Sunday, 27 November 2011

Rainy days and Sundays

Brrr ... it's getting colder here in the UK ... and to top it all we've been having a little rain here in the week .. and more this morning :( I have been spending what little time I have beween work (still busy there) and family matters to do a little more drawing work ... mainly portraits. I have so much to learn but I'm quite pleased with the results so far and I seem to be progressing. As a result, I've not had a great deal of time to spend on painting this week ... and I expect that to be the case for a while. Sketching outdoors is on hold now until the longer hours of daylight return and so I have to rely more on photographs. I did however manage to paint this early morning scene today. This is based on a photograph I took on a recent rainy day dog walk down to the local village shop. The overnight rain had left lots of puddles and a general shimmer across the road that reflected the colours of the fleeting sunrise. The houses and trees that line the road were barely discernible against the light and vivid colours of the sky.

Have a lovely Sunday ... happy painting (and drawing)!

Rainy day in Hartford, watercolour in Fabriano Venezia sketchbook, 25cm x 18cm/10" x 7"
Posted by at 11:02

22 comments:

  1. Pat27 November 2011 at 11:18

    Love it, Michael!
    We've avoided the rain, but do have gales. Doesn't make for plein aire, that's for sure :) xx

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  2. Judy27 November 2011 at 12:33

    Amazing how you can make a wonderful painting of this rainy and muddy scene! I love the colours and the reflections!
    I tried some portraits myself lately, difficult isn't it.

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  3. Tito27 November 2011 at 13:54

    Hi Michael, I like this rainy atmosphere you have given to this work and also the nice color of the puddles which capture immediately the viewer's eye. Ciao!!

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  4. Jane27 November 2011 at 14:33

    Wow, wonderful sky and wonderful reflection...art is really to be found everywhere, you just have to put the right glasses on :-) Bravo Michael, awesome!

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  5. Anonymous27 November 2011 at 15:12

    This is very beautiful painted Michael. It is a bit obscure painted, but that fits in well with the type wheater. Storms and rains also here at the moment. Fortunately, it is not very cold. Too bad that we have at the moment so little time to paint and draw. For me I hope that within 2 weeks my busy work and other things over again.

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  6. Sandra Busby27 November 2011 at 15:40

    Wow - this has to be one of my favorites of yours to date. I LOVE it! It has such atmosphere! I really love the colours too. Just fabulous!
    It's still mild down our way. Not coat weather, but quite windy today which proved tricky when cleaning out the chickens earlier! I ended up showered in shavings!
    So - are we going to see some of your portraits then? :0)

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  7. Anonymous27 November 2011 at 16:32

    Une réussite Michael ! Very good work indeed.

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  8. Unknown27 November 2011 at 17:14

    Hi Pat and thank you very much. It has been quite blustery here too, but it stayed dry enough for a mammoth dog walk. Louie is cream-crackered :)

    Hi Judy and thank you very much. Mud is good :) Portraits are more difficult .. you can't really upset a house or tree ... or can you? lol :)

    Hi Tito and thank you very much .. most of the reflections were extra .. not in the original photo ... so I'm glad they worked :)

    Hi Jane and thank you very much. Yes you're right, you can find beauty in the unlikeliest of places if you wear the right glasses. 'Seeing' is so important :)

    Hi Renske and thank you very much. The weather is very changeable here too .. but it has started to get noticably colder. Hope you get more time on Gaia :)

    Hi Sandra and thank you very much. It's definitely coat, but not hat and scarf weather here ... yet. Should I post my portraits - Hmmm, let me think ... NO! lol. Well not just yet :)

    Hi Hoghart and thank you very much. My schoolboy French failed me there .. thank you Google Translate too!

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  9. Lydie27 November 2011 at 19:51

    Terrific atmosphere ! cold, rain, little light of day that rises ... oh yeah, brrrrrrr;)

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  10. Barbra Joan28 November 2011 at 00:38

    Only you could turn an ordinary street scene into something worth while to look at and study.
    I see those same two colors of violets and brighter yellows shouting out from the grays that were probably a mix of the two?
    At least it gives me something to try and decipher what you've done . That's a good thing in a painting.. BJ

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  11. Anonymous28 November 2011 at 08:21

    Michael, Love the sky reflections in the water puddles.....something wonderful is happening to your creative energy at the moment.

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  12. Unknown28 November 2011 at 08:46

    Bonjour Lydie! Thank you very much for your kind comments ... Brrr indeed ... and there was a light ground frost this morning - the first of many I feel!

    Hello Rose! Thank you very much for your lovely comments! I just had to start using some of those lovely pigments you encouraged me to buy, lying all forlorn in my palette :)

    Hi BJ! Why thank you - what lovely comments! I used W&N tube colours. The darks and greys of the houses and posts are actually perylene green and light red. I did add violet to the road and this has mixed with the yellow puddles to produce some interesting greys as you say! I also used various cobalt blue and cobalt violet mixes for the sky, new gamboge and winsor orange red shade for the sky and puddles.

    Hi Maggie. Thank you very much for your lovely encouraging comments! Yes indeed, something wonderful is happening :)

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  13. Lisa Le Quelenec28 November 2011 at 09:40

    There's a lovely energy and flow to these strokes. I like the suggestive nature of the houses silhouettes.... very, very well done and a lovely atmosphere captured. Love it!

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  14. Victor Errington28 November 2011 at 09:45

    Good Morning Michael.
    Brilliant atmopheric painting my friend. Lovely puddle reflections, Wet sky, The inpressionistic way you have painted the buildings. Overall, a brilliant painting. Well done Michael. All the best.
    Vic.

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  15. John (JWJarts)28 November 2011 at 13:34

    Nothing to say that hasn't already been said. It's a lovely atmospheric painting that I could look into for ages. Superb.

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  16. Unknown28 November 2011 at 13:54

    Thank you very much Lisa! I think I am beginning to find a style that I can work on but I'm also trying out a load of new pigments that have really put some life into my work.

    Good afternoon Vic and thank you very much my friend for all your lovely comments and support. I really do appreciate it. All the best, Michael.

    Thank you so very much, John. I'm really pleased that you have enjoyed looking at this one. I also feel a little bit better about all that paper I have used along the way .. perhaps it wasn't all in vain ;)

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  17. Blaga28 November 2011 at 14:32

    Beautiful scene, I like how you managed to incorporate warm colors in a rainy day. I guess now is the season to notice the dawns and sunsets.
    Enjoy your explorations! I got the Civardi's book that you recommended and plan to spend some time with it too, maybe during the holidays...

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  18. jsicignano2.blogspot.com29 November 2011 at 00:55

    Hi Michael, oh yes this is a brilliant painting. Great sky and reflections. Great atmospheric painting Michael. Hope you get to do more of these great paintings. There is never enough time eh?

    All the best to you,
    Joan

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  19. Unknown29 November 2011 at 11:26

    Hi Blaga. Thank you very much. Yes, some lovely sunrises and sunsets here lately. Hope you like the Civardi book :)

    Hi Joan. Thank you very much. Yes, still very busy, but I managed to fit this in on Sunday morning ... while the rest of the world was sleeping :) All the best to you too, Michael.

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  20. JANE MINTER1 December 2011 at 16:44

    great sketch michael full of atmosphere.

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  21. Lucia B.1 December 2011 at 21:43

    Very interesting work, Michael! I like your choice of a subject far from picturesque and yet full of poetry, with a beautiful effect of reflection that gives light to the whole painting! I agree with you that now it isn't time to work outdoor, it's become difficult also here in Italy, so I can imagine how hard it must be there!

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  22. Unknown2 December 2011 at 00:10

    Hi Jane, thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it :)

    Hi Lucia, and thank you very much! yes it's quite a change from my usual landscapes. It's really starting to get quite cold here now!

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