The Ruins of Qalat Qadim - stage 3

Pretty much finished the sky and then corrected some perspective on the buildings before giving the landscape another wash of transparent desaturated blue/green ready for tomorrow's painting session.

New colour used: Naples Yellow-Reddish Extra (Old Holland)

The Ruins of Qalat Qadim - stage 2

 I looked at it this morning over my breakfast coffee and realised that it looked like it could be a desert area anywhere in the world so I added a damaged Islamic dome and got rid of the top bit on the tower as well. I then painted the first colour pass on the sky after giving most of the painting a wash of transparent desaturated blue/green first.

Colours used so far: Phthalocyanine Blue, Phthalocyanine Green, Cobalt Teal, Burnt Sienna, Permanent Orange, Zinc White and Warm White.

The Ruins of Qalat Qadim - stage 1

 On the edge of the Arabian Desert lies the fort of Qalat Qadim, ruins now but once an important point on one of the old Silk Routes.... well at least in my imagination. I have gone back to the panoramic sky of "The Empty Quarter" (now sold) but this time combining it with ruined architecture and the mysterious light of presumably a camp fire inside the ruins.

This is the fifth in my "Arabian Night" series, this being the initial tonal underpainting stage using my usual mix of Burnt Sienna and Dioxazine Purple thinned with Liquin and applied with a flat brush and rag.

Oil on linen 22" x 16".

Kasbah Layla

 The fourth in my "Arabian Night" series this one is set in the Atlas Mountains region of Morocco, so not actually Arabian...

An imaginary fortified Kasbah is set against a moonlit sky with an emphasis on the contrast between the green/blue sky and the red/orange buildings so based on the colour complementary. As usual I have a couple of windows with lights on... The architecture is based on the distinctive style of the region and the Atlas Mountains can be seen in the background at right.

Oil on fine cotton 16" x 12".

There is a step-by-step progress through this painting in previous posts on this blog.

Kasbah Layla - stage 3

 Finished off the sky and background mountains and gave the buildings a wash of a mix of Dioxazine Purple, Burnt Sienna, Phthalocyanine Blue and Alizarin Crimson. This will help me work out how I'm going to do the Kasbah, I am veering to the idea of it being variations of reds against the blue sky.

The Empty Quarter sold

 Pleased to report that "The Empty Quarter" has just sold to a UK buyer. 

Oil on linen 22" x 16".

Kasbah Layla - stage 2

 First colour pass on the sky after giving most of the painting a transparent wash of a mix of Phthalocyanine Blue, Phthalocyanine Green and Permanent Orange thinned with Liquin. 

Other colours used; Dioxazine Purple, Burnt Sienna, Zinc White and Warm White.