More railway locomotive paintings

Exbury Gardens Railway 10th anniversary

Leopold de Rothschild driving 'Mariloo'

Exbury Steam Railway 10th Anniversary

During August I was invited to attend the celebrations for the exbury gardens railway 10th anniversary. The above painting was a commissioned work for presentation to Leopold de Rothschild, owner of the garden and railway, and is pictured in the cab. The locomotive is named 'Mariloo' and is pictured in the gardens. The painting is based on a great photo taken by Nigel Philpott, a manager of the gardens. I added the headboard,front of engine and the lord himself.
The painting is done in acrylics on a canvas 20"x16". I usually paint in oils, but due to time constraints I had to use acrylics, but I feel the outcome is successful. 
  

steam engine bulleid merchant navy pacific 30005 study

During the Exbury event I set up my easel and did a small demonstration painting in acrylics,12"x10 on canvas board. It is a detail of a merchant navy pacific express locomotive (30005). The under drawing was done before the event, and the painting was sold during the event.

from the website...

Exbury steam Railway 10th Anniversary 

This is painted on a canvas measuring 16" x 20". It is painted in Acrylics which is very rare for me to use, and this was my first Acrylic painting for decades. Often in my paintings the work will be started in Acrylics and then finished on top in oils. The deadline was very tight for this painting, and there was no time for allowed to let (oil) layers dry. I was suprised at how well the acrylic colours came out, and in addition the image was sharper than usual, perhaps because of the medium or the sharpness of the reflections on the engine boiler. The painting took about 5 days to produce. The image was to celebrate ten years of the existence of the the Exbury narrow gauge steam railway, situated at the Exbury Gardens and steam railway, Hampshire, in the New Forset, UK. The Engine was built in 2008 at the Exmoor steam railway, Devon and is named Mariloo. The driver pictured is owner, of the gardens and railway, Leopold de Rothschild. The railway opened in 2001 and this image is based on a modified photograph taken by Nigel Philpot.

steam engine Bulleid merchant navy pacific 30005 study

This small (10" x 12") acrylic painting was done as a demonstration painting in public at an Exbury Railway open day. It is of a section of a 'Merchant Navy Pacific' locomotive, built in the 1940s by the engineer Bulleid. This actual engine depicted was not at the location, but instead I used an old photograph taken years before. The painting was created in the engine shed at the garden railway, and probably contains a level of soot mixed in with the paint!

boat wreck with sea birds

boat wreck with sea birds oil painting

Boat wreck with sea birds

This was completed in mid July and is painted on a canvas 20" x16" in oils. The boat wreck was situated on the river Itchen, southampton. I was attracted to the textures on the boat, the flaking paint and the rotten wood and the reflection in the water. The birds were added to the composition, though are typical of the wildlife in the local area.

from the website...
This boat wreck is on the River Itchen, which starts in Southampton. I was drawn to the interesting textures on the boat, the pealing paint and the algae gradually taking over the surface of the hull when choosing this subject for a painting. It is based on a photograph and I added the birds in from other pictures I took in the same area on the same day, using photoshop to create a final master drawing/ layout. I think that the textures do come across well through the use of oil paint and the sea birds add interest to the scene, the water reflections finishing off the painting quite successfully. The artwork was completed in 2011.