LANDSCAPE IN WIDESCREEN -PASTEL PAINTINGS

Still messing about with pastels. I cut down a sheet into 3 long formats and did a few sketches on each portion. This, above, is a spring scene looking away from the Leeds to Liverpool canal in Burscough Lancashire. The Lancashire plane spread out before you and the new growth pushing upward into the warm, still, morning air.

At the other end of the seasons – harvest time and more of the Lancashire plane, but this time around Little Crosby which is on the northern outskirts of Liverpool, for the second painting in the series.

And finally, one regulars might recognise. I posted a watercolour of this a few weeks back with the sun momentarily glimpsing the rain sodden fields. I must admit the tonal contrasts were easier with the pastel.

Other landscapes are available for sale on my new website ( getting there -though still under construction) grahammcquadefineart.com

NEXT YEAR'S SCRATCHES AND SCRAPES – PASTEL PAINTING

I got the pastels out for the last blog and thought I could do with having a stock check. This entails doing a few paintings and seeing what hues and tones I am short of. I found a shop in Liverpool which sells Unison pastels. Normally I buy them over the internet, but it is far better making sure that you get the right ones by seeing them in the flesh and trying them out. So here’s a scene of thistle seed heads in the sun. I was sat waiting for someone on a park bench this autumn when the sun came out and I was caught by the brightness of the seed heads and the way they seemed to glow against the shadows. So I snapped a few photos and here we are and I’ve got my list for a shopping trip.

Other floral paintings are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

DAYS PASS INTO YEARS – PASTEL PAINTING

I received a set of Unison portrait pastels for Christmas and thought I’d find a subject where I could give them a road test. I had some images from my trip to South East Asia which caught some figures in the light – always a favourite subject of mine.

This is a compilation of a number of those images – ones of Buddhist monks and their initiates – and reflects a mindset I certainly get into myself, of being absorbed into activities which take away all sense of time. On talking to one Laotian monk in particular ( who engaged me in conversation just to practise his English) I came to the conclusion that they passed their life absorbed in worship, following rituals and were comforted by that routine. He did also say that many were monks for a short duration only and then activated the ejector seat to return to the secular world.

Other figurative paintings are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

AFTER THE HARVEST – PASTEL PAINTING

With a recent spell of bright sunshine we went for a walk along the canal a couple of days ago. It was the fields nearby that caught my attention. This one with the light on the top of the hill and the deep blue of the sky setting off what remains of the autumn leaves captured the day for me. I was thinking of putting some crows in it – but so far have resisted.

Other landscapes are available for sale on my website grahammcquadefineart.com

FURTHER LIFE SESSIONS – PASTEL PAINTING

Admin seems to get in the way of painting of late. I have a joint exhibition today in Formby along with a demo near Blackpool – so have been getting pictures ready and preparing the demo. Next week I need to gather another 8 painting for a second exhibition later in the month.

So the cupboard is getting a bit bare regarding paintings to display – anyway, here are a couple of paintings from recent life sessions. I was fairly happy with this effort, above, though I think I could be introducing more of the background colours into the figure.

Here I managed to get more interplay with the colours. The guy had the look of Lenin about him, so perhaps I should have used more red than I did.

Other figurative paintings are available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

TWO FIGURES – PASTEL PAINTINGS

It’s getting a bit busy here with visitors and exhibitions. I did a group exhibition last weekend and there are three more coming up, the last one being a solo show. I have been tweeking a few of the paintings that have been up on this blog over the last few months in readiness for the shows and was considering reblogging those, but went instead with a couple of life studies from last week.

Today I have to do a floral demo a a club north of Blackpool, so I have also have been preparing for that. I will be demonstrating the geraniums painting I posted a few weeks ago.

Anyway, once I get everything prepared I can start to calm down.

It’s almost like being back at work!

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

TOMORROW’S PLANS – PASTEL PAINTING

This image is from the same walk I alluded to in my previous post. The light catching surfaces and the figure were too good to miss. It was a pity that the woman was in the shade. I debated moving her to the other seat, but I liked the way she was sat with her shoes just catching the light. Might be worth another version.

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