New Marine Art

After an extended period of commercial illustration work I have managed to slip in a couple of pieces of my own.

The first is a study of a topsail schooner off the Yorkshire east coast and the second a foreshortened study of Tower Bridge in London which will eventually be reinterpreted into a larger painting. This was intended to be a try out for texture and colour values.

Other than a slight warming up of the colour values of the bridge I am happy with the layout.

Topsail Schooner off Flamborough Head

Tower Bridge Afternoon

Tower Bridge, Winter Morning

The first Tower Bridge painting I exhibited at the Alexander Miles Gallery during the National Maritime Museum Annual show sold. The gallery is close to Tower Bridge, so it was suggested that another study of the bridge might be in order.

I never revisit the same subject with the intention of producing a "Clone" so it was necessary to find another location close to but not the same spot as used previously. I was also keen to explore the bright reflected light and deep shadow which I had used in the first painting but in a slightly tighter and controlled manner.

Below are the various stages from initial sketch with watercolour pencils through to the completed work.

Coloured pencil sketch

Initial composition quickly drawn in with a brush

Tonal values and main featured blocked in

Final Work

Plein Air Painting

An area of work I have neglected over many years is painting from life outdoors. It poses its own set of challenges over and above the relatively straightforward task of capturing a likeness of an object or scene. Have you brought the right kit for the job, if not can you improvise? Is that weather front coming our way and have you settled down on an ants nest without realising it?

To get the best out of the exercise I also set myself a time limit in order to focus on the important elements only and avoid delving into too much detail.

I intend to try and make this a regular exercise in order to speed up and sharpen my technique.

Below are the most recent sketches.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich

St Jacu de la Mer, Brittany

St Malo beach, Brittany

Intramuros and fort St Malo

Fort at St Malo