This is my first portrait of a New Zealander. Here, one of Faye's neighbours, Gerard, is wearing his French beret and holding a coffee mug. The scene is set in a Tirangi Road garden with views of Evans Bay and of Wellington Harbour beyond.
It is morning coffee time, and Gerard is backlit by strong north-eastern sunlight.
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| Gerard at Café Tirangi Watercolour, 27.5 x 20 cms, signed WW and dated 2022. Private Collection. |
There are several feline portraits here, and these have often proved to be complicated to paint when the cats' fur was tricoloured or bristly!
But in this case, as Snow's fur is not only monocolour but also soft and fluffy, the brushwork is simplified. No attempt is made to detail the background, but the red and purple hues help to convey a sense of comfort.
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| Snow Watercolour, 28 x 20 cms, signed WW and dated 07 10 2022. Private Collection. |
"Fenêtre sur Jardin Tropical" was painted after a family commission for a second version of the watercolour "Fenêtre", which can be be found on the page "RE Creole Architecture". As might be expected it has many similarities but also differences when compared with the original: Every watercolour is inevitably unique! The scene is based on a photograph taken by Anne-Marie of the "Maison Folio"; an authentic 19th century creole house built in the former spa town of Hell-Bourg, Salazie, Réunion Island.
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| Fenêtre sur Jardin Tropical Watercolour, 36 x 26 cms, signed WW and dated 2022. Private Collection. Please note that as the painting was photographed before framing, the paper was not completely flat. This is a second version of the painting "Fenêtre" which can be found on the page "RE Creole Architecture". |
A bright sun sets over an ocean, and a moon-like planet shines dimly in a calm evening sky. Gentle waves ripple almost noiselessly against a sandy shore, while in the foreground, a man and woman in white sportswear stand face-to-face, observing each other.
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| French nostalgia Watercolour, 26 x 36 cm, signed WW and dated 2022. Available. |
Both are wearing white masks that are scale models of the cabins of H vans, formerly manufactured by the French constructor Citroën between 1947 and 1981. The woman is wearing a standard French model with suicide doors, while the man is wearing a special Dutch model with doors that are conventionally hinged. The stylish bodywork of these vans was inspired by the corrugated fuselage skins of German Junkers aircraft built between the First World War and the 1930s. The corrugations brought strength without adding weight, and could be produced with low-cost press tools. Used by the French police, Citroën HY vans were instantly recognisable, and were commonly known as “panniers à salade” (which in English mean “salad baskets”).
In the present scene, are we witnessing a special ritual, or just observing a fancy dress parade that celebrates mythical French nostalgia from the “Old World”?
Though the masks may at first look slightly cumbersome, they are constructed with lightweight materials, counterbalanced, and doted with comfortable shoulder pads. If required, they can contain drink distributors, while food can always be passed to the wearers’ mouths from underneath. The masks can be a useful accessory at night, with their headlights turned on; and at all times the wearers can check what’s going on behind them, by simply looking in their side view mirrors.
To see more science fiction watercolours please refer to the page Sci-Fi.
A planet floats in a tormented pink and yellow sky. A sun shines brightly and numerous stars twinkle above a hilly landscape. Terraced slopes in the background could either be natural geological formations, or artificial earthworks. A space ship has landed in the distance and a woman astronaut is wandering through a bank of yellow flowers.
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| Space sickness on flowery slopes Watercolour, 26 x 36 cms, signed WW and dated 2022. Available. |
Why does she need her oxygen supply when blossoming takes place here? Is she allergic to the pollen, or are there other atmospheric dangers?
To see more science fiction watercolours please refer to the page Sci-Fi.
Plein air painting is the act of painting outdoors, which the French also call painting "sur le motif." If the weather permits there are many advantages of using this method, and luckily, on the 14th August 2021, the conditions were excellent, with no wind and a clear sky. My daughter Faye came with me that afternoon, and before she left to do some exploring on her bike, she took the following photograph of me, settled at my chosen spot:
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On the north bank of the
River Sienne
near
Urville-sur-Mer Photographed by Faye Walkington on the 14th August 2021 at 15h 12. |
The place was on the north bank of the River Sienne, in a salt meadow near the estuary, and it seemed sufficiently far from the madding crowd to avoid distracting interruptions. I had noticed a small tree with an exposed root structure which I thought could be a good 'anchor' for a composition. The advantage of plein air painting comes from the communion with nature, in which we not only see the place, but also feel, hear and even smell it. This intimate contact can, if we are in the mood, contribute positively to the finished work. Here the subject of the watercolour was not extraordinary, but the act of observing and painting it in situ probably improved the result, and certainly left me with some excellent memories:
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La Sienne
vers
Urville-sur-Mer Plein Air Watercolour, 24 x 33.5 cms, signed WW and dated 2021. Available. |
While I was painting, salt meadow sheep would occasionally come to drink water from the river, and from time to time I heard a splash when a fish jumped. Further downstream a group was enjoying a sunny afternoon together, and towards the end of my three-hour stay a solitary fisherman tried his luck in the pools. He told me that some big mullet swam in that stretch, and that they were excellent in barbecues!
Everything went smoothly for me that day, compared to others when problems arise. In a future post I will give some tips for making the most of painting "sur le motif," especially when things get difficult. But whatever the result might be, plein air painting is generally a positive and memorable experience!
To see more watercolours of other Normandy landscapes please refer to the page FR Normandy.
