• About
  • Contact Me
  • Disclosure

accentBritain

~ a romance with art and all things British

accentBritain

Tag Archives: parks

Kensington Gardens and an afternoon stroll

27 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by pat in Art, England, Gardens, London, paintings, sketching

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Kensington Gardens, Kensington Palace, parks

There is nothing quite like a stroll in a park with a couple of good friends, especially on a magically sunny day in London’s Kensington Gardens.

In to Kensington Gardens on a lovely fall day. Photo by me

In to Kensington Gardens on a lovely fall day. Photo by me

When I was there last autumn, I couldn’t resist a cup of tea in the nearby Kensington Palace tea shop, and then out in to the park.

The entrance to Kensington Palace where there is a special little tea shop. Photo by me

The entrance to Kensington Palace where there is a special little tea shop. Photo by me

There were people strolling and biking, but these three women caught my attention.  They could just as easily be me and my friends in Central Park.  There is something so universal about the scene.

 

Just outside the palace gates, friends move down the path. Photo by me

Just outside the palace gates, friends move down the path. Photo by me

So when I started to paint the scene, I wanted the trees to become almost a halo around the three figures, setting them apart from the world around them. And I cropped it so that the women were the center of our attention.

The three figures become front and center with cropping.

The three figures become front and center with cropping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I layered the golden branches, the recollection of mood took over, and the painting definitely took on an aura that was true.

Tones are worked on.

Tones are worked on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And detail was added that I knew would actually be part of a underpainting.  This is the tricky part.

Bolder strokes are added that I want to show through the haze.

Bolder strokes are added that I want to show through the haze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is always quite scary to then brush over the image to create a mood, and decide how much to cover in the haze and where to remove the overlay of color.  This is why I love oils.  They are forgiving in the layering process.  If it doesn’t work out, you can always add more layers.

A soft layer of gold is added overall except over the figures.

A soft layer of gold is added overall except over the figures.

Finally, detail is added, some of the haze is gently removed, and I have accomplished the mood I originally hoped for.

The final canvas.

The final canvas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The friends are lost in their own world but encased in the glow of the autumn leaves. The perfect day  with friends.

 

 

A path to explore

18 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, England, London, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

New York City, Paris, parks

It is always good going to my gallery in Rehoboth Beach.  I get to see the other work…

Santo Mirabile (mobile) and Rose Minetti (painting) at Gallery 50, photo by me

 

…and discuss with Jay (the owner of Gallery 50 Contemporary Art) my thoughts on my art.  This trip has confirmed a thought  process I had been having about exploring cities in a social context.  The gallery sold one of my favorite new small paintings, “Gallery View”, the week before My Beloved Brit and I arrived.

“Gallery View”, oil painting by me

I had been giving a lot of thought, after all my travels, that I wanted to explore social interaction in three major cities…NYC, London and Paris (3 of my favorites) and see what they had in common and what made them unique.

Cy Twombly at Tate Modern, London

The Louvre, Paris, photo by me

 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, photo by me

The blending of location and culture has always intrigued me, and this was an interesting progression to take in my art. I’ve looked at cities before, and the interaction of their inhabitants.

“Metropolitan Spring”, painting by me

MBB and I have discovered, living in a more rural area, that we really are urban animals.  There is nothing I like more than the feel of hot pavement under my feet taking me to explore a great museum, or view an array of shop windows or wander into a park.

“The Voyeur”, painting by me from a park seen in England

A cafe in the Tuileries, Paris, photo by me

I will probably focus on the leisure activities of the cities…what people do when they just want to relax and unwind…and of course it will revolve a lot around what I do with my free time.  So as I explore museums and parks and walking around great cities, I imagine these new pieces will go in that direction.

Playing boules in The Tuileries, Paris. Photo by me

But that is the beauty of a new series.  I am never quite sure where it will take me.

♣ Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 28 other subscribers

♣ Archives

  • April 2025
  • November 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • March 2024
  • December 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • June 2023
  • September 2022
  • May 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • August 2021
  • May 2021
  • January 2021
  • September 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • March 2020
  • December 2019
  • October 2019
  • July 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • March 2018
  • January 2018
  • July 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011

♣ Recent Posts

  • de Printemps
  • A Change of Season
  • Sky Meadows
  • Green on green
  • Breakfast with a view

♣ Categories

  • Art
  • Art Museums & Exhibitions
  • Bath
  • Books
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Burnham-on-Crouch
  • cars
  • Cornwall
  • Cornwall
  • England
  • entertainment
  • Fashion
  • Food
  • Gardens
  • Grasmere
  • Guana Island
  • History
  • Lake District
  • Lake District
  • London
  • movies
  • Music
  • National Trust
  • Olympics
  • paintings
  • Peak District
  • Sailing
  • Scotland
  • Shopping
  • sketching
  • The New Forest
  • The Royal Family
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • United Kingdom

♣ my button

accentbritain.com
<a href="http://accentbritain.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://accentbritain.com/accentBritainbutton.jpeg" alt="accentBritain.com" width="125" height="125" /></a>
Copyright 2011 accentBritain LLC. All rights reserved. All original photos, text and art is copyright protected.

Proudly powered by WordPress Theme: Chateau by Ignacio Ricci.

 

Loading Comments...