Monthly Archives: June 2019
An afternoon of Pen and Wash.
We spent a delightful afternoon with Alan Colledge, a fine watercolour artist from Kent in England.
We occasionally visit his studio for some tuition on techniques and ideas and it is alway fun and rewarding.
This time was no exception and his information on Pen and Wash was excellent and so with his guidance we produced some watercolours.
Here is the main one that we all did after watching his demonstration. It is of Scotney Castle in Kent. This is a lovely National Trust castle and grounds and in the spring the Azaleas and Rhododendrons are splendid.
pan and Wash study of Scotney Castle in Kent. 7 by 8 inches.
You can find Alan Colledge at Art fairs and Craft and Farmers markets across the South of England where he sells his watercolours and greetings cards. This weekend he will be at the Midsummer Fair in Lenham in Kent. It is held at The Tithe Barn, Lenham, Kent ME17 2QD
Alan Colledge’s website is http://www.alancolledge.com
This was a very nice day and quite different from my usual watercolours so thanks to Alan for showing us his approach to this interesting technique.
Happy travelling
Brian
A few days in sunny Sevilla!
It has been a poor start to the summer in England and so it was great to escape the rain and spend a few days with good friends in a very sunny Sevilla.
Just about 2 1/4 hours from London Sevilla is in the heart of Andalusia in Southern Spain and gets very hot indeed in the height of summer.in June it was around 28 so very pleasant indeed.
We stayed in a very old collection of buildings now a nice hotel called Hotel Las Casas de la Juderia on Calle Santa Maria la Blanca, about 10 minutes walk from the main square where the Alcazar and the huge Cathedral of Seville are. This is one of the Hotel’s many inner courtyards which are open to the sky, but cool on a hot day.
A courtyard in the Casa de la Juderia Watercolour 9 inches by 7
The little streets are interesting in Seville with shops, houses and restaurants and of course Tapas bars. They get very busy late in the evening as eating out is a common thing obviously for the local population.
The main attraction of Seville is the Alcazar some of which is well over a thousand years old.
Evidence of the Romans in aqueducts and the layout of the city are also to be seen.
In between the touring around and eating and drinking there was time for a few quick sketches of some things that we visited and saw. These were all very quick sketches with watercolour that might become the basis for larger watercolours back in the studio.
A guide for the Alcazar is in my mind essential and our’s, Maria, was very knowledgeable and interesting.
The entrance to The Alcazar
Here is the front to the Alcazar where the queue to get in can be found.
Do buy tickets in advance for the Alcazar and the Cathedral as this will avoid the long queues.
Inside the Palace the decoration , much in the Moorish style, is truly fantastic and very well worth seeing and the gardens are extremely beautiful too. After the guided tour we were able to retrace our steps to some of the rooms and to linger in the gardens and have some lunch there.
Just inside the entrance to the Alcazar, the first Courtyard
When you have finished and seen everything inside the Alcazar this is the view as you emerge of The Giralda and the Cathedral.
The Giralda ,once a Moorish tower is adjacent to the enormous Cathedral of Seville and can be part of the entrance ticket. We didn’t climb to the top but even seeing it from below is very impressive.
The view from the Alcazar exit of the Cathedral and The Giralda.
Of course there are many other sights to see and visit in Seville, the Bullring, the River and the various old quarters of the City.
Also there is the Place d’Espagna built for the 1929 exhibition and it is surrounded by the lovely María Luisa Park.
By the substantial river is the famous tower, Cruceros Torre del Ore, built in the 13th Century.
A nice subject for another small watercolour!
Cruceros Torre del Ore by the river in Seville. Watercolour and ink. 9 inches by 7.
visiting Sevilla involves quite a lot of walking but most things are easily reachable on foot. Taxis are plentiful and reasonable and the trip back to the airport easy to.
Alas now back in the UK where it still seems to be rather changeable weather, maybe the sun will shine soon.
Happy travelling
Brian
Burnham Market
“In Burnham Market” A Watercolour 15 inches by 11.
Following on from the Workshop with Herman Pekel I have painted this watercolour of a little row of shops and houses in Burnham Market in West Norfolk that caught my eye when I visited there.
It is a very pretty town with lots of shops and cafes and very nice to stroll about.
This watercolour attempts to incorporate some of the ideas that Herman showed us and is the first that I have done back here in my studio using only hake brushes and some Chinese calighraphy brushes. They are fun to use and help with the dry brush techniques.
I plan to continue to paint in this somewhat bolder style and hope that you will like these results too.
The watercolour is painted on Saunders NOT paper and is 15 inches by 11.
if you are in West Norfolk do vist Burnham Market and Burnham Overy Staithes, and I would highly recommend a stay at the White House Hotel at Sussex Farm too.
Happy travelling
Brian
