GETTING HOME IN TIME FOR WINTER – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

As promised, or threatened, in my last post I said I would present another scene of the Leeds Liverpool Canal from where I was painting the other weekend. After the boats on the left and right had departed another boat came in under the bridge and I reached for my camera. It seemed like everyone was making the best of the good weather to get their narrowboat moored up for winter. I particularly liked the smoke coming from his exhaust or chimney – not sure which – which partially obscured the bridge.

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

AN AUTUMN MORNING ON THE CANAL – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

With the latest spell of good weather I have been trying to get out and do some painting, although it hasn’t been too successful either in actually getting out and then choosing the time to get out. The other day I went out in the evening and found at this time of year the sun can go down very quickly changing shadows so fast it becomes almost impossible to work.

However, last weekend I was able to get out in the morning and wasn’t confronted with this problem. Instead the subjects took off. Luckily I had taken photographs and had actually drawn them in my sketchbook (see below) but first the boat on the left departed and then the boat on the right untied and came up towards me. I did complain to the man behind the wheel that he was upsetting my painting, but he didn’t put the boat back.

But it was a glorious morning and the scene was superb and even a jogger stopped by twice to see how I was getting on. The painting above was one I did from a number of photos and the painting below was my on site sketch.

As I was doing the sketch, after the boats had departed, another one came under the bridge and I was able to get a photo or two of  that which will be the subject of my next painting. The morning proved very fruitful with some great scenes in the low morning sun.

Other canal scenes can be found on my website: grahammcquadefinearts.com

THE LEEDS TO LIVERPOOL CANAL AT CRABTREE LANE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

This painting was worked from one of the watercolour sketches I posted  on 19th June. I have done this view before in late autumn and the barer trees and autumnal colours give it more of an edge but working in the early morning sunshine was very pleasant. I have been able to get out a bit recently, when the weather allows and I’ll post more of the sketches soon.

Other paintings are on my website grahammcquadefineart.com

MORNING, WATERHEAD, WINDERMERE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I have done a similar painting in the past of the boats gathered at the north end of Windermere in the English Lake District. The morning sun catches the surfaces of the boats. By darkening the water, highlights on the vessels are possible. I hadn’t tried this before. All the water surface has been darkened, though it doesn’t look like it. I reserved the lights for some of the vessels and the edge of the swan.

I once painted this scene on a winter’s morning, but gave up when the water on my palette froze. I should have tried the old trick of using alcohol, but decided for a photo instead and went inside for breakfast.

Other Lake District paintings are on my website grahammcquade.com . The other painting can be seen in the Sold section.

BEACHED BOATS – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Well there are a few problems with this but I’ll publish it anyway. I like the light on the boats and may do it again, making the boats bigger to fill the foreground. But, in my humble opinion  there are some good aspects as well, so here it is.

It is a similar subject to a painting I saw Joe Dowden had got published in a UK painting magazine years ago. He had blurred the marker flags on the single boat and you got the feeling of a very stiff onshore breeze. I was impressed and called the number at the end of the article. I asked Joe whether he did any courses. He then started to ramble on about cats and dogs and after a few minutes I couldn’t see where he was going. I rephrased the question and asked about lessons. Oh, he replied, I thought you said , did I do horses. I could hear a burst of laughter on the other end of the phone from people around him. At the time he didn’t, but years later he started running courses in Dubrovnik and I went on one. It was very good. Joe is a great teacher. His books are good to, full of very useful techniques, some I have used on this painting. He has a great website too.

I also have a good website: grahammcquadefineart.com

THE RETURN OF THE MIDWINTER TIDE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Whilst in Essex during Christmas we went out to the coast and in the cold evening walked along the banks as the sun set and the tide came in and the wading birds made the most of the disappearing sands. Not sure about the sun but I like the birds on the sand.

Other paintings are on my website: grahammcquadefinearts.com

THE NIGHT FERRY ACROSS THE MERSEY – ACRYLIC PAINTING

A Happy New Year!

Well you sometimes think you have some good ideas. I was pondering over what I could do as I stayed with the family over Christmas and thought that another night scene might be good. The ferry was well lit with the lights on the banks on the Wirral giving further interest behind and the boat’s light on the water in the foreground.

But when I finished the I wondered if there is still too much dark.Was the image arresting enough?Perhaps it wasn’t the good idea I thought it was. Maybe it will grow on me in time. In the meantime I’ll get on with another one.

Other paintings are on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

LANDING THE CATCH AT HASTINGS – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I was cycling into Hastings, my home town, and I saw this  fishing boat  coming along the coast with me. I arrived at the harbour before the boat. I had my painting gear, but decided that trying to get this fast moving scene down would be too much, so instead I took some pictures, as they hauled the boat up the beach with the winch. I then walked over to the other side of the beach and painted some fishermen setting up their boat and nets. At least they stayed almost in one spot for the duration.

It was a lovely morning and I cycled back to where my dad now lives feeling I had done a bit and it still wasn’t ten o’clock.

Other marine and boat paintings can be found on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

COMING IN – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Another in a short series of marine paintings. I liked the notion of the movement of water under the evening light which I wanted to combine with some nautical imagery. I was pleased with the effects of the near water, however the orange/yellow under painting desaturated the blues in the water and I had to take out some of the sky colour as it was too saturated in comparison and there was a fight between the water and the sky. There still is, but I hope that it isn’t now so attention grabbing.

There are other Marine paintings on the gallery page of my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

ESTUARY – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I was reading about a painter who was using raw pigment with watercolour. I thought that I would have a go and scraped some of my soft pastels ( which is mainly pigment with some binder) over the wet sand area and then sprayed it loosely with water to add some texture. It has given some nice effects but the pigment hasn’t bound very well as I was unwilling to press it in because I would lose the texture.. I might experiment by adding some gum arabic to the spray. As I live by the shifting sands of the Mersey Estuary it would be great to capture some of the effects you see in the sands and this technique might open up some possibilities.

Other paintings can be found on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com