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 

EARLY MORNING SKETCHES – WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS

With the light not  as good of late and other commitments, I havent been out early morning  painting recently, though this Friday I woke to a glorious morning, but I was unprepared as the weather forecast hadnt been that good and  I had to let that slip by.

Here is what I have in my new sketchbook, done earlier in the month. The one above was painted  with my back to the canal, taking in the country around Downholland in Lancashire.

Another one looking away from the bridge over the Leeds Liverpool Canal onto one of the many barn conversions.

But I couldnt resist the canal for long, not in this early morning light.

This was a barley field, looking over to Clieves’ Hills. When I completed this I had a ride around on my bike and saw the path cut into the barley and the view was more into the sun. It was this that was the subject of the pastel painting I put on the blog a week ago.

Finally, this was a view of a field I painted that I found when I discovered a footpath on my map I had never tried before. It gave me some other views I might paint later. It started to cloud over as I painted so I returned home, only to find the cloud gone by the time I got back.

Other landscapes are available 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

THE SUN COMES OUT AND SO DO THE SKETCHES – WATERCOLOURS

Another spell of sunny weather has made me get up early and take the paintbrushes for some exercise. Normally by now our summer has crashed into an indifferent greyness. I suppose this could be the upside of global warming. So back to the Leeds Liverpool Canal for this one by Heaton Bridge. I liked the interplay of light and shade and I could make more of it if I did it in the studio.

Another one by Heaton Bridge on the canal. I even painted my own car in the background. I had to duck in and out of the shade on this one, as I needed the sun to dry the washes before moving on.

And finally one from this morning. I took the bike and cycled around the lanes north of Crosby. Here is one of the many farms. Swallows gathered on the power cables in the dewy morning,  but had disappeared by the time I had finished  and lapwings made noisy overtures to any encroachers. Apart from that, well away from the road, all I could hear was the occasionally barking dog in the early stillness.

Other local paintings can be found for sale 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.

SUMMER’S MORNING BY THE CANAL AT PARBOLD – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I sat and painted here  the other week, though this view is an amalgam of a number of photos. There is a hill behind this village and I was drawn to the smokey early morning light against the fresh early summer greens.

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

MORE SCENES OF THE CANAL – WATERCOLOUR SKETCHES.

The good weather continues so I have been getting up early and heading for the canal. This one is at Burscough that has a few pleasant buildings along the canal which I have painted in the past.

This one is near the first painting. Whilst I sat in the warm morning sunshine painting away a fledgling magpie hopped over to me and sat on my knee. It then wandered off, probably looking for its nest. Then later it came back and tried to get into my bag – probably the next best thing to the nest.

This morning started off sunny and enticed me from my bed but by the time I sat down to paint the mist was rolling in. I persisted with this one painting, below,  but I do find that when the watercolour doesn’t dry, or dries slowly it gives you problems and I finish up waving the paper around in the air to get it dry. Wears me out!

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

 

MORNINGS ON THE CANAL – WATERCOLOUR SKETCHES

Well, we have been suffering a few days of good weather around here, so I have been getting up early and getting down to the Leeds to Liverpool Canal to do some early morning painting. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, this is a project I am doing on views of the canal – so this is the fact-finding part,

In earlier days I took my bike and combined painting with some exercise, but for a variety of reasons I have taken the car and gone directly to a particular stretch of the canal.

As it has been at a more leisurely pace I have taken a flask of tea with me. At the time of getting up – around 5-30, by the time I get to a suitable site and sit on my stool, a cup of tea really helps me to focus. I am quite pleased with these sketches and the tea may have something to do with it.

I may work some of these sketches up into paintings – so you have been warned. I have also taken a number of photos as well, so I am accumulating the information,

Paintings of the canal and narrowboats  are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

BREAKFAST ON THE CANAL – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I am working on a couple of projects at the moment. One is a set of paintings based around the Leeds Liverpool Canal which meanders across the countryside close to me. I went out the other week and  posted a painting I did on the spot. This is a view of a couple of the narrowboats I posted then, but viewed from a different angle where I spotted a couple of the owners having an early morning cuppa in the sun. It seemed a good subject to start off the series.

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

THE CANAL AT BURSCOUGH – WATERCOLOUR SKETCH

With some good weather I got off to the canal early Monday morning and sat in a deserted pub garden by the side of the canal  and painted this. I was going to do another but by then the locals had woken up and as it was the bank holiday there was more than the usual activity. When everyone has gone back to work and the sun comes out again I will get back there,

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