This small study was done on location in the left bank area of Paris along a very busy street famous for it's cafes and bakeries. On the corner there is this fruit and vegetable store depicted in the painting, I was inspired by the contrast between the bright colours of the produce and the typical pastel tones of the Parisian buildings. It was dusk by the time I finished the painting, making it very hard to judge the colours.
This painting although small, was quite difficult because of the time of day... when the sun goes down the paint dries very slowly. I chose to start with a layer of blue over the entire painting except for the areas where the fruit was going to be, I left that blank white paper. It took a long time for the blue to dry, when it did I put on the brick colour... a sort of rusty green-orange. It had to be correct the first time, because it is difficult to get a third layer when the conditions are like this. Layering in watercolour is very useful... it takes time but adds a lot of rich tones and luminosity... even the bricks of a building can be made to look beautiful with layering. The formal word for that is 'glazing'.
5x7" cold press, 2012
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