WAITING FOR THE TRAIN AT FORMBY – WATERCOLOUR SKETCH

Another sketch just to get the feel of the subject. I had come out of a life session and was getting the train home. The sunshine was bright and the figures were set in deep contrast making me get my camera out. If I do it again I must get the tracks right – it looks like a model railway and there isnt a conductor rail but the use of masking fluid to get the glinting tracks worked better than I thought it would.

Paintings of Formby and other townscapes are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

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THE LANE TO LITTLE CROSBY – PASTEL PAINTING

The other week when I went to get some reference material for an upcoming show, low morning sun-light exploded in between the leaves and branches of the willow trees which sat in the drainage ditches along the road I travelled on. Fortunately I had my camera beside me and I was able to snatch a few snaps. Even better was the fact that I managed to keep the car on the road at the same time and no passing motorists were harmed in the taking of these images.

I have been assembling and framing the paintings for the show and will be taking them in next week for hanging. I had forgotten about these images until I came across them the other day when I thought that I might make something out of them.

Other paintings of Little Crosby and Formby are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

FOLLOWING IN FOOTSTEPS TO FORMBY BEACH – PASTEL PAINTING

We had some French people staying with us at the weekend and on Saturday we all set off for a walk along the woodlands, dunes and coastline to the north of Liverpool. It was a warm, glorious day and at  lunch time we descended the dunes and had a picnic on Formby beach. Probably the last opportunity this year to do such a thing. This was the view as we searched for somewhere to settle down to eat.

The next day the weather was markedly different as we walked along the Mersey in  south Liverpool. We had to find shelter from the rain and had our lunch in the car. Though later in the day, as we were leaving,  the sun broke the clouds and the exposed Mersey mud glistened, allowing the Oystercatchers to find their evening meal. I might have a go at that view in the coming days.

Other views of Formby and  the coastline are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

FISHERMAN’S WALK REPRISE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Yes, you’ve seen it before but not quite like this. Someone wanted to buy the original, but then wanted it bigger and whilst I was at it could I put their parents in – along with the dog. So anything to oblige… I also took the opportunity to work out how to do it as a demo as a local group want a landscape demo in watercolour, so all in all, hopefully it was time well spent.

Other landscapes are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

TOWARDS LYDIATE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Continuing with images from my cycle ride the other morning. This is again done in three colours UM blue, Cad red and yellow, but the red is subdued to give a tighter chromatic range. I love the counter changes of light and shadow.

Other landscape paintings are available on my website grahammcquadefineart.com

AUTUMN WALK ON THE COASTAL PATH – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

If you walk further towards Liverpool from the Fisherman’s Path – the subject of my previous blog- you get through the pine forest and meet this rutted track which skirts between scrub and farmland and if you turn right at the end  you can get you back to the beach. As I am still building up paintings for my exhibition in April I thought I would play around with  watercolour textures using this scene.

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

FISHERMAN’S PATH 3 – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Being a sort of  obsessive I do paintings over and over again. This is the latest version of this path which connects the north end of Formby with the sea via the pinewoods and skirting one of the many golf courses here. I am beginning to feel a bit satisfied with the outcome. I initially went in with warm red, blue and yellow and mixed the colours all over the paper, spraying and mixing the quite strong colours. Then, when dry I rewet some of the paper with spray and mixed in the foliage, extending the trunks at the same time. I am pleased with the effect of the light even though I have painted over the whole paper. On a previous edition I deliberately left the area of the sun white, yet it doesn’t have the same impact of lightness – see below.

Also the trees on the right now have more vitality and their warmness complements the colder colours on the left. I feel there is a greater sense of mystery in the new painting.

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