Posted by Stephen Quirke on July 25, 2010 under Art, Strand Pipe beach, en plein air, painting, seascape, watercolor, watercolour | 
Helllllooooooo everyone – well – I am back online – its been a week – phew!!
Here is the painting I did at the pipe on Friday evening. I spent too long chatting with Andy at Son Surf area so this was also a bit of a rush again – but it was fun. There was a chilly south-easter blowing – the first of the season I think. But it was still beautiful as ever down there.
I have run out of Arches Cold Pressed and this was done on something else – it could be Bockingford or Saunders – I need to get to my friends at Art Source.
It is a half sheet – 560 x 380 mm
No people this time – but the beach was quite deserted.
Posted by Stephen Quirke on July 19, 2010 under Art, en plein air, painting, seascape, watercolor, watercolour |
I love big match Saturdays. The sea is usually deserted. However our Springbok Rugby team played the All Blacks and their ref in the morning (my big match rant – (o: ) . So the sea was packed. But it was a beautiful evening and I had a couple of good waves and chatted with my friend Chris. Then I shot out and got my stuff just in time to do a quick, one-wash painting of the mountains. I caught the last light. The evening was chilly and the paint did not dry at all so I could not put any further glazing. But there it is.
On the sea I had been squinting into the setting sun so did not look in the that direction. But when I packed up my kit I looked around in the direction of table mountain and the golden sky just took my breath away. There was no time to paint it so I remembered the colours and want to paint what I saw.
Posted by Stephen Quirke on July 14, 2010 under Art, en plein air, landscape, painting, watercolor, watercolour |
Here is a painting I did in the Little Karoo, taking a different route home from George.
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Posted by Stephen Quirke on under Art, Touw River, Wilderness, en plein air, watercolor, watercolour |
I was up in George with clients over the last weekend. I had a meeting on Friday afternoon and spent the morning on the Giant Kingfisher Trail painting the river. It was a beautiful blustery morning following a night of hot dry winds in front of an approaching cold front. I had a great morning filming my walk-in, set up and painting process. All this work has been lost but here is the painting.
This was painted on a half sheet of Arches Rough (560 x 380 mm). It has a beautiful tooth. Because it was so thick the page curled off my board as I painted, in the hot dry wind.
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Posted by Stephen Quirke on under Art, Family, Strand Pipe beach, en plein air, figure, watercolor, watercolour |
Last week I had a great surf with my boys and stole a few minutes after we had packed up to take some photos of the closing day. There was a family playing on the beach and I took some shots to paint in the studio. Here is the first watercolour:
This is painted on a quarter sheet of Arches 300gm cold pressed (280 x 380mm).
Posted by Stephen on July 2, 2010 under Art, Strand Pipe beach, en plein air, figure, painting, seascape, watercolor, watercolour |
heh heh – well I hoped that it would have made something more pronounceable. But it was really was just another evening at The Pipe (Friday). Well no – I had two magnificent waves. Wunderbar actually. When this happens I get just an inkling of why people kick their day jobs to surf. Man!
Anyway…
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Posted by Stephen on July 1, 2010 under Art, en plein air, landscape, painting, watercolor, watercolour |
This afternoon I had to be in the area again and came prepared to paint the same scene. I found a perspective which incorporated a view of the oak trees lining the main road. It was a bit close to the main road but I thought it would be worth it. As I set up I idly wondered whether the testosterone charged locals who roared down the road in the luxury german sedans and their streetsmart 4x4s also felt the magic of that short length of road in the shade of the gnarled oaks.
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Posted by Stephen on June 28, 2010 under Art, en plein air, landscape, painting, watercolor, watercolour |
Durbanville, where I do quite a bit of work is right on the edge of ‘town’. You drive between houses and scho0ls and next thing you are in between vineyards and wheatfields. I had some time this evening and remembered a place called Pampoenkraal where I have often wanted to stop and paint. I guess that roughly translates to “Pumpkin Paddock”.
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Posted by Stephen on June 25, 2010 under Art, Strand Pipe beach, en plein air, figure, painting, seascape, watercolor, watercolour |
It has been a very strange day in the Cape Flats. It was bright and sunny at dawn but low cloud moved in and hung around all day. I had a meeting in Cape Town and had time for a 20 minute surf at the Pipe which was brilliant. The waves had this beautiful shape and the sea was glassy. And in the thick mist I could not see the shore at all. A bit disorientating really. All too soon I had to rush up the beach wash my hair in the cold shower (I usually rinse off with my wetsuit ON in winter) and roar off through the traffic completing my dressing process.
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Posted by Stephen on June 23, 2010 under Art, en plein air, landscape, painting, watercolor, watercolour |
Yesterday I had business in Paarl and went up the N1 north into Du Toits Kloof pass to paint a scene I have wanted to do for ages. I parked at the hotel and crossed the highway and walked up the hill a short way to set up. I used a full sheet of Arches (560 x 760mm) which was a new experience. It was so nice to stand there with a big squirrel hair mop, splashing the colour on. Man! it felt good.
Eventually I had leave the painting half done because the paper would not dry and I had to get back. This is how it looked when I left:
and this afternoon it looks like this:
On reflection I reckon I would like to have achieved something like this with the first wash. Bold! I need to go more bold with those first washes.
And I want to do something about how I carry stuff. I carried these ungainly boards and sheets of paper with my art box slipping off my shoulder. mmmf – time to get organised.
I plan to complete this painting here in the studio as I am not sure when I will get out there again.
Helllllooooooo everyone – well – I am back online – its been a week – phew!!
