Productive weekend - to Prague and back

I'm delighted with the two landscapes I've done over the weekend. The first is of the Charles Bridge, in Prague, and is a study in deep shadows and blinding sunlight. I'm really pleased with the way I've captured the blazing sun peeping out from behind the tower, creating the dark shadows of the two main pedestrians, as a gorgeous contrast to the hazy people walking in the shadows on the right of the painting. I tried to use as few colours as possible to keep the uniformity of the painting, and decided that the delectable (can colours be delectable?) quinacridone gold was sufficient on its own for the late afternoon golden yellows, whilst french ultramarine and burnt sienna between them would create enough of the dull blues, greys and deep dark shadows for the rest of the painting. I also love the use of diagonals in the painting, formed by the deep shadows in the bottom of the painting, accentuating the main couple in the foreground, as well as slope of the roof on the tall tower pointing down towards the the focal points of sun and the main couple in the foreground. The diagonal of shadow on the right leads the viewers eye back into the painting.

The second landscape is inspired by Lucy Felthouse's infatuation and current obsession with Mow Cop in Cheshire. After seeing the photo of her latest visit, on her blog, I knew I wanted to paint it, as it looks so dramatically Gothic perched up on the hilly crag. Very reminicent of Jane Eyre and Rochester, wind swept moors and forlorn love! So I decided to let the sky speak for itself, and started the painting by wetting the paper and swirling the paint on with a large brush and seeing how the paint moved on the paper, the fluid shapes giving the basis of the moody sky and mystical clouds. When it had dried, I added to the cloud shapes, and put more colour in to hint at forbidding dark clouds and distant storms forming. After creating the sky (that sounds very biblical!), and making sure it was properly dry, I painted the heather covered rocks and crags, again letting the paint create the basic shapes on its own, and adding detail in the form of splattered paint, to hint at foliage and lichens. The final part was the dramatic architecture, lit by a bright unseen sun -very simply created by basic light and dark shapes to form the stonework, and because they are painted in such a sharp contrast they easily make the painting dramatic and interesting. I used alizarin crimson for the pinks in the sky, mixed with antwerp blue for the forbidding clouds and then burnt sienna and raw sienna for the ground, mixed with the same blue, giving a feeling of unity to the painting. Burnt seinna and antwerp blue made the deep darks of the stonework. I'll know if its any good by Lucys reaction.........

How spicy is cinnamon?

I had an intriguing email from a newish acquaintance this week, who I know reads my blog, and who surprised (and delighted!!!) me by telling me that he is "living vanilla and hiding spice" - (which I think is a gorgeous phrase) - and that the spices he is hiding are not much more exciting than say cinnamon. So now, I'm wondering ...... how spicy cinnamon is? If I was to consider cinnamon I would say that its a very sensuous spice, full of deep exotic flavours, with rich undertones and a longing desire for more of its subtle tastes. A spice that adds a lot of pleasure to a forbidden fruit........

I've finished the commission of the house painting that I was asked to do a couple of weeks ago, and need to get some more paintings done for a small exhibition I've got at the end of this month. Not many ideas yet for what I'm going to do - but since its not an erotic exhibition, I suppose it'll be mostly landscapes. I need to get a couple of paintings done this weekend, and have a basic idea for one I want to do of the Charles Bridge in Prague. I've got a lovely photo, from when I was there, taken in low afternoon sunlight, pointing the camera directly into the sun, which leaves the buildings, and people and their long shadows, almost black with subtle greys and the rest of the colours are washed out creams and rich golden yellows. The photo inspires me, so it should motivate me to paint a decent picture of it - possibly in mixed media? I don't know.... maybe I'll start it in watercolours and see how it goes, but I don't think I'll get the depth of greys and black deep enough just in watercolours, so perhaps inks might be the answer, as they are still translucent, and won't deaden the blacks leaving the painting lifeless. Or perhaps I'll start with a totally black background and paint the "light" onto it instead... a sort of negatively painted painting, using acrylics as they will achieve the depth of colour I'm after.