Parque Estadual do Rio Vermelho, forest

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Parque Estadual do Rio Vermelho, forest

 watercolour, 19.5 x 27.5 cm

 

 

This paper isn't heavy- 90 gsm - but I'm not using washes of colour. I stretched the paper with masking tape.

 

Canson sell another paper, twice as heavy but still quite affordable, that I'll try next week.

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Cachoeira do Bom Jesus, sand, plants

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Cachoeira do Bom Jesus, sand, plants

 watercolour on paper, 13.8 x 19.8 cm 

 

 

This is on light, 90 gsm paper, which I stretched using masking tape- the paper has warped a little, but I think it is okay. 

 

 

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Santinho - in watercolour and pencil

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Santinho,watercolour and pencil on paper 21 x 15 cm

 

 

 This is the first watercolour I have done for many years- perhaps as many as twenty. I'm looking forward to painting with watercolours in Colombia and Ecuador.

Oils are so cumbersome in comparison, and the cleaning of brushes and the drying of paint is always an issue when you are travelling.

It's delightful to return, this time with another perspective, one which is more accepting of the medium's qualities- especially it's lightness. 

I need to find a bigger sheets of paper: I want to use washes.

This paper is 250 gsm. I think this is probably the minimum weight not to have buckling. It's a pity how expensive the good papers are.

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A Journey round Colombia and Ecuador

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December 2022 to February 2023: 

journeys in Colombia and Ecuador

 

 

 

Colombia and Ecuador

 

 

 

This trip is only just being sketched out: so far, I know I fly into Medellín.

 

 

 

 

Map showing Medellin to Bogotá via Manizales  and Ibagué.

 

 

 Then, I think I take the bus from Medellin to Bogotá via Manizales,  Pereira and Ibagué. Maybe also Salento?

Next, I fly from Bogotá to Quito.

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 In Ecuador I make my way down to Cuenca by bus: from there returning a couple of weeks later.

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I'm travelling light. And I'm taking watercolours, a medium I haven't used for over a decade.

 

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Parque Estadual do Rio Vermelho, slender trees

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 Parque Estadual do Rio Vermelho, slender trees, 27.5 x 30 cm- unavailable

 

 Parque Estadual do Rio Vermelho, slender trees- detail

 

 

 

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Santinho, view, mid-September

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Santinho, view, mid-September, oil on card, 29.5 x 27.5 cm available

 

Santinho, view, mid-September- detail

 

 

Today I used Prussian Blue, and no other blue.  

 

I will give Santinho a break for a few days and come back to it as it's becoming overfamiliar.

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Photo from Santinho

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Thanks to Carla Pinheiro for this photo from Santinho.

 

 

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Santinho, September, almost raining

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Santinho, September, almost raining, oil on card, 29.5 x 27.7 - unavailable

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santinho, September, almost raining- detail

This is the second of my painting trips here- it is not really so far, but it's often windy, and sand and paint make an unhappy combination so I hesitate before coming.

 But it's a striking location giving an extraordinary view of two bays from a variety of heights formed by dunes and strange hillocks- the effect is rather cubistic.

 Ergo, more visits.

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Liquin impasto

I've been using this with most works lately, sometimes balancing it with linseed oil; I like the oatmeal effect it has. 

It is made by Winsor and Newton and comes in a tube, having the consistency (more or less) of toothpaste. It speeds drying times quite dramatically, making transportation of paintings easier.

I usually mix it into white, as I use white with most of the paints, and thus some Liquin will be present in almost the entire painting.

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A drive further south 3: Ferrugen

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 Ferrugen

 

 

 

Ferrugen: sea view, oil on card, 27.5 x 30 cm - available

 

 

Ferrugen: sea view- detail

 

 

Ferrugen out of season is utterly enchanting, with river, lake, beaches and woods intermingling: I could happily spend a month here painting.

 But in summer it must become completely over-run by tourists (often surfers) and rather exhausting.

 

 

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