The painting above is one from my small private collection/ It shows the Texaco Jetties in Milford Haven. Moored alongside is Miss Claudia.
I have been often asked if I paint form sketches or photographs. The painting above demonstrates why that question is not straightforward. The answer is it depends.
It depends on the subject. It depends on the location. It depends on the weather. It depends on the type of painting required impressionistic or realistic and the level of detail?
Let us take the painting above as an example. The viewpoint is from the deep-water channel in the waterway. It is not feasible to spend a prolonged period drawing the tanker and refinery hardware bobbing up and down obstructing the shipping lane.
I could draw the subject to a reasonable degree of accuracy given time and a different location. It would also be possible to do a quick sketch with enough information to do an impressionistic painting with not much in the way of detail.
I therefore work from drawings and sketches, photographs and also directly en plein air (i.e. outside painting in front of the subject). It just depends.
What I would add is that working from photographs and other images is no substitute for drawing and drawing practice. This is in my mind the basic starting point of all painting. Photographs should be used as aids or for reference.
I have been often asked if I paint form sketches or photographs. The painting above demonstrates why that question is not straightforward. The answer is it depends.
It depends on the subject. It depends on the location. It depends on the weather. It depends on the type of painting required impressionistic or realistic and the level of detail?
Let us take the painting above as an example. The viewpoint is from the deep-water channel in the waterway. It is not feasible to spend a prolonged period drawing the tanker and refinery hardware bobbing up and down obstructing the shipping lane.
I could draw the subject to a reasonable degree of accuracy given time and a different location. It would also be possible to do a quick sketch with enough information to do an impressionistic painting with not much in the way of detail.
I therefore work from drawings and sketches, photographs and also directly en plein air (i.e. outside painting in front of the subject). It just depends.
What I would add is that working from photographs and other images is no substitute for drawing and drawing practice. This is in my mind the basic starting point of all painting. Photographs should be used as aids or for reference.
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