AN AFTERNOON ON THE CANAL – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

This started out as a bigger painting. Initially I liked the array of trees in the background and the way they dwarfed the narrowboat and man, but when I completed it, the mass of foliage was boring and overpowering. I decided to cut it down from half imperial to quarter imperial. This is the quarter imperial (36x26cm) painting. I do like the warm colours of the man and lifefloat on the narrowboat, singing out in the sea of greens and the smaller size has put more focus on the boat. I still have some misgivings about the painting and will put it aside to consider it later.

Other canal scenes are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

 

UNDER CLIEVES’ HILLS – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I took a number of photos when out painting recently. This is from a photo of a view I have painted before, but not in watercolours. I liked the way the grasses worked against the farm buildings and it allows me to explore the depiction of foreground texture.

Other local scenes to Southport are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

ALTCAR MOSS, AUTUMN – PASTEL PAINTING

I was looking to emphasise and practise foreground texture and had this image from last year of the drainage channels and reclaimed agricultural land that spreads out inland from the sea around here.  I liked the contrast between the spikey grasses  in the foreground and softer foliage on the right. This place is close to Maghull as you edge into Liverpool from Formby and Southport. It is accessible from a dismantled railway track which runs north south through the moss.

Other local scenes are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

WATERCOLOUR SKETCHES -LANDSCAPES

With some good weather in these parts I have been out on my bike doing a bit of plein air painting. This is of a farm in Little Crosby – an place I have painted many times.

This is another farm just down the road from the first painting on the flat Lancashire plain, north of Liverpool.

This was done a little earlier on the beach at Southport in the evening.

This one is at the other end of the country, on the south coast. This is of the old lifeboathouse at Winchelsea where in 1928 the lifeboat was launched to a stricken vessel.

In the meantime the crew was rescued by another boat, but the lifeboat wasn’t  informed and they continued  into the storm and all  the lifeboatmen were killed. The old  shed remains as a memorial.

Other  landscape  paintings are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

RECENT LIFE DRAWING – PASTEL AND ACRYLIC PAINTINGS

I just did this from an old acrylic painting – see below – for a lady who has been buying a number of my life paintings. She told me last week that she wanted one more to accompany one she has bought – Mark posted on Nov 19th 2015. I thought I would do a female in the same style. Hope she likes it.

Girl on a Hot Green Throw was done in acrylics last week.

The original from which I did the pastel

Other life drawing is available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

 

FULL FLOOD -WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Another Nita Engle inspired painting. It was off a scene I saw on the television. I was taken by the brooding of the forest. Still finding that the painting isn’t ‘painting  itself’ as the author claims, but you do get some interesting happenstance. I’ll keep plodding on.

Other landscapes are available on my website grahammcquadefineart.com

EVENING PERFORMANCE AT THE ATKINSON, SOUTHPORT – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I have sat outside and painted this building in the centre of Southport on at least two occasions and recently I spotted this angle which has the imposing clock tower dominating the scene. Then one night we went to see a performance and the evening sunlight lit up the sandstone façade and I quickly took some photos. So this painting is a combination of a number of photos taken on different days with very different lighting conditions. It made the drawing mighty complicated and where I had problems and uncertainties I covered them in people. All I was after was the tower in shade against the glow of the sunlit façade. Also the top half was from really dark photos, but I couldn’t put anyone up there to cover uncertainties so I winged it with the lights and shades.

With all these problems I wished half way through I hadn’t started it, but it pulled through in the end. Perhaps I should have got on my bike and taken a few more reference shots but when you’re in the thick of it you think you can make do.

Other paintings of Southport are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

SUMMER’S END ON CLIEVES’ HILLS – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

This is from a photo from last year. I wanted to have a go at foreground texture. I have posted views from these hills before. They are the biggest feature for miles and I do like painting them. I did post a plein air painting from these hills here a week or so ago. Not sure about the middle distance before the dwellings.

Other paintings of Clieves’ Hills area available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

 

A VIEW OF DERWENTWATER – PASTEL PAINTING

This is a view of Derwentwater, in the English Lake District, looking over to Castle Crag and Borrowdale. I wanted to play around with texture so included the rocks in the foreground. I love the range of hills which loom up behind Derwentwater with their ever changing colours and tones as the sun marches around the sky.

Other landscapes of the lake district are available on my website grahammcquadefineart.com