|
The National Gallery of Australia runs many different workshops and arts activities. During the current Hans Heysen exhibition a watercolourist was of course required and, following the Heysen subject preference, Ray demonstrated the painting of an 'Australian Landscape' watercolour. But away from Heysen's preferered South Australian subjects Ray painted a landscape close to Canberra that would be familiar to the class participants.
Below are a few images from the painting demonstration (despite the able assistance of NGA people - Edie, helping the class participants, and Bill, manning video camera and projector - the painter forgot to take more photos as the painting proceeded!) The reference photo used for the class shows a pleasant view of Hereford calves in a paddock of fresh grass, shade trees and some late mist hanging in the distance. The photo was chosen from a number taken on the road to Crookwell north of Canberra. 
Below is a photocopy of the drawing used by the class participants so that they could trace or grid as a help to an early start into the painting. "The photo suggested to me a zig zag of ground form shapes with the trees, fences and formation of calves cutting across this zig zag. I tried a few combinations and formations of the calves and eventually settled on six (five groups) calves, borrowing the photo images of the distant one just coming over the hill, the three under the tree and two foreground calves chewing along the fence line that cuts across the foreground" 
Some masking fluid was used on the calves top flanks to retain the sun lit lights while I washed in the misty background and ground shapes. The middleground tree also masked. The initial washes look for the warms. The tree foliage was painted in broadly using raw sienna/cerulean/light red with darker burnt sienna/ cerulean dropped in when still wet. More ground colours applied while first washes partly dry.  Calves painted as a group in three passes. Cerulean/ touch of red provides the first pale wash. Then a red/ sienna mix for the bright warm colour in the flanks. Darks next with ultramarine/ burnt sienna - just simple shapes and patterns. 
Now for the finishing straight. Fence posts - the distant ones march off into the mist, the foreground ones act as stoppers. Shadows - not many in the long grass- but not too dark and very irregular in the rough ground. A few more dabs and dots to imply tussocks and debris and give accent to the arrangenment of the calves. Cropped slightly at the bottom and signed - " Late Morning Mist and Calves" (260 x 345) 
|
NGA workshop (19 June) 
