Barbados Trip 2001, bright colours

 

Barbados is a popular tourist destination in the Caribbean, dozens of planes would land there every day. I was in Barbados for two weeks awhile ago, it was a brief vacation during the PhD, and the plane tickets were a fraction of the price at the time due to world events. This painting is a re-paint, the original belongs to a family member. When I got back the paintings were so popular but I didn't want to sell the originals so I repainted quite a few of them.

Motel in Barbados (repaint) watercolour, 5 x 7" cold press, 2004 (No. 1162)

This one was done on location, one of the first ones I did after arriving. Back in London Ontario it was grey and gloomy, and that feeling permeates the early works from Barbados. I knew it would take a few days to get in the groove. To capture the sea greens, I used emerald green which was a convenience mix of phthalo green, white, and yellow that was discontinued by Winsor and Newton, french ultramarine (PB29) and some yellow. 

Shoreline, Hastings Barbados, watercolour 5 x 8" cold press, November 2001 (No. 1157)

 

Bridgetown is the capital of Barbados, it is a hustling and bustling town filled with taxi cabs, tourists and restaurants. This archway greets you when entering the city. It looks like I used cerulean blue in the shadow underneath the arch, and rose madder genuine in the pink highlights.

Archway, Bridgetown Barbados, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, November 2001 (1158)

 

I found this abandoned shed on one of the beaches. The coral-coloured plaster matched the intense pink sand and rocks. In the background, the jewel-like Caribbean sea and frothy white surf. You can see how I adjusted the palette as the trip wore on, this painting was much more colourful and airy. It makes me want to go back!

Coral shed, St. Joseph, Barbados, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, November 2001 (No. 1159)

 

This platform was built near the sea, it was probably meant for gatherings and tourists. The locals would gather on Friday night around the fish market and have these massive parties with barbecue fish, beer and loud dance music. It was quite the scene. I got to know several locals on the trip and they showed me around. One lady was actually from London Ontario but had been living in Barbados for 20 years after. There are a few other Barbados paintings on my blog you can find them by going to the web version, search Barbados. I also updated a few of the blog photos here and here.

Curved Wall, Hastings Barbados, watercolour 5 x 8" cold press, November 2001 (No. 1160)