Friday, July 13, 2012

Douarnenez triptych

Douarnenez triptych
One drizzly grey morning in Douarnenez... (could have been any of them to be honest!) I found myself at the end of this jetty spoilt for choice with subject matter and such a peaceful spot to set up and paint! I was most drawn to the large boat moored up in front of me but I also liked the footbridge in the distance and the masts of the modern yachts to my left, and looking further right I liked the contrast of the very light canopies on the wooden structure against the trees behind. So I decided to work on three panels all at once, in the hope that all three would work together as a triptych or even on their own as three separate paintings.
This is my spot at the end of the jetty -


The main difficulty I faced was that two of my boards had been undercoated in cadmium yellow deep and the third was a pale pinky umber. I knew I would have to cover much more of the underpainting than I normally would in order for the problem to disappear! I immediately set to work on all three boards -



As I worked I rotated which panel was on my easel at any one time, changing every ten minutes or so. Often I would lay them down on the ground to see how they were looking together.


I had the opportunity to practise my little bit of french with a few curious onlookers! My other difficulty is that I usually step back about six or seven feet every few minutes throughout the painting process but in this place there would have been a very big splash, so I had to stay put!

The panels either side are 24 x 30 cms and the centre one is 30 x 30cms.
I think whoever buys it one day can choose whether to hang all three together or separate them if they fancy a change! Here's each one a bit closer ...








I can't sell it just yet as it's currently in the selection system for the RSMA (fingers crossed), but it will be on show in my exhibition. Everything is looking gorgeous in frames, I'm very excited about how the exhibition will look. Sunday is the big day of hanging and private view, let me know by email if you'd like an invitation. Please come if you possibly can!

12 comments:

  1. I love this one Haidee! Looking forward to seeing it in your show. Good luck with the RSMA!

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  2. Wow! What an undertaking! You produced some beautiful paintings. Thank you for sharing your process. What a great post, and fantastic work!

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    1. Aah, thank you Karen! Hope you enjoyed lots of birthday celebrations! :-)

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  3. This is a triumph, Haidee! A triple triumph. I'm so impressed. And in the rain too. They are beautiful. All the best for the exhibit, I so wish I could be there. - Bobbi

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    1. Oh thank you Bobbi! I absolutely adored your last blog post by the way - felt like I was back there with everyone! What fun it was!

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  4. wow! More wonderful work, you are so inspiring I have got the oil paints out!! But I think I have a very,very long way to go, your magic! How long do they take to dry, do you varnish them.?
    Good luck with the RSMA and best wishes
    Joy londonuk

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    1. Thank you so much Joy! Great that you're having a go with oils - they are so much simpler than people expect! An oil painting isn't properly dry for a long time so they say you shouldn't varnish them for at least six months - although they're touch dry after a week unless you've used very thick impasto. Personally I don't varnish them - I aim to sell them within six months! Doesn't always happen but I try! :-)

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  5. Lovely to get an insight into your painting process. I like the fact that the panels are not all the same size.Good luck for the exhibition.

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  6. Absolutely beautiful and good luck with your show.

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  7. Good luck with the show - love the triptych

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  8. Absolutely gorgeous! I love the way handled the water. Especially in the 2nd one. Great!

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Thank you for your words!

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