SUMMER DAYS ON THE CANAL – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

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A confection of motifs, some of which I have painted before, to try and evoke long languid days on the Leeds Liverpool Canal , or any other canal come to that. With a barely perceptible flow, canals create, in me, a calmness that befits a hot summer’s day.

I started with reds greens and yellows; colours of the summer, washing them across the sheet and then added vignettes of animal and human activity – or lack of it – in an effort to fill the space.

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

SWANS – WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS

I have a couple of demonstrations to do next week and I like to have a practice to ensure I can do them in under the two hour time slot that they tend to give you, as when I do them originally I never watch the clock.

For the first one I was asked to do this family of swans that I saw when I was out painting along the canal bank one morning. The lady who engaged me had seen the first painting in an exhibition and like the way I had done the water. I posted the first painting on this blog a while back.

On this one the background ripples seemed a bit bent and the swans had an improbably large family so I had another try.

On this one I think I got the ripples right but I did like the tone of the near water on the first one and now the cygnets are barely discernable. Anyway, now I can see the problems and can draw out something that might work on the day and I now know I can complete in under the two hours. So on to the second demo…

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

ON THE WEIR – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Whilst visiting my daughter we were walking along the river Chelmer – near Chelmsford in Essex – on a bright autumn day. I saw a swan bathed in sunlight and was hoping for it to open its wings as it preened itself. Unfortunately it was disturbed by a couple of fishermen, so for this painting I had to make something up, but I managed to capture the lighting effects against the darkness of the background which had first caught my eye.

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

THE FAMILY’S DAY OUT – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

One morning, a couple of weeks ago, I was sitting on the canal edge painting when this entourage drifted by. They came up from behind me and I had to drop the painting, brushes and palette and  scramble around in my bag for the camera, all without upsetting the group. I crept along the bank taking a number of shots from which
I compiled this painting.

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

THE SAUNTERING BATHERS – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I think  that these are Bewick’s swans that I photographed at a local bird sanctuary. In hindsight I should have done this in a landscape format, but I wanted to really focus on the birds and then one thing led to another and I included extra birds and well… here we are.

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

SWANS IN THE EVENING – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I had a collection of photos I took of swans on the Thames in the summer and decided to arrange  them in a less haphazard grouping. I liked the way the evening sun highlighted the edges of the plumage.

Other wildlife paintings are on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

THE FAMILY INVESTIGATES – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I don’t do many animal paintings but the grouping of these swans against the misty blue of the background gave me the opportunity to reduce the colour palette and produce a simple painting.

Other non animal paintings are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com