I started this before I went on holiday, but as we had guests progress stalled. This is at the centre of Southport where I live. I liked the flags on the hotel adding a bit of colour to the scene.
Other paintings of Southport are available on my website: grahammcquadefinneart.com
Needing a couple of paintings for another exhibition I decided to do one of the locale. This is part of the main Street here in Southport with its covered walkway and Victorian facades, although some of the buildings down this end have a distinctive art deco feel. The tower belongs to the long defunct railway station that ran a line back down towards Liverpool. I frequently cycle up the path of the old line when out looking for topics to paint. The old station is now yet another hotel. I love the view looking into the light, which you only get in the winter months, here. At other times the sun is too high and sets over the buildings on the right.
Other paintings of Southport are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com
I have sat outside and painted this building in the centre of Southport on at least two occasions and recently I spotted this angle which has the imposing clock tower dominating the scene. Then one night we went to see a performance and the evening sunlight lit up the sandstone façade and I quickly took some photos. So this painting is a combination of a number of photos taken on different days with very different lighting conditions. It made the drawing mighty complicated and where I had problems and uncertainties I covered them in people. All I was after was the tower in shade against the glow of the sunlit façade. Also the top half was from really dark photos, but I couldn’t put anyone up there to cover uncertainties so I winged it with the lights and shades.
With all these problems I wished half way through I hadn’t started it, but it pulled through in the end. Perhaps I should have got on my bike and taken a few more reference shots but when you’re in the thick of it you think you can make do.
Other paintings of Southport are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com
This is a version of Lord Street 1 I did a few years back. I was pleased with the painting, but it didn’t sell for a while and in the meantime I did some more and then I sold six different views in the street over a couple of years. This time someone wanted a retirement gift with the retiree and his wife in Lord Street, Southport (where I live) so we decided on this first scene. The trouble was when I went back to check it out a coffee chain had opened up in the area and I felt obliged to reflect reality, so I took some more photos and included a table, a few chairs, some signage and someone puffing on a cigarette. I like the smoker, they add a bit more interest to the scene.
The client has just seen the photo and seems to like it- just hope he likes it in the flesh.
Other paintings of Southport Lord Street and other townscapes are on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com
I did a painting of Lord Street in Southport, where I live, and posted it a week ago. This view, above, is on the other side of the street, but about six months later, although at the same time of day. In winter the sun comes low over the south end of the street in the afternoon and, on sunny days, bathes the buildings in a golden light.
I started a version of this at the weekend and as I was painting I picked up a tissue on the side of my hand and transferred it to the painting. On the underside of the tissue was a plug of winsor blue and I printed a couple of blobs on the painting. There are five colours used in the painting and winsor blue wasn’t one of them and as it is a staining colour I couldn’t get it out or disguise it enough. So I did the pastel of Windermere whilst I stretched a sheet of paper.
So this is a version without winsor blue.
Other paintings of Lord Street and Southport are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com
Lord Street is the main street in Southport where I live. I have painted the street many times before – mainly on the other side of the street where most of the shops are. In fact I am painting another one right now. This painting above was from a combination of a couple of photos I took this summer.
A little further down is a bandstand and for a couple of years we displayed our paintings around it in the summer. We didn’t make many sales, even after on the very first morning of the first day selling two. It was something I felt we should have continued with, but after so many weekends standing in the cold the collective will started to drain. Pity really.
Other paintings of Southport are available for purchase on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com
The bandstand on Lord Street is a well known landmark in Southport. A few years ago we staged some art exhibitions here, displaying our paintings around the bandstand. We sold a few paintings on the first morning but very little thereafter. It was very cold standing around in May and after a couple of years of poor sales we gave up.
It was only when I looked at the photo that I saw that the area behind the bandstand could better blend in with the shrubbery around. I will need to get the brushes out again.
There are other paintings of Southport on grahammcquadefineart.com
