World Inspired Landscapes: Egypt

 

Alphabetically, Ecuador is next on my list of countries but I already made a painting of Ecuador back in 2020. It is hard to believe that 202 was two years ago, these strange times have warped our perception of time. Montreal is lifting most of the restrictions now, so I guess that means the pandemic is officially over. Getting back to the task at hand, I perused some really nice picture books on Egypt today at the library, they showed a diverse array of landscapes with one common theme, sand. In amongst the sand were lush river valleys, oases, towering sandstone mountains, and plenty of dunes and sand-blasted rock. It was a challenge to get the colours, textures and shapes right. Egypt also has a long coast line on the Mediterranean, with turquoise water and white sands. The coast colours transitions from sand, to cream, to light blue, to a deep cyan.

World Inspired Landscapes: Egypt, version 1 watercolour 5 x 7" hot press, March 2022 (No. 3075a

In this version, a river delta surrounded by greenery adorns the foreground. The aerial photos I saw in the books showed a stark contrast between irrigated farm land and barren desert. Some of the rocks were a reddish sandstone.

World Inspired Landscapes: Egypt, version 3, watercolour 5 x 7" hot press, March 2022 (No. 3076a)

 

I tried quite a few versions each with a different emphasis. This one shows some swirling dunes and a desert oasis with a few sandstone plateaus.

World Inspired Landscapes: Egypt, version 2, watercolour 5 x 7" hot press, March 2022 (No. 3077)

 

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The above painting made use of natural yellow ochres (PY43) to create a sandy, windswept desert effect.

World Inspired Landscapes: Egypt, version 4, watercolour 5 x 7" hot press, March 2022 (No. 3076b)

There was also a version 5 with a tree-lined river going horizontally across the foreground. (No. 3075b)