'Paignton Harbour'

I painted this as a demonstration for Whitchurch Art Group last Friday afternoon. They wanted a loose style watercolour painting of a harbour scene. This is Paignton harbour, showing the junior sailing club members.

'Trawlers at Brixham'

Yesterday afternoon I visited Seaton Art Society to do a demonstration. The theme was 'Creating Atmosphere' and my subject was a couple of boats in Brixham Harbour. The photograph I used as a reference was a bit bland and contained a lot of unnecessary detail. I simplified the scene considerably and, hopefully, created a more atmospheric feel with a little mystery.
Painted on Saunders Waterford 200lb NOT paper, stretched onto the board.

Demonstration for Teignmouth Art Society

Did a demonstration on Friday night for Teignmouth Art Society. 'Still Life with Glass' was the subject, so I took along a few jars & bottles. One of the members also brought along a few items and, from these, I selected that lovely blue jug. Like many clubs these days, they had their own camera/screen, so the people in the cheap seats can also see what's going on. I did this one in about an hour and forty minutes, from blank sheet to finished painting.

Thanks to Felicity Hughes for the photo of me in mid-demo.

'Looking Towards Meadfoot from Hope's Nose'

Now there's a title for a painting! Well, it wasn't me who named this part of the Torbay coastline. I painted this as a demonstration for Totnes Art Society, three weeks ago. 'Seascapes' was the requested topic, so this is what I did for them. Demo' paintings are always a challenge. Just two hours, from blank canvas (paper for a watercolourist), to last brush stroke... with the all-important tea break in the middle.
I was quite pleased with the way this one turned out, particularly the ripples on the water. I began with a pencil outline, followed by a 'controlled wash'* over the whole sheet. When it was dry, the painting was finished in a series of washes.

*This term was used by the late, great Jack Merriott (1901-1968) who was a master of watercolour and oil. His book, Discovering Watercolour, is long out of print. However, there are many copies around and it can usually be found on a well-known online store for just a few pounds. For anyone who is serious about learning the art of watercolour painting, it is a must have. The controlled wash then, is achieved by working in one over-all wash across the entire surface, to create 'a nebulous atmosphere in harmony with the scene'. This is then allowed to dry completely, before finishing the painting with one or two washes working from light to dark. Turner also used this technique to great effect but, as far as I know, it was Jack Merriott who put this name to it.