Painting process | Autumn Shadows, Pimlico
I always loved this corner of Pimlico, where the Plane trees from Eccleston Square cast vibrant blue shadows over the terrace houses. I was initially drawn to this scene because of those shadows, but when I looked closer, it was the moments of red and orange throughout, and how they cut through the cold blue light, that really made it special.
I wanted this painting to give that feeling of a brisk walk on a cold but sunny autumn day. The grand buildings dwarf the couple as they dash across the street, caught in a rare sliver of sunlight.
You can watch the full time-lapse of this painting by clicking the image above.
Preliminary sketches and studies
I started by exploring the composition. I wasn't sure where to place the edge of the foreground building. I ended up pulling it further to the left for balance and to draw the viewer's eye to the figures crossing the street.
I then did this sketch to look at the values in the piece. I decided to simplify the darks by grouping the trees, cars and bottom of the furthest building together.
Next I painted these value studies to work out where the darks and lights sit on a scale. The shadow on the building is actually the same value as the sky. That similarity helps the sunlit wall feel luminous.
Finally I did this colour study. You can really see the cadmium red and cerulean blue, which I decided to emphasise and contrast. That colour contrast was the drive behind the painting.
The painting process
The overlapping shadows made the drawing stage surprisingly complicated because the shadows cut across every architectural edge. I used sienna as an underpainting and left it showing through some of the paint in the final piece. This brought warmth to the blues and unifies the whole painting.
I worked to establish the big shapes from the start. I tried to be quite precise in this first layer so nothing needed to be redrawn, only adjusted. But, I kept the shapes loose so it didn’t feel stiff or overworked.
This is the first layer completed. You can see how much detail is already in the piece, but I was more interested in describing the effect of light than painting architectural detail precisely. Once the large orange areas were covered, the whole painting suddenly felt cold and crisp.
I spent an entire day just working on the left side of the painting.
I added the two people crossing the road and kept them fairly loose. I wanted to give the impression of light hitting them and their body weight leaning forward as they walked.
I started to bring in the pops of red and refine the shapes in the windows. Nothing is precise but describes how the light hits and reflects from it.
I then focused on the foreground building, breaking up shapes to give the illusion of detail without precision.
I noticed that the shadow on the ground floor has more green to it while it reflects more of the blue sky further up the building.
Finished!
"Autumn Shadows, Pimlico"
76cm x 51cm, oil on linen
I loved pushing the contrasting colours in this painting by seeking out and enhancing the unexpected orange-reds and cold deep blues. It gives tension and beauty to an everyday street scene.
Details
The couple in the painting cheekily crossing at a red light! I enjoyed the challenge of getting their posture and form right with only a few brush strokes and no detail.
Close up you can really see how many shades of blue are layered in the shadows on the building. I wanted the shadow to feel alive, like the trees that were creating them were moving.
When painting cars I find that I have to pretend that they aren't really objects I've seen before. They are such odd shapes and all different. If you paint what you think you know it always ends up looking a bit wonky. I try to observe them as something abstract and novel, and focus on capturing the metallic planes reflecting light.
This painting is part of my new collection, releasing on my website on 7 May.
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