Blackfriars Estate Revisisted: A Quiet Corner

An earlier post featured pen and ink drawings of some of the architectural details which attracted my attention while on a paint out with the Gallery Painting Group. Yesterday I finished this watercolour painting of a quiet corner of the garden surrounding the building. I use a limited palette to convey the quiet, almost dreamlike atmosphere I found here. I loved the morning sunlight and the shadows it produced on the wall near the structure of the fire escape.

Blackfriars Street Bridge

I finished this painting of Balckfriars Street Bridge today.

A Work In Progress, part 2

I have had this ready to paint for a couple of weeks, but just started painting it today. 

Painting around the bridge instead of using  masking fluid was time consuming but worth it.

About half way there but finished for today.

A Work In Progress

A few days ago I went to the Thames River near Blackfriars Street Bridge to sketch with the Gallery Painting Group. Here is where we were.

Here is the first thumbnail I did. I liked the way the very dark shadows on the rocks seemed to lead back to the bridge.

The second thumbnail was less concerned with values and more with the shapes and randomness of the exposed river rocks.

Finally I did a quick watercolour sketch. I now have enough information to begin working on a painting in my studio. When the painting has been completed I'll post a photo on my blog. I may include a heron we saw perched up in the trees. You can see him ( her ?) in the photo below.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

View from Clarence Street side of Victoria Park

A Gallery Painting Group paint out took place this morning. I knew that it was going to be very hot so I decided not to lug my painting gear and instead work in my sketchbook with my Lamy Safari pen and watersoluble ink. There are some problems with perspective here which need to be worked on, but I think once they have been sorted this should be the beginning of an interesting painting. I am attending a perspective workshop on Friday and Saturday and I'll bring this along for suggestions.

Studies of Poppies

Poppy Study 1, June 4

I belong to an artists' co-op gallery in Grand Bend, Sunset Arts. Last Saturday it was my turn to work in the gallery. On my way home I noticed a beautiful garden of poppies in front of a store beside the highway.  I didn't have time to stop but I went back this week to do some very quick sketches ( the garden was very close to the highway and it didn't feel very safe to set up there with traffic whizzing by) and to take lots of photos.  Since then I have been happily painting small studies of poppies. I have been playing around with composition and with background colours. These two are my most successful to date, but I think I need to do some more studies before I start my painting. When I finish the painting, I'll post it here.

Poppy Study 2, June 5

Remembering Venice

Reflections: A Canal In Venice

I had the good fortune to travel to Italy with a group of artists in 2011 and my favourite place was Venice.  I did several sketches and took many photos while my husband and I strolled through the streets. The old buildings and their reflections were wonderful. This watercolour painting was finished two days ago, using photos and sketches as references. It will be entered into the Square Foot Art Exhibition at The Art Exchange along with two other paintings. Some day I would love to go back to Venice.