this was painted on the back of another experimental painting that I did at one of my AVA sessions. When I removed the masking tape some of the paper came with it.

The darks were various combinations of Permanent Carmine (W & N PR n/a), Cyan Blue (Maimeri PB15-3), Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna. There is some Viridian in there somewhere and I mixed the greens with combinations of Hansa Yellow Medium (Daniel Smith PY97)  and various blues. Gold Ochre (W & N PY43), was used on the tree trunks and parts of the wall and touches of Ultramarine Violet (Rowney PV15). Greys were mostly a mix of Cyan Blue and Cadmium Orange (Maimeri PO20). I think there are touches of Raw Umber and Raw Sienna as well. Comments welcome.