meldrum art
I painted this as the the day came to an end, we had found a safe place for the night in Ålöfladen, south of Utö on the 10th of July. I had no high expectation, just started painting, a boat in the calm. I had to use my gas burner to dry it, the evening had become humid. I was and still am very pleased with the result, I find it has a calming affect on me.
I produced a final painting of this scene from Paimpol in Brittany today. The watercolour looks a lot better in reality, I wish I could take professional photographs but I just can’t. I lack the skills necessary. Still, I am happy enough with it, now it’s time to think about the next watercolour and try to improve on previous mistakes.
I like to think of myself as a pacifist so it was interesting to visit the Army Museum here in Stockholm with my Urban Sketcher friends back in February. The Swedish Cavaliers are in reality mannequins on stuffed pantomime horses so it was a challenge to convey a sense of brutality. I am still against war and hope conflicts can be housed in museums forever.
This watercolour was sketched in my Saunders Waterford block 28 x 19 cm, 300g, fine grain.
Urban Sketching is just so much fun. This month we visited Lilla Wien which I have walked past everyday going to work and never once thought, “Oh, I must visit that pub!”. Every Sunday it seems, elderly jazz fans gather to listen to live music and to dance. They really looked like they were enjoying themselves.
I sat down at the long table that was reserved for us sketchers, I wasn’t facing the band but instead I had a good view of the bar. I am reasonably happy with the watercolour sketch, it would have been nicer if I had fewer hard edges. The bottles behind the bartender should have been out of focus, also the light on his shoulders should have been soft too.
