King Alfred's

 A title that will only make sense to residents of Brighton and Hove where I live! King Alfred's is a part of Hove seafront, parts of which like here is quite run down and ripe for development, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour has just built an amazing house on the seafront very nearby. I actually like run down English seafronts and remember when I first moved here in 1986 how I enjoyed walking along it particularly off season and in some ways regret the developments and improvements carried out over the years!

This painting was about the reflection of the night sky in the foreground puddle and while I am generally happy with it I still don't think I've got it right yet so the next painting may or may not be another reflection-based picture, haven't decided yet.

Based on a violet/yellow colour complementary, oil on MDF 12" x 12".

There is a short progress through this painting including the colours I used in previous posts on this blog.

The Rajah's Pleasuredome sold

 

Within hours of being posted up on their site/portal "The Rajah's Pleasuredome" has sold on Every Day Original. Oil on linen 16" x 12".

King Alfred's - stage 2

 First colour pass on Prussian Blue, Ultramarine Violet, Permanent Orange, Naples Yellow, Lemon Yellow and Zinc White. I might have the streetlight off in the final...

King Alfred's - stage 1

 This title will mean nothing to anybody outside of Brighton and Hove! King Alfred's is the area of Hove where this scene is located, a somewhat run down place ripe for development I would have thought but I like run down seaside places!

Another in my occasional series of generally moonlit Brighton and Hove seafront paintings this one is all about the reflections of the moonlit sky in the foreground puddle and follows on from a couple of recent paintings that had reflections on water as part of the composition, this time the reflections take centre stage. This is partly because I am developing a way of painting them and I need to see if I can do it on a larger area this time.

This is the tonal underpainting stage when I first "drew" it up with a small bristle brush using a mix of Burnt Sienna and Winsor Violet thinned with Liquin and then the tone was put in with the same mix using a rag and a Flat brush.

The Star of Night sold

 One of my Brighton/Hove seafront paintings, "The Star of Night" has sold through Asgard Arts. One of the Victorian shelters at the seafront end of Grand Avenue in Hove not far from where I live. It was in these shelters that the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward the 7th dallied with often married ladies when he stayed in a nearby house on the seafront. Oil on canvas 23 1/2" x 23 1/2".

The Rajah's Pleasuredome

 I leave it up to the individual as what is going on in my paintings but a possible scenario for this goes as follows; A hot night in Mughal India with a torchlit pavilion in the middle of a lake somewhere in Rajasthan, the rajah entertains his favourite concubine in the privacy of the lake pavilion away from the prying eyes of the distant palace. One trusted guard and a serving girl accompany the Rajah as he dallies with the concubine with the full moon rising behind the distant clouds. When he tires of her he will get the guard to signal the palace with a torch to send the boat to pick them up and return to the nest of intrigue and suspicion.

Loosely based on Udaipur where I visited in 1989....

This will be up for sale on my upcoming slot on Every Day Original on Sunday 28 March.

Oil on linen 16" x 12".

There is a short progress through this painting including the colours I used in previous posts on this blog.

The Rajah's Pleasuredome - stage 2

 First colour pass on the background and pavilion based on a green/blue - red/orange complementary. 

Colours used were: Phthalocyanine Blue, Phthalocyanine Green, Ultramarine Violet, Permanent Orange, Lemon Yellow and Zinc White.