#389 'Early Morning, San Marco Square' 11x14"

I convinced my family to come with to San Marco at 6am sunrise no people just pigeons. It has a magical quality at this time, they really enjoyed it. I wanted to paint a bigger more of a statement piece of this square. Not easy to get the drawing and perspective right. I was lucky to put the Giorgio Maggiore in from the start as within half an it had disappeared just white mist! Its a very tonal painting with a hint of warm colour.

#382 'Mist St Marks Square' 20x50cm

An atmospheric morning, I wanted to capture a bigger area of it so tried this shape board.
Very quiet but a lot of brides having their photo taken this morning!!

#240 'Mist, St Marks Square, Venice' 8x10"

I wasn't sure how I would tackle the mist but once I had found this great spot and mixed my colours, I really enjoyed it. 

Someone said to me to put colour notes down early on in a painting. Which I have been doing recently, especially in such a tonal painting like this one. I put a patch of the sky in next to the building to give me an idea whether I've pitched both of them right.

I've also been working on reducing the amount of tones I have in the painting down to around 4! Which seams very little compared to what is out there. But it helps with composition and making the painting work as a whole. Can you spot the approximate 4 tonal values in this painting?

The mist was quite thick to begin with and the moist atmosphere made my paints sticky and the pavement was wet as though it had been raining, which allowed for great reflections!

A couple of location shots

#236 'Dawn, San Giorgio Maggiore' 8x10"

I couldn't post while in Venice, I tried but had difficulties with Nick (my husbands) laptop, and I was out painting so much time was limited. I did write notes for each painting so I wouldn't forget. I will post two a day for the next 5-6 days :-)

First painting in Venice! I chose a fairly simple subject putting the emphasis on the light. The colours were harmonious and a limited palette with pinks and purples.
The scene was very tonal so I didn't want to much detail to take away the tonal quality.
I was half way through painting when the fog horns began, The mist came in quickly and obscured my subject completely like looking at a white piece of paper!
The fog horns were still going and suddenly this massive cruise liner came out of the mist the bow towering above, it was quite eerie.
This was a good warm up painting.

NEWS UPDATE
I wanted to add a note on the end of this post to say I have heard from the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) and I have a got a painting through to their exhibition, woohoooo!! So pleased, it will be my first time exhibting in the London Mall galleries.

This is the painting: 'The Trundle, West Sussex' 15x40cm

#191 'Mist Clearing, Ile de Re' 10x10"

I had completed a painting of this misty scene the previous day. It was a landscape board and smaller scale. I wasn't 100% happy with it. Luckily the mist came back so I was able to have another go...

When I started the tide was up and the mist thick. 

Mist simplifies a subject and brings the tones close together. 

I had to restrain the whites of the boat and not make them too poppy & contrasted. 

I didnt put too much detail in the background as the mist edges and shapes.

By the time I was finishing the tide was low and the mist cleared! 

I'm pleased with the water, blocking it in and not fussing back into it.