EARLY MORNING AT FORMBY GOLF CLUB 2 – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Getting ready to go on holiday, I got an email from someone wanting a painting of a local golf course for a present. Unfortunately I had sold it some time ago, but suggested I could do another version. The client seemed to be happy with the result above.

And the pressure continued as I also agreed to change my small exhibition at the framers. It’s only a few paintings but you need to reframe and sort out labels etc. The photo I took is marred by reflections, unfortunately.

When I get back from holiday I have quite a big exhibition at the back end of March so I was putting paintings in what frames I had left, though I will need the frames from this exhibition and some that I have ordered to put on the exhibition – 30 paintings in all. With all the running around at least I am fairly well sorted and have sold a couple of paintings this year to boot – so we are off to a reasonable start. Now Thailand beckons – hopefully I will be able to paint a few pictures to put on the blog.

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

NEVER SECOND GUESS A JUDGING PANEL – WATERCOLOUR AND PASTEL PAINTINGS

Before Christmas there was a call for paintings of Liverpool for a book entitled The Liverpool Art Book. The authors have done a number of other cities starting with the Cambridge Art Book. They use quirky media such as CAD, collage and screen print etc so I thought my images might be a little staid. I also thought that they would want images of major landmarks.

This week they got back to me and said that they wanted copies of two of my paintings. One was a watercolour that could be of anywhere. I called it Shopping Can Create a Thirst and it was from images taken in Liverpool One (the main shopping area in Liverpool). I was pleased with the painting – but I actually threw it in the entry by accident.

I suppose the second one was more what I thought that they might want – it was a pastel of the area close to the waterfront

It is called Crossing the Strand and shows the Liver Building in the Background.

I have posted both these paintings in the past, but I must admit their selection was a bit of a surprise. Still at least I got two in. The book is supposed to come out later in the year.

Other, more unsurprising paintings of Liverpool can be found on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

WINTER ON THE MOSS – ACRYLIC PAINTING

Things are getting a bit hectic around here. I am off on holiday shortly and I needed to get an exhibition up and running yesterday. I am also just completing a commission that came in last week and when I come back from holiday I have another exhibition. This painting is for that later exhibition. The exhibition is about the local landscape and I need a bit of time to assess this latest effort and see whether I want to include it. I may be forced to as I need 30 pictures.

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

A CLUTCH OF LIFE STUDIES – PASTEL AND ACRYLIC PAINTINGS

After posting a long string of watercolours I have accumulated some life work done at various sessions in the new year.

I am a little dissatisfied with my life output particularly after my session with Crawfurd Adamson just before Christmas.

The lighting in many of our local sessions is absysmal and the poses are staid. Trying to get input is difficult as the people running the sessions do not really want or understand the options possible.

I even gave two of the session leaders at different groups a book of poses to help stimulate some variety, but neither was interested.

So all you get is people sitting stiffly on chairs – which is ok, but not everytime.

I am about to go on holiday and have decided that when I return I am going to take some time away from the life studio and work from photographs and sketches and experiment with different styles and techniques. I find this approach difficult in live sessions as you go into them not knowing the model or the pose and because of overcrowding most times you cant even select a viewpoint – on Saturday I was even restricted from sitting or standing, because it affected those behind me.

Anyway enough of this – you can see I need a holiday!

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

THE AUTUMN SUN SWEEPS AINSDALE WOODS – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

A few loose washes and plenty of splattered masking fluid got this off to a good start. I wanted the smokey luminosity of low autumn sunlight and it seems to have worked at least for the top half. A very similar subject to an earlier painting I posted , but not surprising as they both were from images taken on the same day, but I like the air of mystery in this one.

Other woodland scenes are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

CASCADING AUBRIETA – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Another floral painting. I had some images of abubrieta hanging off the rocks over my pond in morning light. The flowers are small so I have blown them up and tried to get that mass of blooms that is typical of the plant in early summer.

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

THE TRAFFIC PAUSES ON THE STRAND AGAIN – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

The repeat season continues with this offering. I posted a sketch of this before Christmas and now a more considered attempt. At least I got the buildings upright this time and achieved the smokiness you see in this contra-jour view. This is the waterfront at Liverpool and The Liver Building casts a shadow over the procedings.

Other scenes of Liverpool are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

THE TRAIN ARRIVES AT FORMBY – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I did a sketch of this last year and posted it. On this more considered piece at least I got the tracks not looking like something from a model railway and inserting the man with his briefcase adds a touch of anticipation.

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

ANOTHER ONE THAT GOT AWAY – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Going into the new year I was fairly upbeat so I decided to have another go at my cactus dahlias – this is the third attempt for anyone who is counting. Being a diary I feel the good as well as the bad should get posted and this very definitely sinks into the second category. I suppose there are some good bits but you need to look hard though I am never downhearted by these issues as it is always a learning exercise… – not to try it for a fourth time.

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

A COUPLE OF NUMBER TWOS – WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS

OK an old image for the New Year, but I wasn’t happy with my first attempt at ‘Entering Ainsdale Woods’. So here’s a second go and a title that saves overtaxing the troll’s sticky fingers.

I always have difficulties with light foregrounds against dark backgrounds and on the first one I had to resort to gouache to make some reclamations. I also felt the background tree trunks were too uniform and the dog needed repositioning. The first one looked quite good on the screen but the original didn’t stand up to close scrutiny – so that’s why you’re getting it again. This one has a lighter touch and brings out the sunlight on the autumn leaves which was something I was after.

So in compensation for repeating work, here’s a second painting, this time a repeat of ‘Receding Tide’. Hopefully I have now got the still wet feel of the shingle which I felt was missing on the first go and I extended the amount of shingle to break up the textures .

Paintings for sale are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com