THE CANAL FISHING COMPETITION – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

When we went for a walk along the canal the other week I looked over the bridge at the start and saw that there was a fishing competition going on in one direction. In the other direction there wasnt anyone, so we headed off on the deserted tow-path. As soon as we rounded the first bend, there they were. It was almost as if they had prepared a trap for the unwary.

The trouble with walking along the canal with a fishing competition, apart from losing the sense of solitude, is the fact that their long poles, which stretch right across the canal, can block your path when they pull them back and put more bait on the hook. Fortunately this branch only spread a mile down the canal and after that all was clear, quiet and unimpeded.

On the way back they repaid me for their intrusion with this view into the low winter sun. Let’s call it quits.

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

CANAL PATH – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I decided to return to watercolours and build up some canal paintings. This was a contra jour scene I spotted recently. I loved the weeds and rushes at the canal edge in the foreground. I decided to add a narrowboat, mainly to upset troll. Then, dropping some white gouache onto the wet paper gives the satisfying illusion of smoke. I’m easily pleased.

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

GOING NOWHERE, FOR NOW -WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

The exhibition looms and I was unhappy with some of my canal scenes and decided to add a few more and make a decision from a wider field. This is another version of one I did plein air last May/June and posted. I really liked the light on the tarpaulin and the weeds growing around the boat.

Other canal scenes are available for sale on my website, as indeed is this one, grahammcquadefineart.com

A SHADY PLACE TO MOOR – WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS

More paintings for the exhibition. I thought one of the canal might be worth a punt, so I need to chose between these two.

Though I may do a series of canal scenes for later in the year so I could always use the one left over, but – and here’s the good news – I will need a few more to make up a series. That’ll cheer the troll up if nothing else.

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

 

VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I wanted to continue with my local paintings but had nothing ready and being out of sorts with a persistent cough, I thought  I’d take a break, have an easy time, and try this scene. I find these vertical extended paintings sell well. Perhaps they fill awkward spaces and this view, with a bit of juggling, seemed to fit a long format well. It also helps me in adding to  the selection  of  canal scenes I am also working on for an exhibition later in the year. I liked the different layers of interest in this with the background landscape, the canal and narrowboats and then the dogwalker – who came in from another couple of photos.

Other canal scenes and landscapes are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com or grahammcquadefineart.co.uk 

CANAL SIDE AGAIN – WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS

I decided to work up a couple of my sketches into paintings. I used three colours again for this one of the Leeds Liverpool canal at Haskayne. I feel I could make it more dramatic and may well have another go at this one.

I do like the long format and took a sketch I published earlier and narrowed it out and gave the man a dog. He was actually walking along bare chested – but I gave him a red shirt ( I cant stand nudity at such an early hour). Again it was done with three primary colours and again it was of the Leeds Liverpool Canal between Burscough and Parbold.

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

ONE FOR THE TROLL – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

A troll has landed on my site like some bird-droppings on my shoulder. Making oblique, sarcastic comments, they clearly dont like my paintings and repetitively parrot this distaste. It seems that they particularly dislike canals and narrowboats – or barges, as they put it. So I thought I’d post another one – just for them.

I dont like some of the  stuff either and the last one they commented on had a glaring error which seems to have gone right over their head whilst they focused on their superior taste – yeah they seem to have some hierarchy  reverberating in their empty head at which they naturally place themselves at the top and me squarely at the bottom. Its sad to hear the poor onanist  on full sneer, unable to discern between objectivity and subjectivity.  They may grow out of it, though I doubt it.

I dont know whether any other bloggers have the tedium of these style fascists, but you wonder about their mentality and why, when they see something they dislike, they dont just move on. I mean, I dont mind criticism, and deserve it, but haranguing someone because they dont match your tastes is bewildering at the least.

Anyway enough of this. If you like what you see I have a website of paintings for sale on grahammcquadefineart.com, though you’ll have to form an orderly queue behind the style fascist who will be placing an extensive order.