This painting created after attending an online workshop by Tim Wilmot*. The scene is Bradford, England, located along the Avon River. Bradford is on the way to Bath from London.
This 9″x12″ watercolor began with the sky and water and adding overall midtones to the middle ground, preserving whites where needed (10 minutes). After drying, painted the distant background buildings and the mid-ground trees with a focus on the yellow/green trees. Using same colors, painted the reflections in the water. Timing the application of the paint is critical. Wet enough to blend color and create soft edges but not too wet as to make mud. The bridge and jailhouse on the bridge were painted. Once dry, painted the arches and shadow from the bridge. Then added the detail to the buildings, stonework, figures on bridge, the car and foliage. To suggest movement in the water, added dry brush strokes on the surface, breaking the reflections. Finally, using white gouache, I painted a few necessary highlights and reflections in the water.
(Overall time to paint, not counting drying time: 2 hours)
This painting has sold.