Having been bored by my recent painting I have turned to looking at other artists and noting how they add life and movement to their pictures.

Some keep plenty of white and contrast with dark shadows, other introduce splashes, flicks and drips, some  keep the focus very tight, others go impressionistic or even contemporary.  There are many more ways I’m sure.

So I’ve painted a before and after. Using the very busy scene of  the Dry Dock in Essaouria, I’ve changed the sky, added paint spray, changed the walls and added seagulls.

Before

After adding more interest to the painting

 

Another painting of Essouria for the collection. I’m getting a little predictable and this one is very boring.

OK there is a passing resemblance to the photo but the sketch i did standing up in the shade from this spot has far more character.  This is sooo safe and boring. Now to experiment….

I’ve just returned from a spell in hospital and was looking for a picture to get me back to painting. The paintings I’ve been working on from Morocco have been working well and I have really enjoyed the colours, subjects and light from the trip. I’m working from photos of the trip taken my myself and Janet (Brambles) and some of them are really glorious.

This time I’m working from a photo on the Medina at Essaouria, taken by Janet. The colours of the fabric, the position of the arch and the movement of the people all attract me. I’m still confused over BUMFROPP and how to apply these to the painting but there are a couple of clear uses on the painting.

I looked at and drew various compositions but in the end drew most of the picture with the expectation of cropping when I get to frame it. How would you crop?

It’s certainly different, and I think has an atmosphere. I enjoyed painting the fabric and people but still not sure if the painting works as a whole.