Investigating the Boat

#18 Investigating the Boat oil on canvas 8x8"

This is a studio painting taken from sketches I did at Church Bay in Anglesey. The boys couldn't resist getting closer and closer to the fishing boat that was pulled up in the shallows.

Evening Sun at Borthwen

#17 Evening Sun at Borthwen oil on canvas board 12x10"

A race to get this done before the tide came in and the sun went down. The colours were changing rapidly but it was so calm and beautiful, it was lovely to paint. Borthwen in Anglesey.

Soon after starting, getting the colours in before it gets too dark

High Tide, Borthwen

#11 'High Tide, Borthwen' oil on board 12x16"

Another painting that I started on my recent trip to Anglesey but finished back home in the studio.  It is larger than my other paintings and I really enjoyed this size. I'll definitely be doing more. I prepared my own board using a textured paste and an acrylic gesso primer on top.  I like the way the paint goes on this surface and much prefer it to bought canvas boards which I find a bit too rough.

At first the headland in the foreground was too bright and distracted the eye so I scraped off and re-painted.  It works much better with the more muted green helps to create the cooler Easter atmosphere.

In the Studio

#10 'The Tide on the Turn'  oil on canvas board 10x8"

I started this one en plein air but didn't have a chance to finish it so I worked on it in the studio today. The hardest part of studio painting is keeping it fresh and not spending too long on one part, remembering to look at the whole.  I am pleased with the sea - the colour and brush strokes. I mixed more colour on my palette so I wasn't too mean with the amount of paint I applied which really helped.

In progress in the studio

Early Evening Painting, Anglesey

#9 'Early Spring, Borthwen' Oil on Canvas Board 10x8"

I had a small window of 40 minutes for this painting. Partly due to the rapidly setting sun which was giving the sky a lovely purple glow.  I wanted to concentrate on colour in order to have a reference for when I am back from Anglesey.  I might use this as the basis for a larger studio painting although it think some of the values may need adjusting slightly go give more contrast.  I was pleased with it though for the limited time I had.

Plein air painting, Anglesey