Plein air painting 91

Plein air painting 91 (unfinished)

This view shows the B3079 going through the Bramshaw area of the New Forest, Hampshire. On the right hand side (off canvas) would be the Green Dragon pub. The sky was quite foreboding when I started this plein air landscape. Sadly after about 30mins it started to rain. I continued for another 15 mins or so but had to stop because the raindrops were settling on the oil paint to an uncontrolled amount, like little beads. Fortunately I had got the painting to a level where it is showable, even if not actually finished. When the water droplets finally disappeared, little circles/ dots are left in the paintwork.
Painted in oils on the 24 November 2022 this artwork is done on cardboard sized at 12" x 9.5".

Plein air painting 90

Palmerston Park is one of five parks to be found in central Southampton. Looking south across the park, past Pound Tree road/ neighbouring Houndwell Park and in the very distance W Bargate road. The large trees made very pleasant shadows on the ground while the diminishing foliage blurred in with the buildings in the background.
Painted on cardboard sized at 12" x 9.5" in oils during a slightly chilly but very sunny morning in November 2022.

Plein air painting 86

In the past I've painted a certain part of Southampton common a number of times, this being the gatekeepers cottage near to the exit at Hill Lane. Here the view is right by the cottage boundary and looking in a northerly direction down part of the common. Painted one Friday afternoon in early November (2022) on a sunny and mild afternoon. Oil on cardboard (12" x 9.5").

Plein air painting 83

Following on from the previous post, this is a further view from Andrews Park, in the middle of Southampton city. It is painted a day later,(during October 2022) from a location just a few feet away but looking in a different direction. Here various tall buildings can be seen (one in scaffolding) along the Brunswick Place/ Charlotte place roads. University buildings are in the centre with the Jurys Inn hotel on the right. 
Oil painted on cardboard sized at 12" x 9.5".

Plein air painting 82

The famous tower clock of the grade II listed Civic Centre building is seen here rising above the trees. The location is Andrews park, in the centre of the city of Southampton. Painted one early Sunday morning with sunshine, in October,2022 on mounting board cut to 12" x 9.5", using oil paint.

Plein air painting 80

During October 2022 two plein air landscape paintings were done on Pepperbox Hill, just outside Salisbury, Wiltshire, this being the first. It was a little chilly when this was done early in the (sunny) morning. The viewer is looking NW in the direction of the city of Salisbury, with the A36 located on the right (off the composition). Pepperbox is the name of a brick built folly, dating from the 1600's, situated nearby.
This was painted in oils on mounting board, sized at 12" x 9.5"

 Plein air painting 72

The ornamental lake on Southampton common is shown in this plein air work done in late September 2022. Although the early morning weather was quite bright for the time of year, as time went by it became quite a gloomy day, with rain eventually moving in.
Painted on cardboard sized at 12"x 9.5", and done with oil paint. 

Charing Cross bridge over the Thames in London - WIP stages

Painted during the summer of 2021 this 20” x 16” oil painting shows a scene during a sunny autumn day in London. The location is the South Bank, looking over the Thames and on to the Embankment on the opposite side
The photo above shows four stages of the painting in progress. In the first panel can be seen the drawing, based on a photo that had been altered compositionally, which is done in dark brown paint on a lighter brown wash, using acrylic paint. Moving to the second stage diluted oil paint has been added, mainly to act as an underpainting to give guidance to the placement of colour and tonal values within the composition. When this level is dry then the painting can be tackled with thicker paint, used to create the final layer and clarifying the correct colours, as partly done in the third panel with work underway. Finally the last panel shows the completed artwork of the London scene, which can be seen in greater detail by following this 3^rd party external link. 

Charing Cross bridge over the Thames in London - oil painting

A view of the river Thames is shown during a sunny autumn day in the city of London, UK. The people shown are seen standing on the 'South bank', with the 'Embankment' on the north side of the Thames. In this busy part of the city can be seen a number of distinctive land mark structures. Charing cross station can be seen, with a large development, known as Embankment Place, that was opened in 1989, on top of the Victorian railway station. The railway station is fed from railway lines coming across Hungerford bridge, built in 1870s and replacing an earlier design. For most of its life it has had a pedestrian footway of some form as well as carrying railway traffic. In recent years to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee, a new suspension walkway was added either side of the railway bridge, which can be seen on the right.
The location is popular with tourists and a few can be seen enjoying the mourning Autumn light. A man is leaning against one of the famous 'dolphin lamps' with populate both sides of the Thames and are of an intricate Victorian design. A couple are photographing each other, presumably with the intention of getting the Houses of Parliament in the frame, which can be found sightly further down the Embankment side, and of to the side of this composition.
This painting was done in oils on mounting board, sized at 20” x 16” and painted during summer 2021. It can be examined in better detail by following this link. 

 Plein air painting 18

A view of a path running through Southampton common painted during October 2020.

 Plein air painting 09

old cemetery Southampton on a sunny sunday sketch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This painting shows a view of the 'old cemetery' in Southampton, Hampshire. The cemetery is a victorian one, now mostly overgrown which gives it an extra quality with foliage twisting over the tumbled headstones. It was painted on Sunday morning, 13th September on a board measuring 12" x 9".

 

St Paul's Cathedral London in early Autumn - oil painting

St Paul's Cathedral London in early Autumn - oil painting

Completed oil painting of St Pauls cathedral, London.

The world famous landmark of St Paul's cathedral, London, is the subject of this oil painting, created in late December 2019 and finished off a few days in to the New Year. The building is shown in early autumn light from a south easterly aspect. The main road populated by mainly buses, including one of the famous new Routemaster buses ( Boris Bus) is Cannon Street. The building itself has hosted various important public events and is a big landmark in the city. It was the tallest building until 1967. Its designer was Sir Christopher Wren, who also built a number of London's famous churches surrounding the area. Work was started not long after the fist St Paul's was destroyed in the great fire of London in 1666, and was opened for use in 1711.

The artwork is painted in oils on acid free mounting board, as is sized at 33” x 23”. It can be seen in greater detail on this link.

Southampton old cemetery looking west early autumn - oil painting

Southampton old cemetery looking west early autumn - oil painting

Landscape painting of a westerly view of the Cemetery.

Southampton's 'old' cemetery is approximately 27 acres in size and was opened during the 1840s in the town of Southampton, on the southern coast of the UK. Now in the 21^st century it sees very little use due to a lack of space. Some parts have been reclaimed by nature which adds an additional level of beauty and interest with views of headstones covered in ivy and bramble. This painting show a view over the cemetery looking west, with Hill Lane running parallel behind the viewer. It is painted on canvas sized at 30” x 20”, and completed during December 2019 over a couple on months due to other projects. This graveyard oil painting can be seen in better detail by following this link.

Southampton Common view towards Hill Lane - WIP stages

Southampton Common view towards Hill Lane - WIP stages

Stages of the painting featuring a part of Southampton Common.

This outdoor scene shows a view within Southampton Common, within the city of Southampton, UK. It is a sunny day in the autumn with long shadows being cast by the trees and over the path of one the main routes through the common. Locals are seen to be taking an afternoon stroll through it.

The picture below shows four stages in the development of the oil painting, created in late January 2020 and in view of the public at an art event held locally.

In the first panel can be seen the subject drawn on to a canvas with a light brown acrylic wash. The drawing is done in brown acrylic and high value tones painted in white paint. The second panel shows areas of colour added in using diluted oil paint, so that it is thinly applied. This is the 'under-painting' and in which the colour tends to be on the dark side with little detail. Once this layer is dry, (usually a few days) then the final application of paint is painted on. At this stage the paint is thicker and true to the intended colour value. Also details are now painted in as seen in the third panel. The final panel displays the finished landscape painting, which is on canvas sized at 20” x 16”. The artwork can be seen in better clarity by following this link.

Southampton old cemetery looking west early autumn -WIP stages

Southampton old cemetery looking west early autumn -WIP stages

Stages of creating this westerly viw of the graveyard at Southampton

Completed in December 2019 this landscape painting depicts a westerly view of Southampton city's 'old' cemetery, situated near to the common. It is painted in oils on a canvas measuring 30” x 20”. The image above shows four stages in the development of the painting. In the first panel can be seen the drawing of the scene in brown acrylic paint on a wash of lighter brown paint. Brighter areas of the scene have been indicated with areas painted in white, such as the sky. Moving on to the second panel it can be seen that colour oil paint has been applied thinly to the painting, basically blocking in the darker tones in the landscape. This is the underpainting, and acts as a guide to the next layer, which is in the third panel. Here the paint is applied more thickly and with the correct hues and values Also elements are painted in detail, but some of the underpainting remains and shows through on purpose. After the paint has all been applied it is left to dry., after which a 'glaze' is added on top. The glaze is like a hint of coloured paint held in a transparent medium, a bit like coloured stained glass, which gives the colours an extra dimension. The final panel shows the completed painting which can be seen on this link.

Southampton Common tree by path in Autumn - WIP stages

Southampton Common tree by path in Autumn - WIP stages

Stages of a painting of a tree at the entrance to Southampton city common.

A tree in Autumn features in this seasonal landscape study. The tree is one to be found within Southampton Common, Hampshire, near to the entrance.

Shown in the picture above are four stages of the painting. In the first, the basic scene has been drawn out in brown acrylics on a yellow ochre flat colour, also done in acrylics. A basic indication of shading has been added. The second panel has some colour added in the way of a wash of diluted oil colour, used to indicate areas of colour and tone. These are not the final painted colours for now, and are left to dry. Moving on to the 3^rd panel it can be seen that paint has been applied heavier on to the painting, over the previous, dried layers. These colours are now truer to the intended tone and the painting has become more detailed in these areas. The final panel shows the completed work, with all the final layer of paint applied. A additional stage was to give most of the painting a 'glaze', which is where a further level is applied in the form of translucent colours mixed with a clear painting medium. It is similar to stained glass, though not as strong, but this helps to enhance the colours when seen by the human eye as light travels through the extra layer, hits the underlying area and bounces back. A camera does not see this effect however when a photograph is taken.

On other point of interest is that the support (canvas) is home made. This is to say that un-primed canvas material was purchased from a fabric shop and then fixed to a wooden stretcher bar, home made from scraps of wood. Once the canvas was stretched tight over the wooden stretcher bar, it was primed ready for painting. It was found that the painting surface was quite smooth.

The painting can be seen in greater detail by following this link.

Southampton Common tree by path in Autumn - oil painting

Southampton Common tree by path in Autumn -  oil painting

Completed artwork of tres at the entrance to the common.

An Autumnal scene is pictured in this scene on Southampton Common, painted during September 2019. The tree is near to the entrance of the common, and has been recognised in this painting. It is the early part of the season so some trees are still green, whereas others have already lost their leaves. Other trees display golden leaves, still clinging on to the branches.

The painting measures 14” x 13”, so is quite smaller than usual, and is done in oil paint on a home made canvas (cotton primed and attached to a home made wooded support frame).

It can be seen in greater detail by following this link.

Brick Lane London - oil painting

Brick Lane London - oil painting

Large oil painting of Brick Lane in London

This large oil painting, which measures 60” x 40” was produced during May 2019. The subject is Brick Lane, on a sunny day in the east end of London, an unglamorous street but very popular in recent times. The lane itself is shown running left to right across the painting, with Hanbury street cutting through the centre. Originally a site for making bricks and tiles in the 15^th century, it is very close to Spitalfields, known for the Jack the Ripper killings and later criminal nativities of the Kray Brothers. The area was largely avoided and forgotten, but during the latter part of the 20^th century it became a large Bengali community, and is famous for the amount of curry houses in fierce competition with each other. The area is also host to an art community, with most notably artists Gilbert & George, and Tracey Emin living in the area, and the ex Truman brewery now given over to art exhibitions. Nowadays the area is quite a tourist destination and has large crowds in the area during the weekends. This painting was exhibited in the area, in a small gallery along the lane.

The painting can be seen in greater detail by following this link.

London City Bank Area In Sunny Autumn - oil painting

London City Bank Area In Sunny Autumn - oil painting

Oil painting of a busy autumn day at Bank, London.

'Bank' is an area of London situated in the financial heart of the city. This painting features a number of famous buildings of different ages. Dominating the scene is the Royal Exchange, while on the left is the Bank of England. In the background can be seen the tower 42 (Natwest) and the Scapel. In typical London fashion the streets are littered by plenty of red buses at this busy junction.

This painting is quite large, measuring 60” x 40” and is painted in oils on canvas. Work on it was completed during very late December 2018.

The london landscape painting can be viewed in greater detail on this link.

Line of trees in Hampshire during Autumn - oil painting

Line of trees in Hampshire during Autumn - oil painting

Oil painting of Autumn trees in Hampshire

During September 2018 this oil painting was created, main as an exercise in [painting trees in a simpler (impressionistic) way, rather than falling in to the trap of painting each individual leaf and branch. Oil paint on a board, which was sized at 20” x 16” was used. The subject was based on a photograph taken a number of years previously, just with the intention of finding a way to painting trees in a quicker and 'slicker' way.

The finished painting can be seen here.