A painting a week. Week 17

“Blooming azaleas by a canal at Keukenhof”

Keukenhof (kitchen garden) is also known as “Garden of Europe”. It is one of the largest flower gardens in the world and covers around 79 acres. It is situated in Lisse, the Netherlands.

It features a variety of gardens and garden styles, from English garden to Japanese garden and nature garden. There is an enclosed historical garden which features many old bulbs.

Every year, more than 7 million flower bulbs are planted in the garden, to a new landscape design. The garden is only open for 3 months a year, usually from mid March to mid May, with a flower parade held in April. The dates are to a certain extent weather permitted and are confirmed each year.

We visited Keukenhof 3 or 4 times, from 2011, but my favourite year is still the first time (2011).

This week’s painting was inspired by a photo taken by me in 2011, by a canal, featuring blooming azaleas.

I painted it using some Michael Harding paints (kings blue light, cadmium orange, warm white, raw umber and Prussian blue), some Blue Ridge paints (cadmium yellow light and medium, naphtol red and cerulean blue) and some burnt sienna from Old Holland. The medium used was turpentine and De Mayerne medium diluted with turpentine.

For the sky I used a mixture of kings blue light, cerulean blue and white, in 3 layers, first diluted with turpentine and the following two with medium.

The greens are different mixtures of the three blues with two yellows in various proportions.

So here it is:

“Blooming azaleas at Keukenhof”

Oil on linen.

30 X 40cm (12” X 16”).

A painting a week. Week 16

 “Two apple trees in my garden. One in blossom, the other still hibernating.”

As spring finally arrived with good weather I started painting more en plein air, obviously time permitting.

In my little back garden there are two old apple trees. Every year, one flowers before the other, but this year is a bit strange. One is in blossom, leaves growing rapidly, while the second one is still hibernating (we hope). There are some buds on the branches, but long time from coming alive.

Having a week of holiday from work, but dedicated to art (life drawing course at Sarum Studio in Salisbury), I had more time to paint in day light. This is why I have chosen to paint my weekly painting en plein air. And what better subject than my back garden with the two apple trees.

I always paint outdoors using Blue Ridge oil paints and medium (De Mayerne medium). I used cerulean blue and titanium white for the sky, with a touch of black and pyrol red.

For the buildings in the background I have used a mixture of burnt sienna, raw umber and white, while background trees were painted with a mixture of cerulean blue and cadmium yellow light. All the other greens are done with cobalt blue and cadmium yellow, light and medium.

For trees I used raw umber, yellow ochre and white, with a touch of burnt sienna and some black and titanium white.

I started it painting in the early evenings and finished it working an afternoon (few hours).

So, here it is:

“Two apple trees in my garden”

Oil on linen.

30 X 40 cm (12” X 16”).

A painting a week. Week 15

“Flowers in blue flowerpots in (Cordoba)”

 Andalucía is beautiful region situated in southern Spain. Old towns and villages with narrow streets and medieval buildings, a mixture of cultures. Places like Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, Ronda and many others.

We visited Andalucía few years ago in February. It was warmer than we thought it would be and not as packed with tourists.

We managed to visit a few of these places, travelling by car for a week; from Malaga to Granada, Cordoba, Seville, Ronda and back to Malaga.

It was a wonderful experience and we took hundreds of photos.

This week painting was inspired by one of them, taken on a street in Cordoba. A narrow street with white walls and lots of blue flower pots hanging.

I did the under drawing in soft pencil and then the painting in 4 layers, starting with a loose wash diluted with  turpentine and more layers mixed with de Mayerne medium, less and less diluted.

For the walls I used warm white (lead substitute) from Michael Harding, yellow ochre deep and neutral grey and a bit of umber.

For the road I used umber, grey and some white.

For the sky, a mixture of cerulean blue and warm white.

For the flower pots I used a mixture of cerulean and cobalt blue.

“Flowers in blue flowerpots in Cordoba”

Oil on linen.

30 X 40cm (12” X 16”).

A painting a week. Week 14

“Stone steps at Edmondsham gardens”

 Edmondsham house and gardens is a historic estate located off B3081, between Cranborne and Verwood. The house is an elegant Tudor manor with Georgian additions built in 1598 for Thomas Hussey. Beside the house there is a walled kitchen garden from 17th century. Nearby there is the 12th century church of St. Nicholas.

The garden is more than 6 acres and features rare trees and lots of colourful spring bulbs.

The house is open in April and October, Wednesdays and bank holiday Mondays 2PM to 5PM and the garden is open April to October, Sundays and Wednesdays 2PM to 5PM. The tours are given by the present owner.

We visited the garden on few occasions, but we didn’t have a chance to visit the house yet.

The painting I did this week was after a photo taken by me last year, in spring.

For the sky I have used cerulean blue and warm white, for the green I have used cerulean blue and Prussian blue with cadmium golden yellow and cadmium yellow light.

I have also used some burnt sienna and some raw umber and a touch of neutral grey from old holland.

As a medium, I used turpentine and De Mayerne medium from Blue Ridge.

“Stone steps at Edmondsham gardens”

Oil on linen.

30 X 40cm (12” X 16”)

A painting a week. Week 13

“Flying the kite at Texel island”

Texel island is the largest of the West Frisian Islands in the Netherlands, North Holland and forms the largest natural barrier between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. It’s dune landscape forms a unique habitat.

Texel is well known for the wildlife, especially birds of prey and geese in the winter.

About 70 % of activities are related to tourism.

We visited the island two years ago, going there by car with the Royal TESO ferry and we spent a day there.

The painting I did this week is inspired by one of many photos taken and is the second painting I did with Texel beach.

We were on the beach at De Koog village.

For the sky I used cerulean blue, warm white and unbleached titanium, for the sea I used a mixture of Prussian blue, teal blue and warm white and for the sandy beach I used cobalt yellow and burnt sienna.

“Flying the kite at Texel island”

Oil on linen.

30 X 40cm (12” X 16”).

''Common Kingfisher searching for prey''

The Common Kingfisher is a small, beautiful bird, about 6.5 inches long, usually short tailed and large headed. It has blue upper parts and orange underparts.

It belongs to a group of birds called Alcedinidae family with around 90 species grouped in three subfamilies. Most of them are brightly coloured, with a short, stubby tail, large head and long pointy bill. Most of them nest in cavities, usually tunnels dug into vertical banks, some species nesting in abandoned termite nests. They eat a wide variety of prey, including small fish.

They usually hunt fish by swooping down from a perch.

 I first learnt about the kingfisher when I was little, from a lovely book about Romanian fauna written by Ion Simionescu, before WWII. The book was very descriptive and filled with little stories about all the animals living in Romania.

I was able to see the kingfisher, for the first time, many years later and only saw it a couple of times.

I recently found an article about kingfishers in “Dorset Wildlife Magazine”, written by Paul Tutton, a Dorchester teacher and amateur wildlife photographer. Lovely pictures of a beautiful bird. His images can be viewed on www.flickr.com/photos/73096399@N07

With Paul Tutton permission, I have decided to paint a few of his kingfisher photos, this week, being the first one done, in my “A painting a week” series.

It was a bit of a challenge, because I painted the bird bigger than life size and I only painted 3 paintings of birds before (all three, depicting long tailed tits).

 So here it is, my challenge for this week:

 “Common Kingfisher searching for prey”

After a photo by Paul Tutton

Oil on linen

30 X 40cm (12” X 16”)

A painting a week. Week 11

“Misty day at Neuschwanstein Castle!”

Neuschwanstein Castle (German: Schloss Neuschwanstein) is a 19th century palace on a hill above the village of Hohenschwangau, in southwest Bavaria. It was commissioned by  Ludwig II of Bavaria as a homage to Richard Wagner and as a retreat. It was built with Ludwig personal money, but after his death was opened to the public, now having more than 1.3 millions visitors every year.

We wanted to visit the castle few years ago, it was a foggy day, but the queue for the tickets was too long for the time we had. So, we just visited the village instead and took some pictures.

There is a second castle above the village, built by Ludwig II farther, Maximilian II, Schloss Hochenschwangau, where Ludwig spent most of his childhood.

We intend to visit the place in the futures, but this needs planning and a few days spent on site.

In the meanwhile I decided to paint the misty day we’ve been there, with a view of the castle which inspired Disney’s sleeping beauty castle.

“Misty day at Neuschwanstein Castle”

Oil on linen

30 X 40cm (12” X 16”)

A painting a week. Week 10

 “Guarding the road”

 Dorset is a beautiful county, with a variety of landforms, from shoreline with cliffs and beaches, including the world famous “Jurassic Coast” to hills and valleys.

Lovely places and nice roads with great views and picturesque scenery, making the commute a pleasant experience.

Last year I used quite often for commuting a lane from  Horton Inn to Blandford road (A354).

I was always fascinated by this large tree guarding the road like an old sentinel.

I took many photos and I was planning for a long time to paint it. Because it would be difficult to set up an easel and paint on location, being just a narrow road without hard shoulder or laybys around I decided to paint it in the studio.

The photo I used was taken last spring, beginning of May.

For the sky I have used cerulean blue, Prussian blue and warm white.

For the greens I  used Prussian blue, cobalt blue and two yellows (cadmium yellow light and cadmium yellow gold).

For the road I used a mixture of cerulean blue, a warm red and burnt sienna for the underpainting and a warm grey, mixed from vine black, warm white and a touch of alizarin crimson.

“Guarding the road”

Oil on linen.

30 X 40cm (12”X 16”).

A painting a week. Week 9

“Blue vase with tulips and freesias”

“I must have flowers, always and always.”

                                         Claude Monet

I started this week with a quote from Claude Monet, one of the greatest painters of all times, the founder of French impressionist painting. He is one of my two favourites painters, (the other one being Vincent van Gogh) and he also said: “I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers”.

Many artists painted and still paint flowers, everyone having a different approach to the subject. Some paint them realistic, others more impressionistic, or even abstract. Some of the Romanian old masters painted flowers, most famous for his flowers being Stefan Luchian.

Amongst them all I try to paint flowers the way I feel them.

And as a celebration of spring I have chosen for this week to paint flowers again, this time in a blue vase. The flowers, a little bunch of tulips and freesias.

I started with a canvas under painted in yellow, and then I did the background in layers with a purple and 3 shades of red, mixed with medium. For the wall I used them mixed partially and for the table top I mixed them better and lighter.

I did the vase in 3 layers using Prussian blue, azurite and a warm white (lead white substitute from Michael Harding).

I used the same 2 blues for mixing the greens.

So there it is No 9 of my “A painting a week”

“Blue vase with tulips and freesias”

Oil on linen.

30 X 40cm (12”X 16”).

A painting a week. Week 8

“Mermaid and Stag, the two rocks of Freshwater Bay”

Isle of Wight. The largest island in England (apart from main land of course) is located in the English Channel, about 4 miles south from Hampshire. It is about 25 miles by 13 miles (148 sq miles or 384 sq Km). It has a few attractions amongst them being: Osborn House in East Cowes – house for Queen Victoria; Carisbrooke Castle – where King Charles Ist was imprisoned, Ventnor with the Botanical Garden, Shanklin – famous for the esplanade, the beach and the Chine; Godshill – a little village known for its church and its “model village” -a very large model village of itself and old Shanklin, which contains the model of the model village itself with a second even smaller model village inside. Other places to visit include the Blackgang Chine where is the UK’s oldest amusement park,  Garlic farm, Monkey Haven, The steam Railway, The Needles with its coloured sand at Alum Bay and the chair lift to the beach and many, many more.

The Isle of Wight is also famous for the Isle of Wight Festival – an annual music festival and for the Garlic Festival held annually at Garlic Farm.

Oasis is a shop for home decorations which sells staff from Bali, Africa and Asia.

Drift is a chain of two shops, one in East Cowes and one in Yarmouth - they go every year for 3-4 months around the world and bring unique one off items.

And is also renown for its picturesque views.

Anyway, it is one of our favourite places and we visit it with every occasion.

On the southwest coast, south from the lovely village Freshwater, lays Freshwater bay with one of the most picturesque beaches in West Wight. There are two large chalky rocks named Stag, the one further away from the cliff and Mermaid closest. In between them was an Arch Rock which collapsed during a storm in 1992.

We have visited the place two weeks ago and took some lovely photos.

So this week I did a painting after a photo of the Freshwater Bay, featuring the two rocks.

“Mermaid and Stag, the two rocks of Freshwater Bay”

Oil on linen

30 X 40cm (12” X 16”)