Friday 8 July 2016

#94 'The Bridge Tavern, Camber Docks' 8x8"


I was visiting my Mum in Portsmouth so I did a painting while I was there. Camber Docks is an interesting area with old buildings and lots of fishing boats and reflections.  I have painted one there before in April.
It was quite hard to decide how much to include in the composition, I used my viewfinder and camera and decided to crop the boat. I had painted 3/4 of the picture before anyone sat outside, I was lucky with the weather! I had just sketched the people in with my paintbrush and the guy got up and sat next to his wife! Tricky to do but having them in adds some life to the painting. There's a lot of detail which again is hard to put in without it looking tight and controlled. I tried not to tidy up lines and edges and just leave them (something I say to my students a lot!)
I worked on getting the light shining on the building and boat, putting in the shadows so it showed the light.

6 comments:

  1. Lovely sunny picture, lots of light and shade, colour and vibrancy. I think you were right to crop the boat it balances the composition and opens the picture to the viewer.

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  3. The man moved because it was a better view from his wife's side? You can feel the summer heat in your painting. Love the composition, I think you have got it just right and the murky silt of the water and slight reflections are so well captured.

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  4. Your comments on how and why you made your decisions are really helpful. I don't think I'd have even thought to crop the boat but it works so well.

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  5. P.S. Fantastic treatment of the water.

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  6. This has a really great feel to it - more European light than Pompey. A post-Brexit triumph!

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