PEREGRINE AT TOLO HARBOUR

 

Another of my older paintings which I did quite some time ago. In an earlier blog, I mentioned that the area around Plover Cove where I was living at the time had inspired me to do many paintings there, both in watercolor and in oil. This is one of my larger oils. The idea came from a Peregrine Falcon I saw while out exploring Tolo Harbor one afternoon. It had alighted not far from me on rocks near the shoreline so I carried the idea forward to my painting. In this work, I tried to capture not just the characteristics of the bird but also that of the misty landscape typical of the area. There were not usually a lot of birds to be seen there and I can’t say that I saw Peregrines that often but the few I did see were always exceptional and excitedly observed both through my binoculars and when possible, through my telescope. I would then have at least a chance of doing some studies of them in one of my sketchbooks that I always took with me. These studies were then used along with my memory to reconstruct the experience of seeing a peregrine in the wild – all the while hoping to capture something of what I felt when I first observed it.

The close up shows a little more of the bird's details. Size of the full painting is 30 x 40 in (76 x 102 cm), oil on canvas.

EVENING CLOUDS OVER TOLO HARBOR

 

Most evenings after I had finished with painting for the day, I would grab my bike and cycle around Plover Cove and out to Tolo Harbor where I would sit and watch the evening draw in. This area was a inspiration for a lot of my paintings, this one was done after watching clouds gather one evening. The clouds and warm sky colors were reflected in the water harmonizing the whole work and the resulting painting has been a favorite of mine. Size is 16 x 20 in (40 x 46cm), oil on canvas.

DOORS

 

One thing that I loved about Hong Kong was the constant contrast between the old and the new. While I did enjoy the modern city, I preferred to wander through quiet woodland, over grassy hills and through abandoned villages. Fortunately I did quite a lot of studies of these places while I was there as most of them have either been developed or have returned to nature. I still make it a point to visit some of the old places that are still accessible whenever I visit Hong Kong and am always rewarded by a wealth of subjects. These old doors were found in a village not far from where I lived on Lamma Island. A few studies of these and other doors were done at that time and I might return to this subject one day. Size of the painting is 24 x 36 in (61 x 92cm), acrylic on board.

EVENING AT THE LAKE VII

 

After another excursion down to the nearby lake, I came back with this painting. Initially I was focused on the heronry situated on the larger island in the middle of the lake.  I wanted to paint some of the nests and the comings and goings of the herons. As night fell and the heat of the day dissipated, mist began to form so I started to include this into my painting. Since the mist was drifting just above the surface of the water, it conveniently formed a line across the middle and worked well to separate the island from its reflection. The evening sky that day was magnificent! Size is about 9 x 12 inches (23 x 30cm), oil on canvas.

EVENING REFLECTIONS

 

This is another watercolor that I did when I visited the Adirondacks in upstate New York. It was a quiet evening while we waited for the sun to set but the colors were simply amazing! This scene somehow seem to epitomize the whole trip for me. There were many such memorable landscapes similar to this one, fortunately I visited during some wonderful weather although the blackflies were a little troublesome! Still, it was well worth it though and I came home with a lot of new work and some great references for future paintings. This one is about 15 x 11 in (38 x 28 cm).

ROOF VENT, PART 2

 

After working on the painting for a further few days, I put it aside for a while then came back with a fresh eye to take another look at it. There were a few areas that I continued to darken such as the brick wall at the bottom. I think at this stage, I am almost finished. I'll leave it in the studio then pull it out in a week or so then see how I feel about it, perhaps I will do a little more -  one can never tell. If so I'll repost a updated photo. Size is 15 x 11 in ( 380 x 280 cm), acrylic on Grumbacher paper.

ROOF VENT, PART 1

 

With this work, I am getting closer to finishing a series of paintings that I started when we were in Baltimore. This one, like all the others, was seen along one of the streets on our almost daily walks around the inner harbour. Initially, this large vent caught my eye as a powerful motif standing against a lighter sky. When I looked closer, I was delighted to discover how it and the roof had weathered over the years. Apart from the subtle greens which was all that was left of the initial paint, there were many textures and streaks of rust which I knew I would enjoy recreating in a painting. Here I am about half way through the process but there is still a lot more to come....