VORTEX OF THE CROWD 3 – ACRYLIC PAINTING

Back in June 2014 I did a couple of pastels on the isolation of the individual. I was never happy with the outcome. These first two took a high viewpoint and recently when playing around I decided that a low angle might be more effective. But it wasnt plain sailing, as I found the detail I required was difficult in pastel.

So I changed to acrylic and am happier with the result. Though it may not be the final resolution, I feel I have made progress – and that is all that one can hope for, I guess. I may even revisit the first two paintings I did and see if acrylics would also suit them.

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

THIS IS NOT ART – IN ACRYLIC PAINT

The troll has been active of late though generally I can bin the missives without reading. This one slipped through the net so here is the sad repetitious content:

Shitfinder commented on LIFE SKETCHES – PASTEL AND ACRYLIC …Well….this not ART….Not even remotely….dreadful Approve  Trash | Mark as Spam

More information about ShitfinderURL: Email: Shilo@me.com Whois: http://whois.arin.net/rest/ip/86.31.102.239 (IP: 86.31.102.239)

Despite obviously skipping their medication they are almost putting a sentence together, though the punctuation needs more work – perhaps when kindergarten resumes it will be a subject that will be covered.

As for the non-art: this is my Grande Jatte painting but without the monkeys. I loved the way the figures were lolling around by the side of the river, obviously taken by some action upstream. I added a fourth figure and have been fiddling around with the painting for a while and will probably continue to do so.

I was going to show something else I had done in pastels, but have been struggling with, probably because I am working too small. Anyway, here it is as I should show the problems as well as the other stuff.

Because of copyright I had to make alterations to the image and the painting hit the buffers. Maybe one to reprise in the future.

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

LIFE SKETCHES – PASTEL AND ACRYLIC

The final life session finished last week, so here are my last live figurative paintings for a while.

I have been alternating between pastel and acrylic of late rather than sticking to one medium and have ground to a halt developmentally. This imposed hiatus might give me time to work up some of these images.

Developing images I have produced at these sessions is something I have always meant to do, but never got around to doing. It might also allow me to explore some different styles as the fast pace at these sessions doesnt leave much time to ponder and I would like to try other approaches to figure painting.

The closing down of these sessions will also leave many of the models without this source of income and some are quite economically vulnerable. There are a number of life groups around where I live so the good models can do two or three sessions a week. The girl depicted in the first sketch, Eve, even runs a group herself, as well as modelling.

Other figurative work is available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

HALSALL MOSS ON A SPRING MORNING – PASTEL PAINTING

I painted an identical scene in watercolour and posted it on this blog a while back. In this version I wanted to see if I could enhance the textures of the vegetation using pastel and hopefully have got more variation with this media, even if the image is pretty similar.

The view is one of the many drainage channels that criss-cross this low lying marshy area which is now prime arable land. I originally sketched it one morning last year and during the painting the mist broke and the morning sun illuminated the fresh vegetation picking out the greens and yellows.

Hopefully I will soon be able to get out in the open to gather some fresh material to paint again, unless the government confine us all to barracks.

Other landscapes are available for purchase on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

LOST IN THE WOODS – WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS

Following an earlier woodland scene I had an urge to explore some simplifation of the subject and came up with this effort. It is a version of a painting I posted in November 2018 which I have put below.

I must admit to liking this earlier version – though nobody else did, well, not enough to buy it. I like the lightness and the air of complexity which gives it some intrigue – the same complexity I was trying to eradicate in the top version. Probably what it lacks is the contrast in tone and hue I achieved in the top painting that immediately ups the drama.

I then turned my attention to some birches caught in sunlight amongst the pinewoods – another subject I have posted before.

In these two new versions, the first one seems to pull in the drama with its contrast of tones and greater simplicity. The lower one gets a bit busy and the background could do with a bit more punch. In the upper painting I’m not sue about having a central pine, but it does give it a sense of menace.

I think I’ll get myself out of the woods for now, but I can see myself returning…

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

ARTHUR – PASTEL SKETCHES

Arthur, a runner into his sixties, sat in the captain’s chair for last Saturday’s life session. I do like this neutral grey paper. It gives you tone but doesnt drive you in any direction as regards hue.

At least we had some half decent lighting to help create form. This time I worked on a blue biased pastel paper.

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

A WALK THROUGH AINSDALE WOODS – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I saw a woodland scene simply done in watercolours the other day and wondered whether some of my scenes could do with decluttering. The painting was eye catching though too simplistic for my taste but I felt it was worth trying some of the principles.

This painting was from view I have had lying around for a while and I thought that it would make a good starting point. I proceeded with a wash of strong primary colours over the wetted sheet and then moved the whole lot with more sprayed water to get some colour mixing into a myriad of hues.

When dry, further forms were created into sprayed areas to give hit and miss shapes and gradually the whole thing was worked up with drier and drier brushwork.

I’ll do a few more and compare them with earlier paintings I have done.

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

CANAL SIDE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

One to stir up the Troll. Its snide, anonymous comments continue – well I presume that they do, as for the last few weeks I have found a way of discarding without viewing their content. I assume this will continue as canal scenes seem to trigger a bigger tirade of ire than most other topics.

Perhaps this tactic may result in discarding a comment from someone who has a serious point to make, but in my eyes the risk is worth it.

So here is a calming winter scene by the Leeds to Liverpool Canal – well it calms me.

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

TOWARDS HASTINGS FROM GLYNE GAP – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

There are some small sandstone cliffs at the East end of Bexill in East Sussex from where you can view St Leonards and Hastings. I used to run along here when I was staying at my parents and in the morning light, the view can be enchanting.

In this painting it is the evening, when the light comes from behind he viewer and illuminates the edges of the low cliffs as well as the masses of wild flowers that grip the windy top. I originally painted the scene one evening when I was there last year, but without the flowers.

I wondered whether the flowers would enrich the view and thought that I would give it a go as part of a series of painting that I have done of the area.

Other seascapes and landscape are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

CEVENNES MORNING – PASTEL PAINTING

Out of necessity, perhaps, there have been a lot of watercolours on my blog of late. Here is a pastel of a long distant holiday and a view over morning still fields as I cycled on my way to collect some baguettes, oh, and a pain au chocolat…

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