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Wednesday 2 July 2014

A Nice Dilemma

A nice dilemma we have here
That calls for all our wit, for all our wit . . . 
- Gilbert & Sullivan, Trial by Jury


Sometimes it's good to take your watercolours and just experiment - particularly when you haven't used them for some time and need to loosen up.  Last week I decided to re-interpret the two Venice paintings I made back in March, just going with the flow to see what happened.  On two consecutive days, with Vivaldi's Gloria in the CD player (is there a more Venetian composer?) and the same Venetian glass colour palette as previously, I mixed up some thin washes.


the most exciting colours always end up in the brush water!
© Teresa Newham

I applied these to a block of Hahnemühle Andalucia paper with a wide brush . . .

Venice III initial washes
© Teresa Newham
. . .  waited for them to dry and added stronger colours, holding the block upright now and again so they ran down the paper.

Venice IV after the second set of washes
© Teresa Newham

Finally I added a gondolier, a misty bridge in the distance, and some shadows at the top and outer edges:



Venice III & IV 
original watercolours © Teresa Newham

So I now have four paintings of Venice - two sets of two each!  I'd like to exhibit a couple of them at Open Studios in September, but my dilemma is - which ones?




4 comments:

  1. Hmmm, out of number 4 or 5 I like 4 best. There is something about the gondola and the pole my eyes seem to enjoy it more.

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    1. Thanks! undecided whether to show the first set, this set, or one from each set . . .

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  2. I think I agree with Lynn-Marie. I slightly prefer the one with the gondolier going away. Perhaps it's something about the pole trailing in the water....However they're so magical and atmospheric it would be a shame not to exhibit both. Not much help I know!

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    1. Venice is an elusive subject . . . I'm not convinced I've said what I want to in any of the four paintings I've done so far!

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