By the River

Lockdown has given me a deeper appreciation of wildlife close to home. While we could not meet family and friends, there has always been nature to engage with. Over the last year, I had the chance to follow the life cycle of coots and observe the changing bird population on the river and lakes and this has given me a sense of normality that has been missing in everyday life. 

Two weeks ago, I happened to come across a heron by the river and managed to take photos for reference. I hadn't noticed before the striking pattern of its plumage, and it seems both male and female herons look similar.

I first made a little study, before developing it into a painting.

heron study in watercolour

heron and duck on river, watercolour

River and lake

 Two local scenes from of the river and gravel lakes. These particularly provide a haven for wildlife with changing bird species over the course of the year. I noticed that more cormorants have moved into the area, which seems to be their migrating pattern for the winter.

I loved the bright blue colour of the canal service boat and used white oil pastel for its white railings and the conservatory of the house behind it.

For the first painting, it was the flash of bright yellow that inspired me to paint the scene. 

Regent's Canal Watercolour

This July, I visited the Regent's Canal with two sketcher friends to take in the area around Paddington Basin. Although living close to London, I had never been there before and enjoyed the holiday atmosphere of the place. We found it too difficult to sketch along the canal, as the path was quite narrow and busy, but we set up in Rembrandt Gardens, which borders the Paddington Basin. I spent the time drawing boats and the people relaxing in the park.

I took plenty of photos, too, to paint from at home, and these two watercolours came out of my sketching trip.

Two Boats, watercolour, 30cmx40cm

Paddington Basin, Watercolour, 30cmx40cm