MANOR GARDENS 2 – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

This is the second painting in the Manor Garden series. Once more it is of the rose garden but looking down the terraces from the main house. The previous painting, displayed on my last blog, viewed the garden from right to left in this painting. Here, the view is more into the sun, so there are some juicy contrasts of light and shade.

The roses are a bit more florid than you might see if you visited, but they are probably in line with what the gardener was intending.

Both paintings have been dispatched, and the lady seems to be happy with the two pieces although she didnt recognise herself in the first painting. Hopefully she now has a constant reminder of a place she loves.

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

MANOR GARDENS 1 – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

On holiday the other week we visited these gardens in Bexhill’s old town, in Sussex. The area was part of the old Manor built in 13th century and its remains can be seen. There are also other ruined buildings. These create small walled gardens and enclosed spaces. Many of the walls are made of flints, held together with mortar, a common method of construction here, as flint is found in the nearby chalk hills and beaches.

These gardens are well maintained and the present main building is used for weddings. The gardens are a favourite haunt of a lady who asked me to paint some views of it for her. This is the main rose garden and some of the buildings and ruins can be seen. This rose garden is used as a backdrop for wedding photos and garden parties.

The second painting is being worked up and I will post that on my next blog.

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

RUSH HOUR, BEXHILL – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

At present I am playing around with some ideas and havent a new painting to post. The one above is an old painting, done before I started this blog, but never shown here. I thought it’d be worth an outing, particularly as some of the stuff I am working on are beach scenes.

I sold this to a lady, who painted herself, and who later became a friend. Her husband came from the area depicted, which is on the south coast of England, close to where I was born and, also, she liked the title. Unfortunately the lady, Mo, died from cancer, as did her husband – she died about a year after her husband.

When she was in treatment she asked me to carve a wooden head so she could store her wig properly. At that point she left it on a stair post and her sons ( she had three } had taken to playing football with it, kicking it around the house. She offered to pay me, but I asked for one of her paintings. Later I got a watercolour. She had a difficult time with watercolour and mainly painted in acrylics. The watercolour I was given was originally in an exhibition we were both in. I remarked to her how well executed it was and why was she so afraid of the medium. It was a nice piece, well presented, but in the end it didnt sell and so she gave it to me. It still hangs in our kitchen.

Other seascapes and seaside paintings are available for sale 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

RIGHTING WRONGS – WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS

I have mentioned a pile of problem paintings I have in my studio – paintings I like, but have a few issues with. This one directly above was an example. Mixing images and subjects resulted in the figure being too small for the railings and the colourings on the Bexhill Pavilion and the promenade being too dark and light respectively. So I had another go and produced the one at the top. I also took the opportunity to rearrange the figures.

I had similar issues with the painting looking the opposite way in the afternoon ( as opposed to the morning in the one above)

This one below was the first attempt;

The painting was odd in that I wanted to get the full width of the background buildings which consequently made for quite an expanse of foreground which was left a bit empty.

I hope this time the foreground has more presence and the figures aren’t as stiff. I also wanted to get more detail into the background to imply the jumble of structures there.

Lastly, there was the case of leaning Lord Street that I put out a few days ago. I thought that as I was on the topic of buildings I might as well round them all up. The one below was the original post.

So I set about it again and also tried to be a bit more subtle with the washes.

Hopefully I have got a more believable painting.

Other townscapes are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

ACROSS THE BAY – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

This was a painting of washes in three colours. One was the staining winsor blue, green shade, which sometimes has a mind of its own – so there was some trepidation as I applied the paint. I wanted the calm that a wash can, in my opinion, create.

Looking at this now I might give the man a bit more of his head, though he could have his collar up or be looking down and I did ponder footprints in the foreground but decided that the reflections might cover them up anyway, I think the calm lead-in is crucial.

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

AFTERNOON, BEXHILL PROMENADE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

The other side of the De la Warr Pavilion complex in Bexhill, East Sussex, at the opposite end of the day from my last post. The hot afternoon light coming in over the sailing club and the and the yacht masts adding to the visual commotion of chimney pots, lamp posts and flagpoles. On windier days you can hear ghostly ringing as rigging ropes slap against the hollow aluminium masts.

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

MORNING, BEXHILL PROMENADE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I did this scene plein air and posted it a few weeks back. The field of view was much wider on that one as I am a sucker for chimney pots and thought those buildings provided a good coda. This one is much tighter and focusses on the area which really got my interest. The light on the sea in the background also caught my eye when I was strolling along the prom on an earlier occasion. However, when I sat down to paint, the sea was dark, the lighting effect only came out later. Anyway, I included it on this one.

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

MORNING AT BEXHILL – WATERCOLOUR SKETCHES

Down on the south coast as we empty my mother’s flat of a lifetime of nostalgia, I started the day by doing a bit of painting on the seafront. Here the beach at lowtide looking towards Hastings.

And on the promenade by the iconic De La Warr Pavilion with the early morning joggers, dog walkers and strollers.

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

THE BEACH AT COODEN – WATERCOLOUR SKETCH

With family issues dominating of late I have had little time to paint. The day before yesterday we sat on Cooden Beach in Sussex and I sketched this scene with part of Beachy Head in the background – rather a sparse scene, I’m afraid, but time constraints pressed.

I also manage a couple of abstract pastel landscapes. I was just playing around with a loose idea, but when I reflected on the outcome, I was disappointed to see a woodland scene had evolved. Hopefully I can build on this – it certainly wasnt the vision I had in mind when I started. It never fails to amaze me how the mechanics of the process can take over and lead you away from where you wanted to be.

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