Watercolour Demonstration
In September I was asked to do a watercolour demonstration for a local art group. They wanted me to show them how to do a cityscape. I started on two paintings, one of which I’d painted before. It was of my favourite view of Durham, taken from Wharton Park near the train station. The other was a Venetian Rain Painting.
Paintings of Venice at Alan Reed Gallery in Ponteland
When I lectured at South Tyneside College we would take the students to Durham for the day. The plan was for them to do some preliminary research for a project about Durham. We would set them tasks to find suitable reference and do some sketching around the city. I would lead by example and find somewhere comfortable to do a small watercolour. More often than not, I would make my way back to the train station and up to Wharton park. The park has a fantastic vantage point where you can view the city, looking into the winter morning light. Durham Cathedral looks majestic, rising above the rooftops glistening with sunlight.
Paintings of Durham
I would then use these “en plein air” studies as a catalyst for ideas to do larger studio paintings of Durham. Over the years I’ve reproduced two of these larger watercolours asChristmas Cards and limited edition prints.
The other watercolour I started was of Venice . My paintings of Venice have always struck a chord with my clients. Since my first visit to Venice in 1991 I’ve always managed to produce some paintings either on location or in the studio.
In this particular study of Venetian Rain Painting I was showing the class how to go about painting figures. Over the years I’ve spent many hours studying the way people move about in a city. I’ve developed a shorthand of rendering them in a way that captures, not just their movement but their gender and gesture. It’s these figures that can help place the viewer in the painting.
There have been occasions when clients have commissioned a painting with family members or friends in the scene. They usually supply me with photographs or I take my own and do sketches. It’s a way of remembering loved ones, particularly when they are in a place that is special that holds memories.