Santinho,watercolour

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Santinho, 8 February 2024, watercolour, A2

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Santinho, hillside

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Santinho, hillside, watercolour, A2

Santinho, hillside - detail

Santinho, hillside

A day of immense loveliness.

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Santinho, hill

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Santinho, hill, watercolour, A2

Santinho, hill - detail

I liked painting here so much that I might go back tomorrow, thus breaking my rule about going to the same site two days in a row.

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Santinho, July 2023

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Santinho, July 2023, watercolour, A2

Santinho, July 2023 - detail

Santinho, July 2023 - detail

The dots are uneven in size and weight.

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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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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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Santinho, fields, sea

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Santinho, fields, sea, oil on card, 29.5 x 26.5 cm - available

 

 

Santinho, fields, sea - detail

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Santinho, sea

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Santinho, sea, oil on card, 26 x 28 cm available

 

 

 

 

Santinho, sea - detail

My first time painting here- it's a little inconvenient to get to.

 

Urban planning and architecture in Santinho and Ingleses is appalling: ugly unmatched buildings cuttng off the sea, a lack of tree planting or integration with nature, and poor general maintenance.

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