EARLY SUMMER AT PARBOLD – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

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

CALM ON THE CANAL – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

On the Leeds to Liverpool canal near Scarisbrick I happened upon the cluster of bankside trees set against the morning sun and the reflection they cast on the water. In the distance the ducks and a huddle of moored boats hopefully drag the eye through the painting. Most of all I loved the serene peacefulness of the still hour – worth the early rise.

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

THE CANAL AT DOWNHOLLAND CROSS – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Before Christmas, when the cold was raw, I went on a walk along the Leeds to Liverpool Canal on a day when the sun shone bright. I have recently shown 3 paintings taken from that walk on this blog ( St Thomas’ Church, Canal at Pygon Hill Lane and Up the Hill) Here is another one from that day. With the blue of the sky and its reflection in the water, pitted against the ochres of the reed beds and birches it made a pleasing combination. I also liked the snaking of the canal as it lines up to go under the roadbridge just ahead.

Now things have warmed up I have stated the big garden clear-up and shrub moving and walks like this will have to wait for a while – still, it was a productive day.

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

THE CANAL BY NEW LANE, BURSCOUGH – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Well, my first ever pastel demo seemed to go well on Wednesday. This was after a watercolour workshop on Saturday and yesterday I had tricky tooth root extracted ( well, that was what the dentist told me, so much so she sent me to another dentist to get it done).

So I havent done much painting of my own which I can show to you. Hence another oldie: a winter scene of the Leeds to Liverpool around the Lancashire town of Burscough. It sold at my local library – now converted into housing estate – where our club put paintings on top and between the bookcases and hoped for a sale. Occasionally it happened.

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

THE CANAL AT LYDIATE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

A long-sold painting from 2006, of the Leeds to Liverpool canal in the north of Liverpool at Lydiate. Due to painting birthday cards and a visit by my daughter, my normal output has been curtailed of late.

Also, there is a bit of apathy after being told, on Saturday, that one of my exhibitions has been called off as the owners want the facility for other purposes. It came out of the blue, as we had been discussing the exhibition since July and only last week, I submitted a press release with images to them and also signed and returned their agreement document.

I have expressed my disdain and pointed out, that based on our agreement, I had ordered 5 new frames and turned down an offer of participating in another exhibition. I still have two more exhibitions from November until January, but it is extremely annoying.

Still, on the upside, the painting I presented on my previous blog – which was painted specifically for the cancelled exhibition – was spotted by someone who lives close to the scene depicted and frequently runs along the canal path you see in it. He has said he will come around tomorrow to buy it, So I had best get on and frame it.

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

MORNING AT BURSCOUGH – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Regular readers will probably know I have been banging on about revisiting old paintings in preparation for upcoming workshops and demos I have been asked to do. Trial runs leave you with a painting that you can exhibit, which is a great side product and one I am certainly in need of. This is because I have overcommitted to two solo exhibitions and a group show from November onwards, which at times are running concurrently. I need frames and more paintings. The frames have been ordered and I am making some late additions to the paintings.

Here is one. I’ve posted a version before, but this time I did it in a long format – mainly because I have a few spare long format frames and not much to put in them. It is of the Leeds to Liverpool Canal at a small town called Burscough – north of Liverpool.

It was a lovely morning, well worth getting up at 5am for and I remember doing a couple of paintings in the warm sun before being regaled by a musician who complained for a good half hour, as I worked, about payments for gigs – or the lack of payment, as I recall. I told him to take up painting: then he would really have something to complain about.

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

NARROWBOATS AT BURSCOUGH – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Another old painting. I sold this to my gardener who also came along to the art group I ran after he was telling me that the teacher at the art group, he originally went to, didn’t turn up one afternoon because he had fallen asleep after lunch. I advised him to join our group where he would get help and advice for free from the other members. He saw me painting this at one of our sessions and asked to buy it.

Other canal and narrowboat paintings are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

NEW LANE BRIDGE BURSCOUGH – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

An old painting from 2006. I sold this at an exhibition we put on in our local Birkdale Library. The library is now a housing estate, but a group decided to resurrect the Birkdale Library and it is now housed in the old stationmaster’s house at our local station ( I posted a painting of a train in the Birkdale station recently). My next door neighbour is heavily involved in the project and I was helping him build a bookcase for the library over the weekend. I think he regretted taking on the project as it was a large complex piece, not helped by non-parallel walls of the old building and a router blade that slipped during cutting out the joints.

I think I’ll stick to painting.

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

A FEW MOMENTS AT BURSCOUGH – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

It was the stance of the fellow by the narrowboat that caught my attention. Coupled with the shade of the tree and the haziness in the background , I thought that it might make an interesting picture. The location is the old quay at Burscough with it’s cobbled pathway at the side of the Leeds to Liverpool canal – if you are going in that direction. It is the same location where I painted the old guy with his kettle – posted on 12th April, only taken from a slightly different angle.

Perhaps it is the slow flow of the canal that creates a gentle, unhurried ambience upon its banks. Time to talk, time to pause and stare, time to sit with a hopeful eye on your fishing rod. A narrowboat glides by and walkers wave, whilst ducks unhurriedly part to the canal sides and find another place to search for their watery fare.

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

BURSCOUGH DOCK – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

Life has been a little hectic of late and has prevented me from doing much painting. Fortunately I have a few old paintings that I havent shown on this blog before. Here is one I did this in 2005 and it sold. I came across an image of it yesterday and was pleasantly pleased with it, well, apart from the perspective of the arch over the near window. Though it was the reflection off the sliding door and the cobblestones that caught my eye.

This old building has since been gentrified with bars, boutiques and galleries, but the brick shell remains. The area is great for subjects to paint such as the canal and the old mill you can see in the distance.

Even more canal side paintings can be found for sale on my blog: grahammcquadefineart.com