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Oman, Watercolour Sketchbook

by on May 15, 2012 in Oman Paintings, Painting on Location, Top Sketch Book Tips

Sketchbook Oman Sphinx

Sphinx Sunrise

Painting a sunrise on location is one of the hardest challenges as a watercolourist. The main problem is that the colours change so quickly, so by the time you have laid your first wash and waited for it to dry, the rising sun will have brought a complete change to the scenario before your eyes. One can quicken the process by working on a paper which you have already tinted. This will allow you to skip a step and crack on with the next wash.

For this particular scene in Oman, I went out with a friend who took me out to a remote spot to walk his dogs early in the morning whilst it was still dark. Before the sun rose, I anticipated what the initial colours were going to be and started painting in semi darkness. It was very hot, temperatures already in the high twenties, so the paint dried quickly. Just before the sun came up over the sea, it was already starting to tint the sky a fugitive pink which I was able to lay in along with the gentlest touch of Winsor and Newton Manganese Blue for the sea. I allowed parts of the first wash of Cadmium Lemon to show through which helped to create further mood and atmosphere.

Oman has some very distinctive rock formations throughout it’s stunning coastline. The rock on the top right of the page reminded me of the profile of the Egyptian Sphinx, hence the title Sphinx towards Muttrah. This is one of 40 paintings which feature in my signed limited edition Sketchbook of Oman which is available online or at my Studio and Gallery in Ponteland.

 

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John Knox House, Edinburgh

by on April 30, 2012 in Limited Edition Prints, Scotland Prints

Painting of John Knox House

John Knox House

The Royal Mile in Edinburgh, known by the locals as the High Street, has to be one of the finest streets in Europe. Over the years I’ve painted it many times and captured some of its famous landmarks including St Giles Cathedral, The Tolbooth and of course John Knox House. Many of these watercolours have been successfully reproduced as limited edition prints which can be purchased online, from retailers in Edinburgh and from my Studio and Gallery.

My first limited edition print of John Knox House sold out very quickly however, we still have copies available of this smaller painting, a busy scene depicting various folk going about their daily business, just like multitudes of others, generations before them.

You will notice in the painting that the ultramarine blue is repeated, not just in the sky but in other parts of the painting. Likewise, the deep red of the telephone boxes finds its way into other parts of the painting to add extra life and colour to the cityscape.

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Dunstanburgh Castle, November afternoon

by on April 30, 2012 in Limited Edition Prints, North East Prints

Dunstanburgh Castle, November Afternoon

Dunstanburgh Castle, November Afternoon

In November 2009 my birthday fell on our day off, a Monday, so Susan and I decided to celebrate by driving up the Northumbrian coast to Newton by the Sea to have lunch in The Ship Inn. After feasting on crab sandwiches and some local ale we walked along the beach towards Dunstanburgh Castle. I stopped to do a small sketchbook watercolour (yes even on my birthday) to capture the striking low light.

There was no wind and the sea was like a mill pond. I took some photographs and wasted little time in the studio to set about producing this watercolour which sold last year from a charity exhibition at the CastleGate in Newcastle in 2011. I did reproduce it as a limited edition print and sold another copy this afternoon to a couple purchasing it as a 40th birthday present for their daughter. There are only 25 copies in the edition which can be seen at my Studio and Gallery in Ponteland.

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Dhow, Reflections

by on April 3, 2012 in Original Watercolours, Painting in Stages

Dhow, Reflections

Dhow, Reflections

A simple composition like this titled “Dhow, Reflections” is actually one of the most difficult subjects to paint successfully in watercolour. Over the last five years I’ve made many sketchbook studies of Arabian dhows whilst painting on location in the Gulf and find them a delight to paint. This particular painting was inspired by a dhow I saw coming in to harbour towards the end of the day. I decided to do a large studio watercolour 28″ x 20″ to capture the warm light and the solitary vessel.

The challenge is achieving the the graduation of the background colours. When you blend blue into yellow, it’s very easy to get it wrong and create a dirty green colour, so patience is the key. I drew out the basic shape of the dhow and masked off the white areas using masking fluid before tackling the background.

First I laid a wash of clean water over the entire sheet of hand-made watercolour paper. Whilst it was still wet, I ran in a wash of Cadmium Lemon about a third of the way from the top, fading it out slightly as it went towards the bottom of the paper. About two hours later when it was dry, I repeated the process with another wash of clean water, however, this time I laid a wash of Rose Madder about halfway down the paper and faded it out about a third of the way from the bottom.

Another two hours later and I applied another wash of clean water over the whole sheet, this time running in some French Ultramarine and Manganese Blue in the top third of the painting, making sure it faded out quickly as it hit the yellow. I ran a touch more of the blue into the bottom third to create a reflection of the sky. By painting the background in a series of washes, you create a depth and richness to the colours which would not be achieved if one tried to do it in one wash.

Once it was all dry, I rubbed out the masking fluid and began painting the dhow and it’s reflections. The result is a very restful painting that one can see at my Studio and Gallery in Ponteland.

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Tyne Bridge from the Keep

by on February 4, 2012 in Limited Edition Prints, North East Prints

Tyne Bridge from the Keep

Tyne Bridge from the Keep

I’m now at the stage in my career where some of the early paintings of Newcastle I’ve had reproduced as prints are now historical. They have captured views that have seen dramatic changes over the years. This view of the Tyne Bridge from the Keep is a prime example. I painted the original watercolour  around 1997 and it captures many elements that are either no longer there or have been transformed by re-developments.

The distant white building of Spillers Flour Mill, which has supplied Newcastle with flour since the 1930′s, has recently been demolished. At its peak in the 1970s it providing the flour for one in every 10 loaves baked in the UK with over 500 staff. Spillers supplied the baking industry for decades, including flour for Greggs and Home Pride flour, famous for Fred, their bowler-hatted mascot.

The Baltic, a home for seagulls at the time when I painted the scene, is now a contemporary art gallery and the empty space behind the iconic arch of the Tyne Bridge is now the home for the Sage, a venue for music lovers and the Newcastle/Gateshead Art Fair.

There have been two different boats berthed under the bridge since the early 1980′s, the Tuxedo Princess and Tuxedo Royale which were popular night clubs in their day. Despite all the changes, the limited edition print continues to sell. At the time of this post a customer called in to my Studio and Gallery in Ponteland to buy a copy to take out as a gift to a friend living in Australia.

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Grey Street, Snow Shower

by on January 27, 2012 in Latest News, Limited Edition Prints, North East Prints

Grey Street, Snow Shower

Grey Street, Snow Shower

My new watercolour titled “Grey Street, Snow Shower” which is to be released next week as a limited edition print with only 95 in the edition. The painting captures the majestic sweeping curve of what has been described by the architectural critic Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as being the finest curved street in Europe. Despite being depicted on a dull, wet, winters day, I’ve wanted to create lots of life and movement through the figures dashing through the harsh elements, huddled under their umbrellas. The Theatre Royal stands as the jewel in the crown with its fine portico and classical columns.

The original watercolour can be seen at my Studio and Gallery in Ponteland this Saturday.

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Grey Street, Snow Shower

by on January 26, 2012 in Latest News, What's on the Drawing Board

Grey Street, Snow Shower

Grey Street, Snow Shower

In the spring of 2008 I launched a limited edition print titled “Theatre Royal in the Snow”. The print was an instant success and the edition of 95 sold out. The smaller preparation study that I made prior to the larger studio painting was used as the Christmas card for the Theatre Royal that year. The popularity of the scene was down to a number of different factors, two of which were the monochromatic colours and the little girl with the red coat who is my eldest granddaughter Emily. She provides that tiny splash of colour and is an obvious focal point.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had a number of folk call in to my studio and gallery in Ponteland asking if the original print is still available to purchase. It’s not, however, so as not to disappoint, I’ve decided to paint a landscape version of the same view, but to include more of Grey Street. The new print will be available in different sizes and will be on my website very soon. Here’s a preview of the painting on my drawing board.

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Melville Street, Edinburgh

by on June 22, 2011 in Limited Edition Prints, Scotland Prints

Melville Street, Edinburgh

Melville Street, Edinburgh

This limited edition print of Melville street, Edinburgh is dominated by the distinctive outline of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral. Its central spire of 270 feet punctuates the skyline of this street scene of Edinburgh’s New Town.

The figures, each one preoccupied with their own tasks, are an integral part of this watercolour. One can see different aspects of city life being played out through these people. The young woman in the foreground is fumbling about in her bag for something, the office worker is barely breaking his stride to post something in a hurry and an older man is clearly feeling the strain of heavy shopping bags in contrast to the pace of the other gentleman who has overtaken him. His only burden is his jacket thrown casually over his shoulder. Further down the street, another man is resting against a lamppost whilst waiting for somebody.

These paintings of Edinburgh remind me of the study notes of Proverbs Chapter 1 verses 20-21 in the NIV version of the Bible where wisdom speaks out through the centre of life in the city, where man’s communal experience of the creation order is concentrated. One can also read in chapter 8 of Proverbs how wisdom personified was with God at the beginning of creation.

You can see further examples of life in Edinburgh by visiting my studio and gallery in Ponteland or the section on Scotland on my website.

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Bamburgh Castle, Winter’s Walk

by on May 26, 2011 in North East Prints

Bamburgh Castle, Winter's Walk

Bamburgh Castle, Winter's Walk

A number of years ago I was commissioned by a major North East company to paint over a dozen large watercolours of Northumbrian Castles for their board rooms. One of the first ones I tackled was Bamburgh Castle which boasts commanding views over the surrounding landscape. The castle itself is steeped in history and was often the target for marauding Scots. Over the centuries it deteriorated, however it was restored by its various owners during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was finally bought by the Victorian industrialist William Armstrong, who completed the restoration. Today the castle still belongs to the Armstrong family and is opened to the public. It also hosts weddings and corporate events. It has also been used as a location for films since the 1920s, such as Ivanhoe (1952), El Cid (1961), Mary, Queen of Scots (1972), and Elizabeth (1998).

This particular painting began as a 12″ x 9″ watercolour painted on location one late winter morning as the sun began to rise over the sea. It was a magnificent scene that was a joy to paint. As I worked I couldn’t help thinking why the whole world was not here to enjoy the beauty of what I was experiencing. I was alone, apart from the odd person walking their dog. The print, (seen above in a deep edged mount) is taken from an original watercolour painted in the studio and can be purchased either online or from my studio and gallery in Ponteland.

If you have one of my prints of Bamburgh Castle which evokes special memories which you would like to share, then please feel free to post a comment below.

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Frank Henry Mason

by on April 12, 2011 in Favourite Artists

Frank Henry Mason Seascape

Frank Henry Mason Seascape, Scarborough

One of my clients is a great fan and collector of paintings by Frank Henry Mason (1876-1965). Over the last few years he’s asked me to put new mounts on the pieces he’s purchased and I have to say they totally transform the look of Mr Mason’s paintings. His breathtaking watercolours of maritime scenes, gouache landscapes for railway posters and oil paintings take on a fresh, clean, crisp appearance when taken out of their, often, tatty, dirty, frames with dowdy mounts and placed into new deep edged mounts made with conservation acid free board.

The scene above is typical of Frank’s work. He received no formal training in art but having left HMS Conway, he settled in Scarborough about 1894 where he then studied at the Scarborough School of Art. He later became a founder member of the Staithes Art Club.

His time at sea can be seen in his deep understanding of waves, skies and the way ships sit in the water. If you get the chance to check out the poster artwork he did for Great Northern Railway, Great Western Railway, London, Midland and Scottish Railway, London and North Eastern Railway, North Eastern Railway, British Rail, Underground Group Railway Companies and Ocean Liner Companies, you will see an artist who was sensitive to his subject matter yet retaining a direct, no nonsense handling of bold colours and use of counterchange.

It’s great to get the chance to see his original paintings. Both myself and my father Kenneth Reed have a deep appreciation and respect for the paintings of Frank Henry Mason.

If you have any artwork which would benefit from receiving a new mount and frame, please feel free to call in to my studio and gallery in Ponteland for a no obligation quote.


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