#445 'First Light Venice' 40x50cm

One for my exhibition, an idea taken from a small 8x10 plein air did in Venice September last year. I loved the building on the right with the light shining on it. I took a risk with the wooden poles, quite dominant structures but it gives depth and a sense of place.

I painted from a cafe area on the side of the water. I had to be fast as the waiter said you have 30 mins before I set up. Enough to get an impression!

#398 'Nocturn, Maria Della Salute' 8x10"

An impulse paint! As I hadn't planned to do a nocturne, I usually arrive early get myself set up and draw in and wait until the light hits the sky and water and then scrabble to get it down! This time I really noticed the lights on the water and intense orange strip of sky, I couldn't resist it!
Difficult painting in the dark, luckily a lamp on the Academia Bridge was over my head but it's still a little bit of guess work, I'm pleased with the result though.

#397 'Gondola Ride, The Grand Canal' 8x14"

We went back to this spot to do it again! With a wider format board and looked at the aerial perspective, there is a lot of sky colour put in the distant buildings.  The colours of the sparkle are tricky to see, but they start warmer yellow/warm colour and go to a lighter whiter colour in the middle.

Perched on the end of a jetty, Sally my painting buddy had a one paint brush casualty over the edge!

#385 'Dawn, Maria Della Salute' 8x14"

I tired a portrait format, which I was surprised at how well it works. With a limited palette and harmonious colours.

#375 'Maria Della Saluete 7am' 9x14"

Another gorgeous dawn paint plus a quick painting thrown in too!

I spoke to artist ken Howard as he was on the bridge he saw my finished painting and made a positive remark about it. (I went home smiling!) He also said the Italian police are now being kind to artists after the bad press they got a couple of weeks ago. (big yay!)

It was nice to try a different format other than the trusty 8x10" I had been working on.

#368 'First Light, Maria Della Salute' 8x10"

Did painting no.367 then immediately wanted to paint the scene again as the light was gorgeous! I moved off the bridge but just next to it in a cafe space. 

I'd just started mapping in when the guy said you have 30 minutes until you need to move...So I painted like billio and this is the result! It shows it can be done a painting in half an hour. It's sketchy but spontaneous and hopefully has the essence of the moment. 
Fairly limited palette and checking the tones - the sky was darker than the water ...

#367 'Pre-Dawn Maria Della Salute' 8x10"

This was so fun to paint!! Although a little daunting too as many artists over the years have painted this subject standing on Academia Bridge from Monet to Ken Howard...

We are very lucky as this bridge is a few minutes walk from our house. It's a dream subject for me, wonderful shapes within sky and water setting, and it changes every day and hour! So I hope you can bear with me for painting it several times while I'm here :-)

The buildings make such a great skyline shape but the actual body of the buildings its deciding how much detail to put in. The low light means you can't see much and it's quite far away. But I felt it needed some suggestion of windows and things. As I paint this scene more I think I will experiment with how much to include.

#241 'Gondolas at Night' 8x8"

This is my first nocturnal painting, there are not many places I've been that would inspire me to go and paint at night! This is one of them, with the dancing light on the water and tonal shapes were great.

My painter buddy (Neil Pitcher) had a great light its one used by a musian in an orchestra pit. A two pronged light one to light your painting the other your palette. I needed one as I couldn't see the oclours very well and when I got home that night I was horrified by a strong green I had put down instead of a wamer colour. I wiped it and painted this bit again. 
But on the whole I'm pleased with this one as it gives a flavour of night. 

#239 'Sunset, the Grand Canal' 8x10"

I was going to get on the water bus and go to a St Marks Square for the sunset. But seeing the sparkle on the water and the colours I had to stop and paint.

A lot of places I paint on location I am on show, this one was odd as people were in a waiting room and I was painting in front of them! Plus when the boat turned up all the passengers and drivers were peering in having look at my painting. Which is alright once its nearly done and (hopefully) come together. But in the early stages I want to show out its not finished yet :-)

The colour of the sparkle? It's very hard to see it as it's so bright and dazzles your eyes. I look to see if its warm or cool. Generally later in the day or early morning its warmer and say middday it would be whiter paint.

#238 'Dusk, Grand Canal' 8x8"

I stood in the Vaperetto water bus stop to paint this. It was a great view looking down the grand canal and the georgous light after the sun had set.
It was very fleeting so I worked quickly and keeping it loose. I mixed the peachy pink colours with Naples yellow deep, Cadmium Red & Yellow & a smidge of Perminant Rose. The red post I put in first, there were actually two posts next to each other, I had painted both but realised the composition wasn't balanced so took one out. It's best to put in the structure of the poles first as its harder to paint over the top especialy on a light colour making it dark enough. It was also getting the red the right tonal value and brightness - it wasnt lit so quite dark. I put a couple of lights in as they were turning on at the end of painting.
Quite a challneging spot to paint as every 10 minutes the Vaperetto bus bashed into the floating platform I was standing on and sent me flying! A couple of times I had the brush on the board and did a big accidental swoosh!
See next post with a picture on location.

#237 'Maria Della Salute' 8x10"

Monet painted this scene along with Ken Howard. You can see why with water, lovely shapes and light!

When I started it was still hazy with the mist. But an hour into it and the sun was shining and intense, it totally changed the scene. I was floundering trying to paint what I had first seen but struggling as it was so different. I was thinking of wiping it but with nothing to lose I decided to change it to what was there at that point, warm sunshine (and no mist!) And just kept saying ‘paint what you see’...which helped. 

The sky I had painted yellow but with the sun out it was blue so I painted over the top of the yellow.
The buildings were tricky to get enough detail to give the essence but not overdo the windows!  I'm pleased with the outcome :-)