BOLD STREET, LIVERPOOL- WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I’ve done it before, and with my compulsive streak, will probably do it again. I came out of Central Station the other Saturday morning on my way to life drawing and looked up the street into the light and took a couple of photos of a fairly empty Bold Street. This time I think I got the greyness and feel with some loose washes of blues purples and greys.

There is a sense of tired resignation at this hour with the inhabitants dragging their reluctant shadow along towards a shot of caffeine.

Other Liverpool paintings and other Bold Streets are on my website: Grahammcquadefineart.com

LUNCH IN ST FLORENT – ACRYLIC PAINTING

I did this on white paper and so dont have patches of undercolour showing through. The guy in yellow with his hand behind his head, half in and out of shadow, attracted me at first, but as a worked, his dining companion, the lady with the sunglasses, took over as the focal point.

I am not sure whether a unifying undercolour might help here. It seemed to make it more laborious covering all the surface with paint rather than being able to leave slivers of another colour. I also had concerns over the large areas of shadow and the rather crudely painted roadway, but I will give it some space and look at it again later. With acrylics reworking areas are very straightforward.

Other acrylic paintings are on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

THE VIEW FROM PARBOLD HILL -WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I wrote in my previous blog about going up Parbold Hill in Lancashire looking for a view of these churches and the plain beyond. I found this spot after a bit of searching having already done a painting. You get this view coming along the road which runs on the left of this painting between the trees and the nearest church. I think the trees, with their foliage, take a bit away from the scene and block off some interesting detail. It may have been in the late autumn or winter when I have come down the road and glimpsed the view from the car and this is the scene I remember. I need to return later in the year and have another look. But having said that, it’s still not a bad view.

Other landscapes are on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

EVENING TREES ON PARBOLD HILL – PASTEL PAINTING

The other night I went up to Parbold Hill which gives views across the Lancashire Plain. I wanted to paint the churches on the hill in the evening light. I couldn’t find the view I was after, but I cut my losses and did a watercolour sketch looking down from the right hand side of this painting. This row of trees attracted me as I sketched and after I had completed it I walked around seeing if there were some alternative views and saw the shadows the trees were casting up the hill and the light on the top of the branches. For this painting I have isolated the trees, cutting a fair few down in the name of composition.

That evening I then went on walking and found a view of the churches I was after. Sod’s law. Anyway I took a few photos and came home. There was a time when I would have continued searching rather than getting on with some painting, but on too many occasions I have finished with nothing or started so late I didn’t have time to complete and finished up rushing it. Anyway, it was a lovely summer’s evening.

Other landscapes are on my website grahammcquadefineart.com

PEAR TREE FARM – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I went out the other evening to do some painting. I went out to some hills to the east of Southport. After painting the view I rode around the top of the hill and took some photos in the evening light. This was the lane that runs up and over the hill. It was a route I took when I went to work, either by car or cycle. I liked the grouping of the buildings with the evening light coming in from the left. I have painted many other buildings in the vicinity as well as views from the hills. It’s a good place to paint.

There are some of these paintings on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

WATER AND SHADE – ACRYLIC PAINTING

On 30th May, I posted several watercolour sketches of Corsica, one of which was done in the lovely port of St Florent in northern Corsica. I was painting close to this fountain, in the shade myself, painting another part of the square. A number of people came to the fountain and they made some interesting groupings. I took some photos as I waited for my paint to dry and I decided to combine a number of the photos to give me this composite view.

Other paintings are on my website grahammcquadefineart.com

GIRL WITH ORANGE HAIR – ACRYLIC PAINTING

I prepared some paper with a blue/grey paint for a mid-tone background and took it to the life drawing group yesterday. I wanted to do a very simple painting with just a couple of tones but then this girl with dyed orange hair turned up to model. Her hair provided a bright complementary to the background although I stayed with just three tones for the rest of the painting.

Other figurative work can be found on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

THE LEEDS TO LIVERPOOL CANAL AT CRABTREE LANE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

This painting was worked from one of the watercolour sketches I posted  on 19th June. I have done this view before in late autumn and the barer trees and autumnal colours give it more of an edge but working in the early morning sunshine was very pleasant. I have been able to get out a bit recently, when the weather allows and I’ll post more of the sketches soon.

Other paintings are on my website grahammcquadefineart.com

MORNING, RUE CLEMANCEAU, CALVI – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

This was from a watercolour sketch I did on site and some photos. I am a little disappointed with the outcome, but I’ll post it anyway. My first thoughts are that the  shadow areas are not dark enough and I may have made the central portion too wide. The shades where the figure is sitting could come forward more. Perhaps a few more people might help, although it was early morning and I have added figures from different sources to up the population a little in any case.

Anyway, it’ll give me more time to ponder on it. Sometimes it’s best to leave it a while and move on to something else and then come back rather than keep struggling. You  never know, this one might make a reappearance.

Other paintings are on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

THE BOYS PLAY BOULES – ACRYLIC PAINTING

A second acrylic using this style. Again I am pleased with the vitality. I think if I had done it in watercolour in my usual style it would come out too stolid. I had my doubts in the execution, but the group of people on the right have come out well. Perhaps there is too much weight here, although the action is going on over to the left, so that might help redress the balance.

This is a development of a watercolour I did in Calvi, Corsica which I posted amongst others on 24th May

Other paintings are on my website grahammcquadefineart.com