Monthly Archives: March 2020
A walk in the woods
Hi Everybody
During these days of being at home I am reminded that I had planned soon to go with a group of painters, under the guidance of Alison Cotton, to paint some watercolours in Arlington Bluebell woods near Polegate in East Sussex.
I had been looking forward to the visit, but then had to cancel to Go on a golf trip with friends to the South Of France,which is naturally now not going to happen. Now of course a Watercolour outing like this really no longer possible, at least for this year. Let’s hope I can get there next spring!
Arlington Woods are very famous for their wonderful displays of Bluebells. This, the most English of wild flowers is a wonderful shade of violety blue and has heady and very strong scent. They are very common in Kent and Sussex and have featured in my watercolours before. One of those is also reproduced below.
So today I have painted this watercolour of Arlington Woods which I hope you will enjoy. The watercolour is 16 inches by 9 and is painted on Arches NOT watercolour paper.
This is my favourite paper as it is very nice to paint on and in this case I have used a block of glued edge paper which is also very good for travelling when I can!
Arlington Woods in East Sussex
I hope you enjoy this painting and like me get a chance one day to visit this beautiful area of the English countryside.
The second watercolour was painted a couple of years ago and is of a small pond and wood near to Hawkhurst in Kent.
Stay safe
Brian
Bluebells in the woods near Hawkhurst in Kent.
Memories – Watercolours of Amsterdam – UPDATE
Hi Everbody
So here we are stuck indoors and wishing we were somewhere else!
I thought today a short post of some watercolours, two painted this week, of Amsterdam
Amsterdam is a great weekend vacation spot, with lots to see and do and it’s iconic Canals and Buildings are very attractive to the watercolour painter.
So here are four watercolours which try to capture the scenes there.
More to follow I think too as I look back through my photos from vista there a few years ago.
I hope you are staying well and finding lots of things to do.
Yours
Brian
Amsterdam, The Canal with Seven Bridges. Watercolour 12 by 9 inches
Amsterdam, Pen and Wash 10 inches by 6.6
Amsterdam, Pen and Wash 10 inches by 6.6
Amsterdam, Pen and Wash 9 inches by 7
Skylines continued – Singapore
Hi Everybody
I been watching a great series on TV , Asian Rail Journeys by Michael Portillo.
They are all excellent and remind us a lot of visits to a number of great places in SE Asia.
Yesterday I watched an episode on Singapore and reminisced about our last visit there and dinner on the roof of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel towers.
So the programme and my photos gave me the idea of yet another “Skyline Watercolour”, this time of the view across from on side of the Marina Bay to the high rise buildings opposite.
Singapore is a great City to visit with so many things to see and do, and so, now stuck here at home it is back on our future travel list!
Anyway I hope you like this watercolour which is 18 inches by 7 and not entirely monochrome this time.
Keep well and stay safe.
Brian
Singapore, Early evening at Marina Bay. Watercolour,18 inches by 7.
Skylines
Hi Everybody
Life here in the UK is changing daily, and not for the better it seems, as we contend with the Virus.
Not going out is the new phase we are in and as it will last a while we will all be rather frustrated.
Maybe some more time for painting, reading, gardening and hopefully still some golf will now now be our new norm! Travel will have to wait for now.
So today I painted a watercolour of the skyline of Toronto.
After a recent commission from there I thought I should look up Toronto as I had only passed through it years ago when visiting Niagara Falls.
I immediately saw that like a number of other cities it has an impressive skyline and so here is the watercolour.
Toronto. Watercolour 18 inches by 8 on Arches NOT watercolour paper.
I have painted a few skylines before and so they are reproduced here. They are enjoyable to do and I like the almost monochrome approach I have used here.
As they are fun to do I think I might do some more, well there is going to be plenty of time over the next few months!
I hope you like these so far,more to follow.
Red roof on Teal lake. Watercolour 10 inches by 10.
San Francisco. Watercolour 16 by 8 inches
Rye from the Marshes. Watercolour 14 by 8
San Francisco, watercolour 11 by 7 inches
Montreal. Watercolour 14 by 9 inches
Stay well and Travel will return for us later on.
Brian
