Plein air painting 08

View of Watts Park, Southampton

This is the view looking south from a spot on Watts Park, Southampton in Hampshire. The clock tower of the Civic centre, built in the 1930s, can be seen above the trees. On the right in a very abstract form is the statue of Isaac Watts.This 12" x 9" plein air painting was done on the afternoon of hte 10th September 2020.

 

Southampton Cenotaph Autumn - WIP stages

Southampton Cenotaph Autumn - WIP stages

Southampton Cenotaph Autumn - WIP stages of the oil painting

This composite photograph shows progress in stages of a painting called 'Southampton Cenotaph Autumn', created during September 2017, to highlight the season of Autumn, or the fall. The dominant feature of the artwork is the grade 1 listed monument designed by Edwin Lutyens, as to be found in Watts Park, Southampton, Hampshire.

The composition is based on one photograph with people added for scale. The original photograph was taken the previous year, just after Remembrance Sunday.

The first panel shows the initial drawing, scaled up from the composite photograph of the location, done with dark brown acrylic paint on an orange wash, or ground. The second image now shows basic under-painting, done in acrylics, of the basic colours and tones to be found in the scene. The colours are also kept darker than the final finished colours, so that those final colours have something to work against. In the third panel can be seen progress made on the final oil painted layers, while the last image shows the finished landscape painting of the monument in its autumnal setting.

The final painting can be seen in closer detail on this link.

Southampton Cenotaph Autumn - oil painting

Southampton Cenotaph Autumn - oil painting

Southampton Cenotaph Autumn - oil painting

During September 2017 this painting was created, depicting the Cenotaph in Watts Park, central Southampton. The aim of the painting was to show visually the season of the autumn, so recently laid poppy wreaths are shown on the monument, as well as the more obvious golden leaves on the ground on a crisp, sunny but chilly day.

The monument was designed by Edwin Lutyens, who used this as a test bed for the Whitehall Cenotaph in London, and which was in tun was used for many such Cenotaphs around the world. It is grade 1 listed.

This painting measures 28” x 20” and is painted, in oils, on mounting board. The under-painting was done in acrylic paint.

The artwork can be seen in more detail on this link.

 

 

Southampton Watts Park in the Snow

Southampton Watts Park in the Snow

This painting was created in early 2013 and is based on a crude photograph taken with my mobile phone a few weeks before of Watts Park (also known as West Park) when covered with snow. I took a number of pictures at the time and the romantic couple seen here were added from one of those to help give a sense of scale and interest. The statue is of Issac Watts, a famous resident of the town of Southampton. Born in 1674, Watts was a leading nonconformist. I thought the dark, bare trees made an interesting contrast to the fresh white snow.

The painting has a base of red acrylic paint, followed with the actual painting done in oil. It its painted at size of 16” x 20” on canvas. 

Southampton Watts Park in the Snow