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Painting sky and water in watercolour

The sea is made of water, obviously. The sky is made of water also, but much less of it. Think about it, if there was no water in the sky, there would be no clouds, no mist or fog, no rainbows. Nothing of interest! Ok we all like a blue sky, but we rarely see one, not here anyway. 

Painting the sea (lake/river) and sky in watercolour is a joy. The two are part of the one. The sky is reflected in the water. For me, the best results are when they are painted together – wet in wet.

This painting (Eventide, Portland) was executed in this way. First the drawing (it took a while to get the boats looking right) then I painted the reflection of the hulls with masking fluid, I also painted a few ripples in the water. I then outlined the boats lightly with waterproof ink, so that what would come next, would not smudge them. 

For wet in wet to work the paper itself must be fairly wet to start with. This paper was Saunders Waterford 300gsm, and was stretched (I’ll describe this another time) and taped down, so that it would withstand a good deal of wetting. I did not wet the boats. 

Then I started to apply the paint. The trick here is to keep the paper damp throughout this stage of the process. The lower part of the evening sky was still fairly bright, I painted this with raw sienna and also its reflection in the water as one, using a large round brush.  I used a little crimson towards the upper part of this, and then some blue (cobalt I think) above and below this. All of this was wet and spilling across the page, which I encouraged by lifting the board (and paper) to different angles to get the colours to blend in a natural looking way. I think it is important to keep the paint moving until it dries.

The clouds were a mixture of crimson and blue mixed on the damp paper. I added more of the different colours, and more water where needed, and continued to move the paint around, as described, until I felt I had captured it. I then let it dry completely. (Image 1)

With the sky and water finished, I next turned to the detail. I painted the trees lightly, being careful to leave sky holes (where the light shines through the trees) and again their reflection in the water. I worked darker shades into the trees and some variation in colour (using the same blues and yellows as previously) as the trees got darker the boats got brighter (counterpoint). I removed the masking fluid covering the reflection of the boats themselves. I then worked to get these reflection looking right and added the detail to the boats (canopies etc)

Almost there, but I felt it was all a bit pale, so I mixed a light glaze of cadmium orange and laid it on and I felt it finally all came together. (Image 2). 

The painting (A4) was done over two days. I actually continued to tidy up bits and pieces (sky mostly) over the next week or so.

I write this blog every month as a reflection for myself, I hope it was of interest to you. Thanks for reading. Micheal.

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Draw and paint a cliff in watercolour

Draw and paint  a cliff in watercolour.

A key element of the coastal landscape is the cliff. They contrast starkly with the sand on the beach and the blue of the sea. We also find them in the mountains and in quarries. I have painted many. How to go about it – to go straight for the paint or to draw them first? I’ve done both, it depends on my humour and it depends on the cliff in question.

To start – a drawing is needed in all cases. At the very least, the shape of the headland needs to be outlined, and the base of the cliff. We also need to draw the horizon and any other features. These can be done lightly. Then we can start to apply the paint.

I usually start with the sky, this brings me down to the top of the headland and to the horizon of the sea and sky. When we paint in watercolour we first lay down the very lightest colours in the scene. Accordingly, I search for the lightest shades in the cliff, and put down a light wash, perhaps raw sienna or raw umber, probably dropping some other shades (red, blue whatever) and let that dry. I might then use a dry brush approach to darken the areas in shadow. Finally I will ‘draw’ the crevices and rocks with a small brush using darker colours (burnt umber/ultramarine). I will have a reference photo, and I will try to keep my image true to this. 

There is a nice technique that can be used for rocks. Paint on a thick layer of different (dark) colours and let it dry for a bit. Before it is fully dry, use a piece of a broken (credit) card and scrape off round rock shapes. This works well for rocks in the foreground. However – I don’t use this approach much, as it gives a slightly abstract rendition of the rocks or cliff face. I prefer to draw the rocks and work light to dark as described above. 

I am a representational watercolour landscape artist. For me it is important to have the painting as close to reality as possible. I don’t worry about ending up with something that looks more like a photo than a painting. This doesn’t happen. Firstly – I use more than one reference photo, and secondly, I will tend to only have detail in parts but not all of the painting. Also, thanks to the ‘happy accidents’ phenomenon it’s always going to look like a painting. 

Sometimes the cliff is not the key part of the scene, but sometimes it is. If the cliff is a recognisable landmark, or the key feature of the scene, then I draw the cliff in great detail. 

How do I draw such a cliff. I approach it the same way as I draw anything. I draw what I see. 

Some will use a projector, and trace the image on the paper!   Many artists use a grid approach, ruling the paper into squares, and doing the same with the reference photo, and then they proceed one square at a time. This approach is widely used, and by many artists that I admire. 

I don’t use a grid, I find it tedious, more importantly the grid is difficult to eliminate. Let me explain. The system works well for oils and acrylics (maybe gauche) because these are opaque mediums, the paint covers the pencil marks. Watercolour doesn’t. It is important to erase all superfluous or unwanted pencil marks before applying watercolour paint. If you paint a watercolour wash over a pencil line you will not be able to erase it afterwards. You don’t want the grid to show through your painting.

I draw what I see, but I do need some tools to get the shapes and perspective right. My paintings represent places I have been and liked. I take photographs and do some sketching at the scene, and the work starts shortly afterwards in the studio. I generally crop the chosen photo on my laptop or iPad, so that the composition is as I want it. Having decided on the paper size (A4, A3 etc) I measure the size of the reference photo relative to the sheet of paper. I can contrive it to be an easy ratio to work with, by adjusting the size of the image.  My laptop screen is about A4 size, if the paper is A3 then the image needs to be twice as big on the paper, as on the screen. It can be worked out for any size of paper. 

I then look for the key points of the image. The highest point on the headland, it might be 12cm from the side of the reference and 6cm from the top. That translates to 24 and 12 on the A3 paper. I mark that point on the paper (using a ruler). And so I continue. I mark the location of the bottom of the cliff, boulders, the sea horizon, any offshore rocks etc. Using my eye I ‘join the dots’ (very lightly) and go through a process of reviewing and erasing until the scene matches the reference. I take care to ensure that any man-made objects (boathouse/pier etc) are correct in their proportions and position. 

Now the question arises – how much detail is needed in the drawing. If the focal point is a person walking a dog on the beach or if the cliff is in the distance, detail is not really required. If the cliff itself is the focal point then I do a detailed pencil drawing of the cliff. I draw the cliff in great detail in pencil first. I draw every crevice, boulder, overhang – I create a pencil drawing that would make the cliff recognisable to the viewer. I generally do this by eye, I already have the outline and key shapes. My iPad has a touch screen, this is a great asset as it allows me to zoom in to view the detail more closely, and zoom back out again, easily. 

At this point, sometimes, I will draw over the pencil with ink, especially any areas that will are very dark. I may then erase all the pencil, or I might not. Then I lay down the light wash, then shadows and finally go in over the pencil lines with a fine brush to paint in the detail. The paper makes a difference, ‘rough’ paper, nice for painting on, is difficult to draw detail on.

So, there you have it. I believe that drawing is very important in any kind of art. I was amazed to see Van Gogh’s early work – he was a great draughtsman, and again in Barcelona, Picasso’s early work amazed me. These guys, renowned for loose and abstract work, were well able to draw.  Great guys!

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October art at the Irish lakeside castle

October is the last month of Autumn. Winter brings a different pace of life, for me – more time in my studio. Time to think about next year, themes and media, some experimenting and some planning and organising. My first big exhibition of next year will be in Tramore in May, and so I am working towards that. I am toying with the title – Low tide, Green grass. I have painted the Waterford coast at low tide many times, I especially like the coastal light and how reflections of cliffs, rocks and clouds appear in the wet sand and in the the pools left on the beach, by the receding tide. 

But first ….. in October I have my solo exhibition at the Gallery at Portumna Castle. It is a big space, and I will have thirty paintings or more, mostly marine, including many scenes of around Lough Derg itself.  See some of these under the tab ‘recent work’ on this website. Lough Derg is a favourite place of mine.  All watercolours, framed under glass. 

So, if you are in the area do pop in – I will be there in person on Fridays and Saturdays, but the exhibition is open all days.  There is a nice cafe on the site, and lovely walks in the forest park, and a new walk along the shore to the swimming area. Fancy a day out?

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Learning from exhibitions – abstract and big art

Its Arts Week. I have my exhibition, but I also have the opportunity to view many, many more exhibitions, all in Thomastown. Thomastown is very much the visual arts centre this week. There is huge variety, and lots to see. Actually, you won’t see better art in one location, anywhere else on this island. It’s just fab.

I won’t list it all. But…. It has me thinking. First of all – the future is BIG. There are some big pieces (in both mills, and the water garden). Not just big, but beautiful. I have been going bigger, especially with my waves, but the largest sheets of paper are imperial – 78cm by 58cm – or thereabouts, but these pieces Im talking about are 2×3 meters. Wow. (Oils and acrylics/ and mm) So it has me thinking! Space! How to go about starting a really big piece. The paintings Im talking about are representational, not abstract. I mean Wow.

But there is also abstract. How do I feel about abstract? I am a representational watercolour landscape artist. So, how do I feel about abstract. Well you know, splashes of paint, squares and triangles, garish colours….found items! Now Im looking more closely at it. I’ll be honest, I don’t have the benefit of an art education, and… I am not keen on the idea of art as a medium for social change (not all change is for the better!). Nevertheless Im looking more closely at abstract.

How do you judge a good abstract painting? I don’t know, I suppose I could google it. I could do an art appreciation course. For now, I am looking at abstract to find what I value in a landscape. I mean – perspective, depth, composition, colour, tone and contrast. Now Im beginning to see all of that in some abstract art, and I like it! So it has me thinking!

I like what I do, but sometimes I feel I need to experiment more – to push out the boundaries. Make a note in your diary to come to my exhibition in 2024, maybe I’ll surprise you (and myself).

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Plein air painting on the Shannon

Plein air painting seems to be all the rage at the moment.  Im not one for crowds, I’d be slow to join with one of the many plain air travelling groups (though I might) I’d rather be on my own. For me painting is about peace and quiet, reflection and mindfulness, serenity …. Not easy to achieve if there are fifteen other artists about. Also, Im not very competitive in that way. 

I think I do better work in my studio, I have all my materials ready to hand (and a kettle, wood stove, bathroom etc) and I can take my time. 

Anyway, I decided to try it.  Sitting on my little boat (I have a kettle, shelter, toilet) in the peace and quiet of a secluded backwater I did manage to achieve a measure of serenity. 

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June, gardening, sailing and watercolour painting.

Big old mill wheel at Kells

June is well under way,  lots of fine dry weather kept me in the garden, the last few days of thunderstorms has me back in the studio! So what am I up to? Well, Im working on the final few paintings for my TCAF/Arts Week exhibition in August (Concert Hall, Thomastown). 

I have already sent a few to the framer, there is no point in leaving everything till the last minute, she is typically inundated with work in the lead up to this annual art frenzy. I will have the rest ready hopefully by the end of the week.

I will have my usual coastal landscapes, and a preview of my (WIP) Lough Derg series, but what has me busy this month is the mill at Kells, Co Kilkenny. Its just a few Km from here. The whole area, especially by the river, is very pretty. I will have a mini-exhibition, as part of the exhibition (TCAF) featuring five images of the mill, the mill wheel and the bridge at Kells. 

Visit my studio (by appointment) if you are looking for a painting as a gift, I have lots of watercolours, framed ready to hang.  Im in Stoneyford, Co Kilkenny.

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Flexible approach to composition hack- cropping your painting

Before
After

Selling Watercolour

Watercolour has a lot going for it as a medium for painting. One great advantage is the ability to ‘crop’ a painting. When painting on a canvas or wooden panel you are committed to the size from the onset, not so with paper. I have many times painted an A3 painting only to be unhappy with the composition, or maybe a part of the scene that didn’t work out right. Easy peasy – get a scissors and cut it to a smaller size. I usually get a smaller mount and move it around the painting until I find a frame that works!

The images above are a point in question. On hearing of the passing of Gordon Lightfoot I wanted to paint the wreck of the Edmund FitzGerald. I was not happy with the painting (top) so I cut it down (bottom) to a smaller image. The result is a better composition (in my opinion) I’ll sell it cheaper – but that’s better than binning it. I’ll have it with me at my next pop up art fair, which reminds me …

The season (2023) kicks off with a pop up art fair at Mountain View, Ballyhale on the 28th May. The following weekend I’m at the Clancy Brothers Art and Music Festival at Carrick on Suir – I’ll have a full exhibition of my work in the conference room at the Nano Nagle centre. This exhibition will be of work not previously shown in Carrick.

Ill keep y’all posted about other happenings (on Facebook) but do try to catch my exhibition at the concert Hall, Thomastown in August (TCAF / Kilkenny Arts Week). I will be showing some of my most recent work there – the exhibition is called Watervision.

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Size matters!

Millwheel at Kells

What size of painting is right? 

When painting in oils on canvas or wood, generally the size of the painting is determined by the size of the canvas or wood panel you buy. You will then need to have a stock of all the sizes you might wish to paint. You can of course create your own canvas or wood panel in any size you like.  This work (like framing) takes a lot of time and effort and leaves you with less time to paint. 

When painting in watercolour (goache or acrylic) on paper the decision on size is easier. You just cut the paper to the size you want.  You can buy watercolour paper in pads of differing sizes, but often the quality is not good. I buy my paper (Arches, Fabriano, Saunders) in sheets of 78cm by 56cm. I use 140lb (300gsm) which I cut into smaller sizes and 300lb (640 gsm), which I use for large paintings. 

But what size is right? 

Metric or Imperial Frames.

I started thinking in frame sizes early on. It seemed A4 was an easy size of frame to buy. So I cut my paper to A4 size. After a while I had quite a few of A4 sized paintings, framed up in cheap and cheerful frames. However, the A4 size is metric, whereas the paper is sold in imperial sizes, so there is a certain amount of wastage. This was also true when I moved to A3.

I stopped using the cheap frames, as the quality was often poor and started to get my paintings framed professionally by a local framer. Now that each painting is individually framed, I don’t need to keep to the standard sizes. This gives me more freedom. For instance, before I only got two A3 size pages from the large sheet, with a lot of wastage, I now get four nearly A3 pages with no wastage. Using a slightly wider mount they look the same size on the wall.

Therefore one aspect of the question is the ease of framing versus the cost of paper wastage, and the imperial / metric issue is relevant here also.

Likely hanging space

The other thing is to try to understand what size the customer wants. That’s virtually impossible (unless its’ a commission), but if we try to think where the buyer might hang the painting, it gets easier. 

Certain images work well in the study/office, detailed ones I think, that will be viewed close up. These can be small. Street scenes, studies of boats, bicycles, cars, tractors etc, work well in small – A4, or 20cm by 20cm square, or even smaller. 

Almost everyone has a painting over the mantlepiece, this is usually large. This will be viewed from further back, and should be less detailed. Seascapes, mountains, woodland, and also abstract, will work well, in the larger sizes. These could be one meter or more when framed. 

On walls in bedrooms, dining rooms and hallways, A4 and A3 work well. I sell a lot of A4, and fewer A3, which I think end up in these spaces.

Exhibition spaces

Another consideration is the exhibition space. I have a solo exhibition coming up later in the year in a very large space. Small paintings will be lost in such a space, so I am working on a series of A3 and bigger paintings for the exhibition. 

Your own mood on the day

Finally there’s yourself, and what you want to do, today. I often do an A4 painting of the scene I’m working with, which if it turns out ok, and while I still have the paint on the palette, I do a larger one immediately. 

If I am feeling free and easy I like to paint large waves, the full size of the sheet of paper. I have to control myself, though, because, these ‘over the mantlepiece’ paintings have a smaller market. 

When I just don’t know what to paint next, of if I’m just not in the mood, I will do something small, probably based on a detailed drawing. 

It is good, I think to have available a mixture of sizes. I have a wide selection of smaller sized paintings, and I try not to have too many larger ones. 

April 2023 blog

What size of painting is right? 

When painting in oils on canvas or wood, generally the size of the painting is determined by the size of the canvas or wood panel you buy. You will then need to have a stock of all the sizes you might wish to paint. You can of course create your own canvas or wood panel in any size you like.  This work (like framing) takes a lot of time and effort and leaves you with less time to paint. 

When painting in watercolour (goache or acrylic) on paper the decision on size is easier. You just cut the paper to the size you want.  You can buy watercolour paper in pads of differing sizes, but often the quality is not good. I buy my paper (Arches, Fabriano, Saunders) in sheets of 78cm by 56cm. I use 140lb (300gsm) which I cut into smaller sizes and 300lb (640 gsm), which I use for large paintings. 

But what size is right? 

Metric or Imperial Frames.

I started thinking in frame sizes early on. It seemed A4 was an easy size of frame to buy. So I cut my paper to A4 size. After a while I had quite a few of A4 sized paintings, framed up in cheap and cheerful frames. However, the A4 size is metric, whereas the paper is sold in imperial sizes, so there is a certain amount of wastage. This was also true when I moved to A3.

I stopped using the cheap frames, as the quality was often poor and started to get my paintings framed professionally by a local framer. Now that each painting is individually framed, I don’t need to keep to the standard sizes. This gives me more freedom. For instance, before I only got two A3 size pages from the large sheet, with a lot of wastage, I now get four nearly A3 pages with no wastage. Using a slightly wider mount they look the same size on the wall.

Therefore one aspect of the question is the ease of framing versus the cost of paper wastage, and the imperial / metric issue is relevant here also.

Likely hanging space

The other thing is to try to understand what size the customer wants. That’s virtually impossible (unless its’ a commission), but if we try to think where the buyer might hang the painting, it gets easier. 

Certain images work well in the study/office, detailed ones I think, that will be viewed close up. These can be small. Street scenes, studies of boats, bicycles, cars, tractors etc, work well in small – A4, or 20cm by 20cm square, or even smaller. 

Almost everyone has a painting over the mantlepiece, this is usually large. This will be viewed from further back, and should be less detailed. Seascapes, mountains, woodland, and also abstract, will work well, in the larger sizes. These could be one meter or more when framed. 

On walls in bedrooms, dining rooms and hallways, A4 and A3 work well. I sell a lot of A4, and fewer A3, which I think end up in these spaces.

Exhibition spaces

Another consideration is the exhibition space. I have a solo exhibition coming up later in the year in a very large space. Small paintings will be lost in such a space, so I am working on a series of A3 and bigger paintings for the exhibition. 

Your own mood on the day

Finally there’s yourself, and what you want to do, today. I often do an A4 painting of the scene I’m working with, which if it turns out ok, and while I still have the paint on the palette, I do a larger one immediately. 

If I am feeling free and easy I like to paint large waves, the full size of the sheet of paper. I have to control myself, though, because, these ‘over the mantlepiece’ paintings have a smaller market. 

When I just don’t know what to paint next, of if I’m just not in the mood, I will do something small, probably based on a detailed drawing. 

It is good, I think to have available a mixture of sizes. I have a wide selection of smaller sized paintings, and I try not to have too many larger ones. 

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Guidance and your skill as an artist

My thoughts on art classes. 

‘I’m confessin’, I never had a lesson, all my notes are just a matter of guessin’ (Chet Atkins).

It is no surprise to me, to find that many of the artists I admire claim to be self taught. None of these, though, will claim to have achieved their level of skill without some guidance.  The fact is they are not self taught, but self guided.

The artist is typically a specialist. Very few will try to be good at everything.  I find that oil painters don’t like watercolours and so stick to perfecting their oil painting techniques. Other artists work exclusively in charcoal, pastels etc. All of these are specialist areas. There is a lifetime of learning in each of these. There is no harm in experimenting, though.

I am painting, in a serious way, for a number of years now. I paint almost exclusively in watercolour. Previously, I painted only in oils, though I had tried watercolour, but I was frustrated by my attempts. I couldn’t understand what I was doing wrong. 

Then during Arts Week (Kilkenny), a number of years ago, I approached a watercolour artist (Ray Osborn) whose work I admire, and I asked him if he ever taught classes. He didn’t seem interested in discussing the matter at first, but I chatted more with him, and about his work, and eventually he gave me a number for the South Tipperary Art Centre, where he sometimes teaches classes. A couple of months later I was attending his beginners watercolour class.

He was not a college trained art teacher, as far as I know, he was just an excellent watercolour artist. His classes covered nothing other than watercolour. No curriculum, no exams. They were really workshops/demonstrations. This was perfect for me. In no time at, all I began to learn how to use this medium, properly.  I moved on to his advanced class, and I never looked back.  

His greatest tips were – use only the best paper (he recommended Arches), the best brushes (handmade sable) and the best paint (Windsor and Newton). I made the investment. 

When the watercolour classes finished, I was on my own. I bought some books on painting and specifically on watercolour. I then turned to YouTube for more tips and guidance. This was helpful and interesting. I might write my impressions of YouTube as a resource another time. There is good stuff to be found, but a lot of time wasters also.  

Eventually I began to find my way. A lot is learned by experimenting. In fact every painting is an experiment. However I don’t like to sacrifice my good quality materials, I work on every piece until it is presentable, I rarely scrap a painting. For me, careful planning, starting out with light washes, and carefully building up the colour until it feels right is the way to go. A painting takes a number of days to complete, I don’t often do alla-prima. Over the coming year, I might sign up for workshops on aspects of watercolour that I’d like to improve on, (like maybe alla-prima ?).

The point I want to make, and the my message is – forget your typical local art classes. These follow a wide curriculum, cover all types of media from painting to printing, and in fairness, have modest objectives. They are at best a taster. They use cheap paint bought in bulk, cheap paper, cheap brushes, and with thirty or more in the class, there is very little individual attention. They are arguably more about socialising, than art.  Nothing wrong with socialising, though.

To make serious progress, and not waste your time, decide what medium you want to work in, first. Go to exhibitions (Kilkenny Arts Week), talk to the artists and see what appeals to you. Find someone expert in this medium and try to work with them. Look for good guidance in the medium, network with other artists (they are a great and generous bunch of people) and work slowly and carefully on every piece. 

I am a representational watercolour landscape artist. I am no expert, but I really enjoy painting. Visit booleyart.com and see my work.

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Patterns and mindfullness

Watercolour painting can be very relaxing. I recommend it. I have come to realise that what I tend to do, is to identify patterns in the subject I want to paint. I spend some time with the image before I start. The image nearly always means something to me, a happy memory, a trip, or a holiday.  But to convert the image or memory into a watercolour painting takes some thought. 

Yes, we must paint from light to dark and try to preserve the white of the paper where it is needed,  we need to draw the outlines, but we also need to identify patterns. Once we see the patterns in the image we can start to paint. This is where the mindfulness comes in. 

Nothing is really random. Everything follows a pattern. We can’t always see it, but it’s there. Look closely, and take your time. One great thing about painting is that you start to look at things differently. 

For example, when painting buildings, these obviously follow a pattern. Take the brick or stone wall of a building, we look and take note of the pattern.  We outline the area to be painted, lay on a light wash, and then, having identified the pattern, we can dispense with the reference photo and paint the pattern. We don’t need to refer continuously to the image. We don’t need to paint every brick in the wall.

There is a pattern in everything. Winter trees. Outline the area of the tree – identify the pattern, paint the pattern.  If you look at trees you will notice that the branches get progressively smaller and more numerous as they move away from the trunk.  The smaller, furthest out ones tend to droop downwards, Once you start painting, you can dispense with the reference photo and fill in the pattern.  Summer trees, you don’t need to paint each and every individual leaf. Grass, the same. Water – you can’t paint water as it is constantly moving. If you try to replicate a photograph, it is likely to turn out lifeless. Sit and watch the motion of the sea, the patterns become apparent after a while, paint the pattern.