Stephen J Quirke watercolour blog and online gallery
Posted by Stephen Quirke on March 13, 2011 under Art, en plein air, painting, pencil sketch, portrait, seascape, Strand Pipe beach, watercolor, watercolour | 
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Yesterday I attended a breakfast talk in the morning and did these sketches of the guys sitting around me:
Once I settled down I got some good likenesses.
Posted by Stephen Quirke on January 1, 2011 under Art, Drawing, figure, painting, pencil sketch, portrait, watercolor, watercolour | 4 Comments to Read
So we started closed out 2010 with the cousins in the Cape Town waterfront – throngs of people all peaceably enjoying company with friends to see in the new year. I returned to our table to find Margie and Tim drawing Torril – our friend from Norway so I sat next to her to do a quick sketch of Tim before he started moving.
Posted by Stephen Quirke on November 18, 2010 under Art, Drawing, en plein air, figure, pencil sketch | Be the First to Comment
Whenever I can make it, I meet on Thursday mornings with a group of guys from my church at CJ’s, to study the bible. We are currently going through the Genesis which you may imagine makes for interesting discussion. We usually sit in a little lounge area inside. There is an eclectic group of regulars who sit on the tables outside. They are mostly smokers as there is now a law prohibiting smoking in restaurants here in SA. But there are some really interesting looking characters.Posted by Stephen Quirke on November 14, 2010 under Art, Drawing, en plein air, figure, pencil sketch | 10 Comments to Read
Here is a sketch I did of Gavin preaching from Hebrews 6. I was listening – really. But I was also trying to catch his hands as he gesticulated.
Posted by Stephen Quirke on under Art, en plein air, figure, pencil sketch | 2 Comments to Read
Yesterday the men in our church got together for a breakfast at CJs hosted by the lovely Cecily and her delightful staff. Sean the psychologist spoke about stress and how to manage it. And I did some sketches of the guys sitting in front of me. And here is the note from my sketchbook. That is Peter Makapela in the foreground Pat the entymologist, Big Mike and Gavin the minister. I would love to do more sketches and paintings at CJs – there are such interesting people who come for coffee and meals (note to self ).
Posted by Stephen on March 30, 2010 under Art, Drawing, en plein air, figure, pencil sketch | 7 Comments to Read
I stayed in Wilderness while I worked for a client in George. One evening I went to have a pizza at Pomodoro, in the old Post Host in the town. I had decided to go over some notes for the next day’s session as I sat there and had decided not to take a sketch book or my watercolour set even though I would love to sit there and paint the scene. I was reading. I was! But then I looked up and could not resist the scene. I didn’t even have a pencil so I drew this on the back of one of my note pages with my ball-point pen:
As I got to this point the couple got up and left with the child. So I read some more until looking up again I saw this scene:
And waiting for my bill I worked to get the guy’s head right:
And then I was ready for the next day – and ready for a night of rest, listening to the night-jars.
Posted by Stephen Quirke on August 2, 2009 under Art, Drawing, en plein air, figure, pencil sketch | 13 Comments to Read
This weekend has not been very productive on the watercolour front – I had a workshop to facilitate yesterday – and there were other things in the way. I started a new painting last night and another new one this afternoon but they are not ready to show yet. I did not take very good photos in the Cedarberg so have to work from a few photos to compose each painting. Anyway…
I had a chance to do some sketches in church during anouncement time and, I admit, during the preaching. But I have notes of the key points on which to reflect. This morning I was drawn to a father with his active child on his lap and then his wife and then the people sitting in front of them. Then later I drew the old couple sitting behind them, who sat really still.
Then this evening I drew this chap who sat at my table, during the announcements:
Later I drew this chap with some of the people sitting around him:
Leslie mentioned that her little dog adopted a few standard positions so she could follow her around to complete a composite of the dog in different positions. I started two different positions but the chap eventually spent most of his time in the one I completed. As I drew I also thought of Bill’s economy of line which is a skill I would like to develop.
Posted by Stephen Quirke on June 7, 2009 under Art, Drawing, en plein air, figure, pencil sketch | 9 Comments to Read
Here is a sketch I did in church this morning of the couple sitting in front of me. I was listening to Gavin talk through Psalm 13. Old David really battled with aflicition and depression. What a guy!
I captured the chap OK but his wife was moving around quite a bit so it was a bit more difficult – and I jotted down more notes than usual. I would love to be able to have my paint set out. I will find other opportunities to do this. I read a blog a while ago of someone who paints people in coffee shops. Eeek – that is a bit scary. But the time is coming for this.
Posted by Stephen Quirke on May 17, 2009 under Art, Drawing, figure, pencil sketch, portrait | 20 Comments to Read
I am afraid I cannot resist the opportunity when people sit still for longer than a few minutes. This morning I did this sketch of the couple sitting in front of me in church. I would love to haul out my watercolour sketch kit but that would be too disruptive. Actually, maybe not – NO – desist!!! (o:
here are some of the sketches I have done in the past. This is Peter Makapela preaching:
and here is someone else:
and others:
here is a sketch I did of my son Calvin looking wild and wooly:
And here is a chap who sat in front of me the other day:
And finally, another sketch looking down from the gallery at the people sitting below:
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