Albania, World Inspired Landscapes

Looking down the mountain and looking up the mountain at the same time. This painting was inspired by Albania, a small country just north of Greece on the Mediterranean sea. It is a very mountainous region known for its hiking and beautiful beaches. In the scene, a hiking path winds down and up the mountains with a plunging cliff line looking out onto the brilliant sea and sailboats. The colour notes were coral, lime, lilac, ultramarine and rusty orange, while the composition was inspired by Hiroshige who always created amazing lines and depth.

I used only three pigments for the entire painting from a Schmincke's Horadam limited edition set I got from Avenue Art. The paints were called green porphyr, red opalite, and lapis lazuli. They are derived from finely ground minerals. It felt a bit like painting with sand, and resulted in an almost crayon-like texture. In the original painting you can feel a gritty, sandpaper texture. I attempted this painting several times using bright synthetic colours, but for some reason, this version done in pastel tones really captured the feeling of light. The lapis lazuli (seen almost pure in the sky and water) was particularly rich.

8 x 10" cold press watercolour, March 2020