Painting on the Edge

"Snow at Brawlbin" - watercolour - 25 x 36 cm Happy Christmas

"A Farm in Snow" - watercolour - 16 x 26 cm Winter weather has properly established itself now, with cold winds and snow showers. Watercolour washes are taking a long time to dry, so I have changed to a more direct method of painting. This involves putting down colour at full strength first time, instead of building the painting in layers. Areas of similar tone are allowed to fuse softly at the edges. Of the two methods, 'Direct' and 'Controlled Wash', I think I prefer the speed and brushwork of painting directly. It's not ideal for soft, atmospheric effects, but it works well for subjects like this, where there are strong tonal contrasts and texture.

"Strath Kildonan in Autumn" - watercolour - 24 x 36 cm The calm sunny weather we had for much of the autumn seems to have ended now. Storms are on the way with icy winds, so scenes like this may be replaced with snow soon.