Monday 29 June 2009

BWTAS No: 3 THE WATER TOWERS

latest stage with first layer of the larger tower
second stage when I added the town rooftops and houses

first stage when I began with the trees and foliage


I had decided way back in the end of winter to paint the two water towers I pass on my way into North Walsham for this Felixstowe exhibition of Towers in East Anglia, so took some photos from all angles.

At long last came the time to produce the acrylic painting but felt the wintry trees with no foliage was not really what I wanted to work well with the other two entries full of the coloured landscape. So last week I went back to the towers, around and down the lane to the field beyond to find to my delight that a glorious field of ripening wheat was before me. With apologies to the farmer, I waded my way through to get far enough images to incorporate the smallness of the town buildings against the two white towers in the sky. My final decision was to use my 24" x 12" box canvas landscape format in contrast to the drainage mill, so that I could get all the buildings in and incorporate a number of the photos with a bit of cheating on angles and foliage shape, size and colour. I feel it works together well.

In the hope of getting the second smaller tower created from scratch and finishing off all their detail in time, I will be delivering all three on Thursday to my dear friend in Norwich to deliver for me.

I'll post the finished work later in the week.

5 comments:

Sandra Rowney said...

Wow Joan, the North Walsham towers look monumental, they remind me of the White House in the US. Anyone out there agree?
I'm busy on my water tower now, I called back to visit it on the way back from holiday. It was still there.
Sandra

Robert A Vollrath said...

I think Sandra is right. Little bit of a light house look. I like seeing the second penciled in water tower when I enlarged the top photo.

Robert A Vollrath said...

I meant White House not light house.

I am the king of typos.

Anita Davies said...

Oh Joan this is coming along beautifully. Love the composition and the shading on that large tower is just smashing my friend.
You have been so productive this year and your work hasn't suffered a bit from all the rushing to get work done for deadlines.
Water towers isn't a subject I would have given any consideration to but you have made them all look so interesting with your beautiful brushwork, unique composition and glorious colour.
A wonderful body of work, you didn't rise to this challenge you thrashed it!!
Well done!

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

ANITA AND SANDRA - What wonderful messages - true praise from our very own busiest sketcher in the business! ITS FINISHED - just before dinner yesterday (which Clive cooked for me.) Have to label and D ring and varnish now but will post tomorrow after I've delivered to Sandra.

Thanks Robert for popping in with your praise. Must say these two have given me lots of pleasure and delighted with results. Never would have dreamt of painting these subjects - thats why its great to have a themed exhibition.