As winter draws to its cruel close I came upon this view over the Brede Valley in East Sussex. It was from a dark photo, into the sun, looking over a church cemetery – where some of my maternal family are buried, and on into the valley beyond. I liked the skeletal tree and added another on the right. I lightened the foreground up and created some rough ground instead. Winter coming to an end.
The creation of the branches was a therapeutic exercise, with rain thrashing the window and a spot of Bach on the stereo. It filled a wet morning perfectly.
Other landscapes are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com at very reasonable prices.
graham mcquade 
I love the strong feeling of light; and the incredible detail in the trees.
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Thanks, painting the trees was very meditative.
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I like the amount of texture you get in your grasses. Very realistic. Lovely painting.
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Thanks. It is created by mixing loose washes of exaggerated grassy colours, then taking out highlights when dry and later going in with the darks to create texture and form. I used the grassy area to get rid of excess paint from the brush before I used it to drybrush the trees’ twigs.
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Thank you for the clear explanation. I will definitely give it a try.
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Excellent sunset, you really captured the light of the evening and shadows of the trees.
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This is a beautiful watercolour, Graham
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Thank you for your kind comment, Margaret.
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If I had to choose only one of your paintings (as far as the limited numbers I’ve seen so far) to be my favorite, this painting would be it. The rough ground is one splendid touch, a great complement of vibration to the winter sun. Looks like winter really is coming to an end.
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Thanks Dot – It’s March next week so we’re nearly there, though winter may have one more roll of the dice
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