The Rajah's Pleasuredome

Another sky painting following on from "Low Tide", the painting is less about the island Pleasuredome and more about the the sky and the reflections of the clouds on the lake surface. It is a fantasy of Udaipur in India that I visited many years ago - please don't go looking for the island, it doesn't exist.
Something bothers me in the end with this picture, I think it looks too "Fantasy" so I think the third and final Sky painting will be more naturalistic but with maybe more of a "Fantasy" content instead....and I might have another go at clouds reflected in water too...
I wanted a close, humid kind of atmosphere of a late afternoon on a hot day in India which is why I went for the warm almost oppressive feel...but something bothers me with it!
Oil on canvas 23 1/2" x 23 1/2". 
There is a step-by-step progress through this painting in previous posts on this blog.

The Rajah's Pleasuredome - stage 5

I have painted in the background hills and palace and the Pleasuredome island and then made a start on the water reflections. Hoping to get a lot of the water painted in tomorrow morning.

Low Tide sold

My recent painting "Low Tide" has just sold to a collector in the USA.  Oil on canvas 23 1/2" x 23 1/2".

The Rajah's Pleasuredome - stage 4

In the couple of hours I had this morning I think I have pretty well finished the sky apart from  some tweaks later on. When I return to the studio on Sunday I hope to get in the distant hills and palace as well as making a start on the reflections in the water.

The Rajah's Pleasuredome - stage 3

I have been working on the sky today and have continued with the warm palette for the painting. I didn't want to paint it in realistic colours as I want it to have a certain atmosphere, warm and muggy. Not sure yet about the darker clouds, I will leave it now and look at it again in the morning.

The Rajah's Pleasuredome - stage 2

In the couple of hours I had this morning before leaving the studio back on Wednesday, I painted in a rough colour underpainting for the sky. I will consider it for the next couple of days and then return with a clearer idea of the colours I want to use. I kind of know the mood I'm aiming for, just not sure yet of the colours. I guess that's one advantage of these times away from the studio, I can consider more carefully each painting as it progresses instead of rushing in at it which is my usual approach.

The Rajah's Pleasuredome - stage 1

Another sky painting following on from "Low Tide", the painting is less about the island Pleasuredome and more about the the sky and the reflections of the clouds on the lake surface. It is a fantasy of Udaipur in India that I visited many years ago - please don't go looking for the island, it doesn't exist.
This stage was "drawn" up loosely with a small bristle brush using a mix of Burnt Sienna and Winsor Violet thinned with Liquin and turpentine. I then used the same mix of paint but with more turpentine with a rag to rough in the tones and basic cloud shapes which I invented for compositional reasons as I went along.

Low Tide

As a change from the last few paintings that had a very narrow tonal range I fancied painting something with some dramatic contrast and I already had in the back of my mind to do a few sky paintings. I have always liked paintings with a large cloud dominating the sky as a composition so I have combined it with an homage (again) to Bocklin's Isle of the Dead as I wanted something dark breaking up the horizon.
This might be the first in a series of three sky paintings, not sure yet!
Oil on canvas 23 1/2" x 23 1/2".
There is a step-by-step progress through this painting in previous posts on this blog.

Low Tide - stage 5

Just an update on the progress of the painting in the couple of hours I had this morning before I am away from the studio until Monday. I have done some preliminary work on the water on the beach mainly on the left side of the painting. It is now becoming apparent the amount of contrast I intend for this painting to have.

Low Tide - stage 4

I have now pretty much finished the sky barring a few tweaks after lowering the cloud base of the background clouds which has given the sky more depth and made the main cloud look more imposing. I have also roughed in the foreground beach and distant sea as well as roughing in the island.

Low Tide - stages 2 & 3

Stage 2

Stage 2 was the first pass of colour on the clouds which I did a couple of days ago and Stage 3 is how far I have got at the end of today's painting session. Unfortunately I won't be able to work on this again until Friday...
Colours used are Warm White, Zinc White, Burnt Sienna, Permanent Orange, Unbleached Titanium, Ultramarine Blue, Ultramarine Violet and Lead Tin Yellow Lemon - all Michael Harding paints.

Stage 3