July Challenge

For July it was my choice of subject and I chose the following, a photograph I took some time ago. For newer readers (!) Mick or Michael Carney and I, good friends after meeting on a Charles Reid workshop three years ago (is it that long?) alternatively select a photograph each month and paint our version of it. We then display the results on the blog. Micks blog is www.thepaintingstruggle.blogspot.com/  We shall meet again hopefully at the May 2013 Charles Reid workshop at Stow-on-the Wold. 

Dundas, a spur off the acqueduct which is very popular with canal boats. I have painted here plein air several times.

18" x 12" Fabriano Artistico 140lb (300gm) not

As you can see I pretty much followed the photograph, except where I changed the colours of the trees to brighten them up and create greater contrast. Colours used varied from Cadmium Red Pale to Ultramarine Blue. Cerulean also featured on the boats. The red of the people is Cadmium Red Pale. The browns are Hookers Green (Graham) with Burnt Sienna. There is some yellow, Hansa Yellow Medium (Daniel Smith PY97) in the background. I deliberately didn't make the water too dark and used some white gouache to help with the reflections, which I finalized on the following day. Throughout the Escoda travel brushes were used.

I  painted this at an AVA indoor session earlier in the month. We couldn't go outside because of the appalling weather. It was suggested by Jan that the boat looked as if it was going uphill. I couldn't quite see that but I altered the bottom slightly afterwards to take account of this. The only other change I made, again the following day, was to darken the foliage, adding Ultramarine to Hookers, on both the left and right hand sides. My thinking here was to create greater recession. This was my first and only full attempt at this subject. I didn't think I could do much better, although would have preferred a more radical approach, so left it at that. 

Latest Plein Air

This is my latest effort, painted last thursday at Dundas Acqueduct, a few miles outside Bath on the A36 Warminster road.

Saunders Waterford 16" x 12" Not - Dundas Boats and Barges

Dundas acqueduct is a popular location, part of the Kennet and Avon Canal, a favourite of barge owners and canal holidays. The area where we paint is a spur of the canal which runs to a basin close to the main road. It has a shop where you can hire boats and bicycles, an excellent cafe/restaurant, and is usually quite busy or indeed very busy.

On this particular day the waterway  was packed with end to end barges plus a few other types,  used either as houseboats or parked up. On certain weekends you can take canal trips and some are also available for wedding parties and celebrations of all sorts. A very lively place although it was quiet when I started and only the odd person stopped and tried to engage me in conversation, something that Judi Whitton (and others) say you have to `nip in the bud'. It is difficult as one doesn't want to seem rude, but concentration can be affected if onlookers are too persistent.

I started painting at around 10am and finished at noon. This was my usual attempt at painting with a first time finish, using paint straight from the paintbox (a mix of full and half pans) without overmuch mixing or messing about. Obviously some overpainting takes place but I try to keep it to a minimum. My (attempted) methods are based on those used by Charles Reid and Judi Whitton. I used several different blues and yellows for the greens. The large tree in the background had leaves that are very grey/green and I used Primary Blue - Cyan (PB15-3 green shade- Maimeri) mixed with Cadmium Orange (PO20 Maimeri) to create this greyish effect. If you play around with these two colours you can create some wonderful greys but take care which Cad Orange you use. The Windsor and Newton version is a mixture of Cadmium red and yellow, while Rowney do use PO20, the correct pigment, but add a yellow to it. Unless you use pure Cadmium Orange you will get a different colour.

I looked at the painting the following day in my `studio' and made some small colour additions. Otherwise I am quite pleased with it. I have done several others at this location, not all from the same viewpoint.