FLORAL WATERCOLOUR – SPRING COMES FLOODING IN

Having just got back from New Zealand and Australia I realise that one person’s spring is another’s autumn. But for me the excitement of spring is almost palpable, watching the garden burst into flower and blossom.
I wanted to try this painting again, having sold a copy, which is on my website grahammcquadefineart.com. I wanted to get the mass of flowers looser and less defined without losing the identity of daffodils. However, it seems my old pedantic self regained the upper hand and although a little looser I couldnt fully shake free.
Maybe the change will be slower than I thought.

WATERCOLOUR PAINTING – THE BEACH AT KIAKOURA, NEW ZEALAND, LOOKING SOUTH

This was a watercolour I did from sketches, photos and other images. The sketch is posted below on my blog in February. There was no-one on the massive stretch of beach and the range of hills in the late afternoon light made it a magical setting.

GREEN MAN – FIGURATIVE PASTEL

Most of the life drawing groups I work with prefer female models and consequently I get many more women to paint and draw than men. However, the muscular development of a male gives many subtle nuances in tone and temperature on the body surface and so makes for a fine subject. Coupled with a supply of green pastel paper I was driven into attempting this. The tension the model put in his back by supporting himself with his arms created a great subject.
More figurative work is available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

LANDSCAPE IN PASTEL – THE LONELINESS OF TREES

I saw an image of an early morning scene on what I presumed was downland. The image had a row of telegraph, or power lines. I had some other images of trees and thought that they would be more suitable for the scene.
In some respects the trees have improved it, but I think I have failed to get the softness of the early morning, with the mist and dew laden grass.
I’ll put it away and have another look at it in a week or so. Sometimes a fresh look summons up an idea or two.
In the meantime I will post it on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com, along with other pastel landscapes I’ve done.

FIGURATIVE SKETCH IN INK AND WASH

Another quick sketch using pen and ink wash. The model’s name is Carey and as we worked, the track of the same name by Joni Mitchell came on. The song invokes the memories of holidays in me, being in exotic places with feelings of strangeness, transience and the excitement of the new.
…And it helps you work quicker, though sometimes not better.

A FALL OF CLEMATIS – FLORAL WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

The final piece for the workshop. Again playing with underwashes and then building up form by cutting out behind the initial wash. This is only a small painting and turned out more formal than I really wanted. I think the forms could still be looser, just giving a hint of the subject.