19
Red Sky at Morning, Shepherds’ Warning – Ink/Inktense on a Watercolour Moleskine
We get a lot of incredibly coloured morning skies, here in Ratho, as the sun rises over the Pentland Hills to the south. The old proverb was certainly true in this instance. Within an hour of taking a photograph of this scene of one of our local canal bridges, the rain was coming down in torrents. At least this should auger well for this season’s vegetable plot. The sharp bend in the road is typical of my area as many of the country roads run parallel to the canal then suddenly cross it, meaning a violent twist in direction. At least this ensures traffic is unable to reach any great speed locally but one has to be careful when out walking or sketching.
Rudat 10:02 am on March 23, 2009 | #
Wow! I love the mood of this, it has a definite Springtime feel! Is there a logical reason for the winding roads?
ReAnto 10:52 am on March 23, 2009 | #
You are good! really…
I would be able to draw like you!
Ciao.
trebor61 11:55 am on March 23, 2009 | #
Yes, Susan, spring is on the way. I’m glad that my wee painting conveyed some of that although, as I write this, its starting to snow again. We don’t have a Scottish Climate – we have Weather. Yes, there is a reason for all our winding roads. The Union Canal was built between 1818 and 1822 primarily to act as a passageway for coal barges from West Lothian to Edinburgh. At that time there was little in the way of mechanical aids so the workmen, mainly Irish “Navvies”, “navigated” their way along the whole 32 miles and would have dug the thing by hand. Because of this the surveyors would have chosen the easiest route which would, of course, have to be flat. This means that the canal winds its way through the countryside. Any rural roads, built afterwards would follow the canal and, as I said, would have to suddenly turn at almost right angles to cross the water. Later, when the railway system expanded, cuttings and channels would be blasted in a straighter line – a bit like your own transcontinental rail network, although the easiest route would always be sought out as well. Scotland has four main canals, far fewer that the industrial parts of the north and Midlands of England. The coming of the railways and, later, motorways, sounded the death knell for the canal system and they fell into disuse in the 1930’s. Parts were even built over to facilitate housing schemes and roads but, thankfully, some sense has prevailed and they are being cleaned up and re-opened to be used for recreational purposes as well as to encourage wildlife. When our boys were children I used to tell them that there were sharks in the canal, to make sure they didn’t go too close. I would flick a stone into the water and say, “Look! There’s one”, to emphasise my point. They never fell in but I have actually cycled into the thing – but that’s another story.
trebor61 12:00 pm on March 23, 2009 | #
ReAnto - your comments are extremely generous. Thank you although why anyone would want to draw like me is a mystery. Practically everyone I meet says the same thing, if you want to improve you must not only practise but, more importantly, must draw regularly. This is why I think one must always have a sketchbook handy. As I sketch regularly, and I’m sure you will discover this yourself, the ability to correct mistakes also improves so confidence grows. Please try this and I’m sure you will soon develop your own style and have lots of success. Kindest regards - Bob McDowall.
Rudat 4:27 pm on March 23, 2009 | #
This is fascinating history! It’s interesting to think that hand-dug canals were the state-of-the-art mode of transportation with the ability to warm your house. What a long way we’ve come in this world! C’mon Uncle Bob, we want to hear the story of cycling into the canal.
Margie 7:07 pm on March 23, 2009 | #
I am in love with this sky… the mood, the colors, the heaviness on top! You have outdone yourself! I like the bleeding, diluted ink at the base of the brush/weeds, too.
Speaking of trying to draw/paint like you… I pretended I was you when I used my watercolors on this one:
http://www.skineart.com/art/6344/watercolor-5/#comments
see in the comments, I wrote about it?
I second the encore request: how did you cycle into a canal!?
trebor61 6:26 am on March 24, 2009 | #
Dear “Niece” plus Margie,
Again thanks for the kind words. I consider the canals, in our country, to be national treasures. The manual effort which was required to make them should not be forgotten. As to my “Dook” in the water -
I went for a bike run along the canal tow-path one Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful day and my mind started to wander as I cycled along. The canal was five feet away to my right but, high on my left, a kestrel hovered looking for rodents. I watched this bird as I meandered along then suddenly remembered where I was and jerked my head rightwards. Unfortunately I twisted the bike’s handlebars in the same direction and started to pedal towards the water. Now, I don’t know if you were ever taught when learning to drive that if danger appears you stop! It doesn’t work like that. For some reason I kept pedalling and, as if in slow motion, ended up in ten feet of green, slimy sludge. Fortunately I got myself and my bike out but, later when reaching home, Margaret wouldn’t let me into the house until I had stripped at the back door. People have been known to drown in our waterways – another story perhaps, since the mud at the bottom is treacherous. More details of similar episodes can be found in my book, “Exercise your way to Social Ridicule”.
Susan – the coal, from the canal barges, created more than warmth. Every village, including Ratho, had its own gasworks and coal gas was used for lighting and cooking before electricity became the norm. I’ve copied an old photo, from a book, and stuck it on flickr. This shows what I’m on about
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28475994@N00/3381405233/
You might want to compare this scene with my post to skineart on July 10th last year which shows, I hope, how things look today.
Margie – I remember this recent post of yours and can only apologise for not commenting further on it. I must have run out of superlatives. I can see what you are doing with the watercolour. Tell me, have you managed to “tame” the flow of watercolour across the page and how do you manage to avoid colours muddying? I had some difficulty with this until I started “freezing” the passage of paint with a hair-dryer. I have also found that ink is infinitely easier to control than watercolour because it doesn’t turn to mud.
Margie 7:02 am on March 24, 2009 | #
“Exercise your way to Social Ridicule” is a great book title!
No need to apologize about not commenting, I just wanted to make sure you had seen my comment about your painting and how it inspires. That particular piece, when I pretended to paint like Bob, turned out to be one of two of my most favorite pieces I’ve done in months! Hmmm - perhaps I should “channel” you more often!
I don’t get muddy colors because, if you’ll notice, I am only using one or two colors, and they are analogous. If I had a few more hues in there, I assure you, mud would ensue.
As for me learning to tame the flow? No. Unequivocally no. Its a mystery to me, sometimes frustrating, sometimes absolutely magical. I think I will get out a hairdryer like you suggest - thanks.
This past weekend I mixed the watercolor paints with a slow-drying medium, rather than water. Got some interesting effects. I’ll post when I make time to scan. Have you experimented with that?
And yes, ink is so much easier to control, I am learning.
I looked at the book photo you posted for Susan on Flickr. The more I see your work and read your stories and see you photos of Scotland, the more I am resolved to get over there someday to experience the beauty.
trebor61 9:32 am on March 24, 2009 | #
We would look forward to you coming to our wee country. Just don’t compare the local scenery too much with my, “Artistically Licensed” paintings.
Sophie Brown 8:54 pm on March 24, 2009 | #
I would just say that very few people could actually do purple clouds well but to my way of thinking you’ve already got a way of handling them and so it really works.
trebor61 3:18 am on March 25, 2009 | #
Thanks Sophie. Are you back in NYC yet or still away on your wee job?