I was back at the Royal Exchange on Saturday afternoon. The sun kept moving in and out which made things really tricky and worst of all it was shining on the canvas which I always try to avoid. I had to work really fast! Ho hum, stop making excuses Pilgrim! I think this one ended up more as an information gathering session. I wasn't so taken with the format of the piece but was restricted by the pochade panel size. I might try another one in either portrait or wide landscape next time. Enjoyed it though nonetheless.

Day four of my London week. I knew it was going to be hot so I decided to find some shade amongst the buildings around the Bank area (Threadneedle street). It was a good choice and interesting to see the imposing architecture in a different light, literally.

The main difference from my previous visit was the number of people around. Streams and streams of workers everywhere! It was a good test of how to focus and not get put off my onlookers, for sure! For the first piece I sat under a pillar in the shade of the Bank of England. It was handy because it meant that I wasn't really blocking the pavement too much with my easel. This one was done at about 5pm, slap bang in the middle of rush hour! The figures in are quite indistinct in the painting but that's the way I wanted it, almost a blur of people rushing past!



I was getting a bit tired but decided that whilst I was there I'd try and catch the fading evening light somewhere. I hunted around for a decent spot and nearly opted to head for London Bridge but I noted a really good view toward a church called St Mary Le Bow. I decided to give it a go from a shady but busy spot. Again, the light moved fast. I was actually 'beaten' by the light and didn't quite get things finished on the spot but I spent an hour or so on it the next day in the studio, working from memory whilst it was still fresh in my mind. I like the subdued tones against the light of the sky and the church spire is really impressive (built my Wren apparently). I'll definitely be back to do another one!

This was my third day of the week down in London. Once again it was roasting hot but after a bit of time surveying the area I found a nice spot that was semi shaded. I wanted a composition that would make the most of the thrusting geometry created by the bridge and was fortunate that the light was good.

The painting was done at about 1pm and I got some positive comments from passers by. Even though the sun was high it moved quickly and the shadow cast under the bridge changed it's position quite dramatically as I worked. As with the other paintings, I made sure the canvas was turned away from the sun so that I didn't have direct sun shining on the surface. This can skew your value judgements and you end up overcompensating, making darks darker than they should be. I was pleased with the result and hope to do a bigger version at some point. I might return to the spot with a larger canvas to start things off.

This was a roasting hot day but I knew the light would be good in the afternoon. The first one was done at about 3pm and because of the full sun the colours were quite strong. I've seen Ken Howard paint from this sort of position and wanted to give it a go myself. I was quite conscious of making the composition asymetrical despite there being a strong inherent symmetry to the twin towered bridge.



I was really roasting after the first painting but on my way back I bumped into 3 guys from the Wapping Group who were out painting from a spot a bit closer to the bridge. The light was getting quite interesting and I decided to seize the moment and paint alongside fellow artists! It was a good decision. Really enjoyed it, despite feeling a little jaded.

The scene became almost monochromatic as the sun moved round but I stuck with the initial impression I got at the start otherwise I would have ended up painting a new scene over the old one! The key to getting the light to register on the water was to pitch the general tone of the river low enough to contrast against it.

I've recently become interested in London and what it has to offer in terms of light and architecture. It lends itself well to 'tonal' painting which I seem to veer towards. I took the week off work and spent 4 days in the capital last week. It was great! Really hot and the heavy backpack was a bit of a burden but it was well worth the effort.

I made a point of indentifying potential locations in advance so that I wouldn't expend too much energy searching around for a subject. First off, I hit the area around Bank and the Royal Exchange, following in the footsteps of my 'hero' Ken Howard!



I was lucky to be there on a Bank holiday when all the city workers were away. This one was done round the corner opposite the Bank of England...



The drawing is deceptively complex but there's no time to dither. After doing quick thumbnail sketch in my sketchpad to work out the basic coposition I want I go straight in with a thin wash to map out the position of the key elements. Then it's a question of establishing relationships...colour, tone etc. I try to get in the zone where I forget what I'm painting and see it in more abstract terms, attempting to pull things together to make a coherent whole. I really enjoyed painting these and will certainly be back for many more.

I love those warm, clear summer evenings when the landscape is bathed in the fast fading sunlight. This little study was done in some nearby field by the road just outside the village of Castlethorpe. I had to work at lightning speed. The scene seemed to change every 5 minutes. It was a bit of a frenzy but I really enjoyed the challenge of it all. I tried to be as decisive about the colours/tones as possible so that I didn't have to keep revising what I'd put down. This helps keep things clean and fresh (to a point, anyway). After 25 minutes or so the sun had moved from one side of the tree to the outside of the other!

I'm hoping to work up a bigger version based on this one back in the studio. I actually find that much more difficult as I don't have the energy of the subject to feed off. My mark making and colour mixing are more instictive when working on location. Nevertheless, I think I'll still give it a go as the subject is so enticing.

Thought it might be nice to share a couple of insights into my studio setup. I've recently switched over to using a home-made glass palette which I'm finding excellent for oil painting. The smooth surface is perfect for mixing with the palette knife and very easy to clean. I've placed some coloured card underneath which is similar in tone to my painting surfaces so it's easier to judge colour values.



I don't have a fixed set of colours but more a range that I work with depending on the subject. For some reason I like to put the lighter colours on the right and darker the left (I'm right handed). The picture shows how I like to pre-mix pools of colour before gettng stuck in with the brush. This encourages me to make clearer, cleaner statements with the paint and not end up with a mess of colours on the palette. It helps me to take stock, think about what I'm going to do and identify the key things to work on. I make sure that I clean the brushes a lot so that I don't infect one colour mix with another (unless that is the intention).

I've just added a couple of twistable clips (using those wooden stretcher wedges you get with off the shelf canvases) to the base of my easel platform so that the painting doesn't sit in a 'rut' which makes the very bottom awkward to paint. Nothing pretty but a simple bit of DIY that makes life just a little bit easier :o)



Note also the hooks I've added which are hady for holding brushes loaded with paint!

I've just made my first big batch of canvas panels as I can't work with machined surfaces you get from the shops. I bought a giant roll of cotton duck canvas and glued it to large wooden boards using acid free PVA (bookbinding glue). The surfaces were rolled, pressed, primed/coloured and lightly sanded before being cut with a band saw. I used 2 coats of gesso and 1 coat of acrylic (ultramarine, burnt sienna and titanium white) for the top surface. They have a nice tooth (not too uniform) and are lightweight (ideal for outdoor studies). A fair bit of work but if done in bulk the effort is worthwhile.



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Below is the roller I used to get rid of any creases/bubbles:



and this is the roll of canvas (10m long). Next time I might try linen but it's much more expensive