I’ve tackled this more than once before, but always over elaborated the scene by adding people and the like. I thought I’d give it another go and focus on the thing that originally caught my attention: that of the old tree coming into leaf, catching the sunlight against the darks of the buildings.
It was a lovely early summer’s morning on the Leeds to Liverpool canal when I originally painted this outdoors and that first simple sketch has always been a favourite of mine. I never was satisfied with the results when I worked it up into a painting.
This time I think I’ve got back to the focus of that first sketch, even though I had to resort to a bit of gouache to revive some of the leaves on the tree; though not too much. I’m also happier with the hazy hill in the background, which hangs over the village.
The tower you can just see on the right is an old mill, now converted to a gallery by a local artist James Bartholomew – well worth googling if you like animal and seascape paintings.
Other canal scenes are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com
graham mcquade 