Watercolour of Venice
This new original watercolour painting of Venice was completed just after the start of the Second Lockdown in the UK. It’s been a painting which I’ve wanted to do since our last visit to Venice in September 2018. As usual, I’d taken my trusty sketchbook and paints with a pocket brush. I seized any opportunity to capture this amazing city in watercolour.
To begin with I was mainly focusing on the moody and atmospheric canals with the distinctive architecture reflecting in the still waters. However, towards the end of our stay I found myself attracted to this busy view with Santa Maria Salute in the distance. Many of my prints of Venice feature the Santa Maria Salute, including this one Venetian Dawn.
Sketchbook
I kept the sketchbook study simple, drawing rapidly with my brush and paint. In these situations I rarely use a pencil. Instead, I knock in the shapes and forms of the scene with blocks of colour, painting in necessary details with the fine point of the brush.
In quite a short space of time you have the beginnings of a composition. This can be developed further in the studio. The more studies you do, the more authenticity you can bring to your intended painting.
Going through my sketchbooks during a Second Lockdown makes me appreciate all the trips we’ve made to Italy!
Figurative Painting
A little further along from the other view, I painted a scene which brought in the statue of King Victor Emmanuel the second. I’d painted this view before in my sketchbook, except last time, the heavens opened and I had to finish it off in my studio. What I took from this study was the figures, with their long shadows stretching into the foreground.
Painting Videos
Before starting on the finished painting, I remembered that I had painted some of the architectural features with lots of figures before back in 2006. I kept the appropriate page open before me. A reference photograph of the overall scene was also used for accuracy.
I’ve recently started using TikTok to create very short videos. I’ve also started to upload these to my Instagram account, so you can watch some of the stages of this painting in progress.
The plan is to publish this painting as a limited edition print in time for christmas, despite the Second Lockdown. Keep checking our website and social media accounts for regular updates.