Plein Aire Oil Painting - Tything Barn

Well after so much rain this summer I decided to go camping and yes you guessed it rain. Nine days camping, 7 days rain and 2 1/2 days sun. I was able to do this painting of one of the lakes. The sun was directly overhead when I started so there wasn't too many shadows. The sun was bright but there were still clouds in the sky.

This is the 1st PA oil painting I have done so in that event I am a happy man - been waiting for soooo long to get out in the UK to paint due to the amount of rain we have had this summer. I am a little disappointed with the picture as when I look at it on the computer screen there is very little depth of field and it appears to be flat. It is also shiny which precludes me to think I may have used too much linseed oil.

Still one hopes I can only get better!!

The painting was done with Winsor and Newton oil colours on 10 x 12 canvas on board.

Another visit to Italy

Another great visit to Italy and the area of Lake Garda. Weather reached 30C+ in the week we were there and it was hot.
I did some painting en plein aire and here are the results:

This is the house that my daughter and her husband live in. The last pick was taken from a photograph, this one was painted in situ. I like the depth of colour and the shadow lines.
I had taken some time in drawing this as I had mis-counted the number of windows in the line 6 instead of 5. This is watercolour paper 16x12 300gm hp paper

This is a pencil drawing of Maria Callas home on Sirmione, Lake Garda - although it is now a block of expensive apartments.
I had a lot of fun with this drawing making sure that I got every little bit of detail. I wish I had time to paint it but that was not to be in the time limit I had. The next day I went it was too hot for me to sit in the sun. I will paint it at home and show you when it is completed. This is watercolour paper 16x12 300gm hp paper.

This painting was seen as I walked around a bend on a walk along the banks Lake Garda.
It is a scene of a pier owned by a hotel on Sirmioni, Lake Garda. As you can see it is partly hidden by grasses and trees but I will expand this picture into an oil painting. This is watercolour paper 16x12 300gm hp paper.

There was one other painting that I was doing at Salo, the home of my daughters pianist and coach. This was coming on quite well but the paint was not dry enough when I wanted to add the shadow colour to it. It was ruined by a big splodge of colour that completly ruined the painting. The moral of this story is make sure that the watercolour is dry first.

I enjoyed this week in Italy not least seeing my daughter and husband but for the painting that I have done. The worst bit was at the house of Maria Callas. There were so many people looking at my drawing, but no-one commented but someone asked if I minded taking a picture of me drawing it - that was praise indeed.

I am next in South Wales near Pembroke Dock and I hope to complete some oil paintings there, if this rain will ever stop!!

Still Raining

We have come away to Norfolk for a couple of days hoping to catch a few moments plein air painting but it hasn't stopped raining for 3 days, since we have arrived here. We are going home now and there is still rain albeit a little drizzle. I hope it stops soon as I need to go out and paint!!

Front of House - Italy

Well just finished this one, the front of my daughters home in Italy.

This was completed from a photograph on Saunders Waterford 300gsm 16x12 paper. I am pleased with this renditioning except for the front door when I should have stopped , but ......

A new painting - at last

A watercolour with ink, Saunders Waterford 16x20.
It is ages since I last posted and since then we have been to our daughters and son-in-laws in Italy, Castellaro Lagusello, near to Lake Garda.
I took this photo of where they are living and completed it when I returned home in watercolours.

On my way to Plein Aire!

Well it has been several weeks with nothing to report, but now I have a Kent Box Easel to take with me on my paint outings to paint scenes in my area and abroad. I am gathering all the items I need.
I am travelling to the beautiful area of Lake Garda, Italy next week to see my daughter, but I will also to do some painting. I have done drawing and painting outside before but only in areas where my family and friends have been around but this time I will be exposed to the general public, but at least I wont know what they are saying - I cannot speak Italian!!
My painting of a Blue Iris I am touching up again. I put the painting on www.wetcanvas.com and I was given some advice to put mauve/maroon on the flower, I tried this and I didn't like it so I have gone back to the blue and done some blending and hopefully it will look even better. I will post it soon.
I have a couple of paintings to finish, a copy of a photograph of a town in Tuscany, a still life of table decorations with flowers, glass and china plates, on a green table cloth and a light coloured background. I changed the background to dark though as it looks better - I am leaving this one to get a fresh eye to see where I am with it though.
So lots to do over the next few weeks.

Montana

A pen and Ink of a friend's house by the sea called 'Montana'.

Pen and Ink on Watercolour paper 16x12 inches