I wanted to try my favourite subject of the moment in daylight. Previously I have painted the area at sunrise. Going back today the colour of the light was different, I could see more in the mud flats as they weren't as silhouetted and they had a green tinge instead of pink. I focused on the the tonal values, really observing the subtle changes.
I managed 3/4 outside and then a chap came up to me to talk about painting and by then the wind had frozen my face and my I couldn't form the words to talk to him!
It's funny how just one thing out of kilter can throw me. When I arrived I unpacked and found my Sansador solvent had emptied out into my bag! So I couldn't ware my pink pinny and had very little solvent to thin the paint with but once I was into the painting these things were forgotten....
I noticed I have used a different make of board on each of the 4 paintings I've done of Langstone and they all give a different finish:
1. Belle Arti, Italian canvas panel - fine cotton but quite grippy, I gessoed and sanded before painting.
2. Gerstaeker German canvas board - less of a canvas feel and not so absorbent.
3. Seawhite of Brighton English wood painting panel - bare pine wood require 3-4 layers of gesso, with sanding on the final layer.
4. Gesso Ampersand - an American, high quality, very little texture, the paint doesn't sink, nice to work on. I put a layer of raw umber stained gesso to colour the white.
See post numbers 159, 147, 142 to compare the boards and Langstone paintings :-)
I am unable to appreciate the differences of canvas and board but I can appreciate the wonderful paintings of this area along the south coast near Hayling Island.
ReplyDeleteThis is an extremely bold, strong painting and such a delicate, contrasted winter sky.
Very interesting to paint the same view at different times of the day and state of tide. I really like this picture with its subtle range of colours and tones.
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