Vilcabamba, mountains

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Vilcabamba, mountains, watercolour, A3

Vilcabamba, mountains - detail

Vilcabamba, mountains - detail

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Trees by a river, late afternoon; gouache

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Trees by a river, late afternoon

 watercolour and gouache on paper, A3

Trees by a river, late afternoon- detail

Trees by a river, late afternoon- detail

I began using some gouache to deepen the colour in the darker areas. 

It works very well.

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Vilcabamba, Ecuador

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Vilcabamba, a bridge, watercolour on paper, A3

Vilcabamba, a bridge - detail

Vilcabamba, a bridge - detail

I arrived here yesterday afternoon- I can already see that Vilcabamba has been more or less totally colonised by Americans, often hippy.  

But it is extremely pleasant for nature and I think I`ll be able to work easily in from my little cabin which is rather romantically situated near this river.

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Cuenca, Eucalyptus trees

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Cuenca, Eucalyptus trees

watercolour on paper, A3

Cuenca, Eucalyptus trees - detail

Cuenca, Eucalyptus trees - detail

Painted with new, much larger brushes- these allow me to stand back to work, and force me to focus on the general, not the details.

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Cuenca, a bridge over the river

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Cuenca, a bridge over the river, watercolour on paper, A3

Cuenca, a bridge over the river - detail

I`m going to experiment more with this cross-hatching style. 

I much prefer it to large washes. I like how it allows, or encourages quick reactions, and how the picture builds up over the session.

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Cuenca, by the river

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Cuenca, by the river, watercolour on paper, A3

Cuenca, by the river - detail

Cuenca, by the river - detail

This is on the excellent Hahnemühle 300gsm paper. It allows much more subtle layering, a little erasing of errors (by rubbing with a wet brush onto the paper to remove a mark) and doesn`t buckle. 

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Latacunga- from the Central Hotel - 2

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Latacunga- from the Central Hotel - 2, watercolour on paper, A4

Latacunga- from the Central Hotel - 2 - detail

Latacunga- from the Central Hotel - 2 - detail

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Latacunga, from the Central Hotel -1

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Latacunga, from the Central Hotel- 1

 watercolour on paper, A4

Latacunga, from the Central Hotel -1- detail

This was painted on  thin paper- the effect of this is that  I`m forced to use a limited technique with single washes and little working in, and  forced to be clear in my objectives.

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Latacunga has some wonderful architecture- fine whitewashed churches- and is very friendly.

 I have been blessed with a wonderful hotel room overlooking the square, from which I shall continue to work. Fortunately it is not at all cold, like Quito.

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Quito, from steps leading down to La Almeda

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Quito, from steps leading down to La Almeda

 watercolour on paper, A3

Quito, from steps leading down to La Almeda-  detail

This was painted on Hahnemühle Harmony paper - 300 gsm. 

The colours seem to show more brightly (though I can`t explain why) and the paper better at allowing different paint layers without them appearing dense and lifeless on the paper.

 It`s a bit more expensive but I think, now my sense of how watercolour works has improved, probably worth the extra cost.

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Quito, from the church near Parque El Ejido

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Quito, from the church near Parque El Ejido

 watercolour on paper, A4

Quito, from the church near Parque El Ejido - detail

Quito, from the church near Parque El Ejido - detail

It`s been cold, grey and wet for days- rotten painting weather. 

Today for a few hours the sun shone. 

Bliss.

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Quito, Alameda

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Quito,  Alameda, watercolour on paper, A3

Quito,  Alameda, watercolour on paper - detail

I am not sure if the pencil marks are distracting or should be kept. 

This is on a new paper, and actually slightly larger than A3.

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Central Quito is very well preserved with stunning architecture and is lovely to walk around. It is pleasingly hilly and offers many fine views. I hope I can find a way to depict these, often intricate, Baroque buildings.

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