The Watercolourfanatic is back!

Well almost. The trauma of moving and the vast number of  issues to be dealt with, when moving into a new property, means I won't be back to normality for a while. One major problem is sorting out my `new' studio, formerly a bedroom and somewhat smaller than my previous abode. While it has some good cupboard space it also has a `plinth' which will have to be removed. You would have to see it to really understand what I am on about but essentially it is a wooden structure the size of a single bed, intended to have a mattress put on it. Weird. What has he moved into you might well be thinking. It is a three story town house, part of a development that originally won an award some thirty plus years ago.It will be a while before normality returns. The wife chose it as we are downsizing from out previous home.

Dismantling the plinth.

Enough of that!. Having painted very little in the last two months I determined to go to Avon Valley Artists last Thursday. I managed to find paints, paper and brushes amongst the heaps of art and associated materials and off I went. The subject this session was a `mysterious' animal. This turned out to be a Tiger with two different photographs provided by Yvonne. I chose the side view.

The Photograph is by Stefan Wisterand.

`Big Cat, A3 Waterford Rough 140gsm.

I first made an accurate but not over detailed drawing using a Pentel 07 2B mechanical pencil. Then started painting commencing with the eyes and the area around them. Colours included Cobalt Teal Blue (Daniel Smith PG50), Ivory Black (Maimeri), Quinacridone Burnt Orange (Daniel Smith), Gold Ochre (W & N) and a few others. Brushes were my usual Escoda and Isabey retractables. Initially the Isabey No 6 and there after mostly the Escoda No 10. I was quite pleased with this, my first effort for a while, but viewing it in the last few days I'm not so sure. Maybe I've overworked a little.

There were thirteen present and above are the paintings produced.

Flower Paintings in Watercolour

Here are a selection of flower paintings in no particular order. I think - but am not certain - that they are watercolour. There are just a few of the many I've downloaded that took my eye. This should please my friend Yvonne.

Rose Marie Dubrecqu - one of my absolutely favourite flower paintings. What beautiful colours.

The German artists Lars Kruse who has studied with Gerard Hendriks

Fabrio Cembranelli - a South American artist of great talent 

Cheng Zhenwen

Liu Yi

The excellent American artist Janet Rogers

 Olivia Quinton

Yuko Nagayama -one of the most talented Japanese artists

Nicole Zeimet

Mualla Ozdemir (Turkish?)

 Tueko Sato

 I may have some of the artists names spelt incorrectly in which case I apologize. I don't think anyone would disagree, even those who don't particularly like to paint flowers, that there are some stunning paintings amongst the above. I don't know much about several of the artists featured but more information may be forthcoming if you Google them. As will be noted my preference is for the more impressionistic styles rather than botanical or super realism.

With these paintings I'm signing off for the next two to three weeks. We are moving home on the 10th and having a weeks holiday starting on the 13th. Due to this I shall be offline until Virgin Media install cable broadband and the rest in my new home on the 23rd. I certainly won't be up and running until I also get my new `studio' - another bedroom but smaller - sorted out. In the meantime good painting and I hope you enjoy the above.

Landscape Paintings I LIke.

This is another set of paintings I like amongst a great mass of others I've downloaded.  Some of the styles I wouldn't necessarily want to adopt, or indeed be capable of, but all display, in my humble opinion, great artistic merit.

The great Alvaro Castagnet, a very popular workshop artist. This is Pin MIll in Norfolk, a famous painting location for many artists over the decades.

Genevieve Buchanan an enthusiastic artist, and lovely lady, who I met on a number of Charles Reid workshops.

Chen Hong, one of the large number of excellent Chinese watercolour artists.

Christiane Bonicell - see Facebook.

Helga Berger - prominent on Facebook.

He Jiangu - another from China.

Ian Potts - I know nothing more about this artist, certainly strikingly different.

David Taylor the brilliant Australian Watercolour artist.

Millind Mullick - a superb and prolific artist, also on Facebook

Oleg Kozak - a distinctive style, prominent on Facebook

Michal Jasiewicz - a Polish(?) artist

Orhan Gurel from Turkey - one of the best amongst a vibrant group of Turkish watercolour artists.

Ping Long - another from China or is it Taiwan.

Sterling Edwards - an American artist

The general theme here - not in every instance - leans towards impressionistic loose paintings and I make no apology for this. This is what I like but I can appreciate more detailed paintings. More to come.

Chief Washington - Second Try

Not being really satisfied with my first attempt at Chief Washington I thought I'd have another try. I decided not to be too hung up over how close the resemblance was and re-visited one of my favourite Charles Reid books `The Natural Way to Paint'. When I told Charles this was one of my favourites he seemed surprised but I can only say the chapter on features is one I've studied many times.

Chief Washington 16" x 12" Fabriano Extra White Artistico 140lb (300gsm) not

I approached the previous version in a different way to my normal practice and this is even more `way out' if that's the right word. Actually I'm somewhat apprehensive about possible reactions. These Indian portraits are tough using these old monochrome photographs, with so much detail obscured and I find it hard to know what to do with these `missing' areas. 

Skin colours were Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber and Cobalt Blue/ Cerulean. Also some Cadmium Red and Translucent Brown. The hair was a mixture of Ultramarine Blue, Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna. His clothes are Raw Umber and some Gold Ochre.

I only used three brushes, the Isabey No 6 retractable for the features and the Escoda Kolinsky retractables sizes 8 and 10.   

I don't suggest for one moment that this is good just an experimental painting trying different ways of tackling this subject. I won't be posting much this month as we're moving home on the 10th, and also going on holiday on the 13th for a week. I didn't anticipate that these things would be so close together but that's how it has worked out.  As a result I'll be offline until at least the 23rd when my cable company are scheduled to install broadband et al in my new home.