Gareth Naylor

Atmospheric paintings of Japan

Tag: bicycle trip

  • Powerful watercolor paintings of the sea

    Powerful watercolor paintings of the sea

    During 2013, I would often get on my bicycle and cycle to the sea. 

    It was just a 10 minute cycle ride. 

    And at the sea, I had a spectacular view of Beppy bay. 

    I would usually go at evening time and paint the sun setting over this bay. 

    It was a wonderful experience. 

    And here is a collection of the paintings I did of Beppu bay during that year.

    I have no idea now what order I painted these pictures.

    So I will show the one above first because it is my favorite.

    I have the vague notion that when I painted this picture I was just playing around.

    This is always a good way to be when painting because you relax.

    And relaxing often leads to exciting things happening.

    And for me this painting is really exciting. 

    It has a vibrancy that is much stronger than in my usual work.

    I have tried to paint this picture again with the intention of capturing that vibrancy but I couldn’t.

    But I will try a further time because I want so much to paint a sky with such vibrancy.

    Watercolor painting of the sea at dusk
    “A fishing boat returning home”

    I am also very happy with this painting. 

    It has a lovely feeling of peacefulness.

    It’s an unusual painting for me in capturing a moment after the sun has gone down. 

    Normally I paint dramatic sunsets.

    And it’s almost a monotone painting except for a faint touch of yellow.

    I like the composition of this painting.

    Especially that cluster of clouds on the left hand side that slowly thin out towards the right.

    And I like the “fluffy” edge of the clouds which gives a feeling of movement.

    If you look at the composition as a bunch of abstract shapes then you can see how the boat is like a dark blob moving towards a bigger darker blob on the left hand side. 

    Looking at the painting in this abstract way gives me interesting ideas for future paintings where I can imitate that abstract pattern but change other elements such as the time of day, the objects and the colors.

    Watercolor painting of rays of light hitting the sea
    “Rays of light hitting the sea”

    For a long time I wanted to paint rays of sunlight hitting the surface of the sea. 

    It looks so beautiful and dramatic.

    And I think this is one of my earliest and most successful attempts at painting rays of sunlight hitting the sea.

    As well as the rays of light, what I also like about this painting is the delicacy. 

    Despite capturing a powerful moment this picture does it in a soft and slightly subdued way. 

    And I like those little ripples in the foreground and the slight change of color to a greenish gray. 

    As I look carefully, I can see that there are a lot of beautiful subtleties in this painting.

    And, finally, this painting is very large and so I am also glad that it worked out.

    Normally, it is much more difficult to get a good result with a large painting than with a small one.

    Watercolor painting of a seascape with the final glow of evening light
    “The final glow of evening”

    And here is another painting I really like.

    I am well aware that I keep saying how much I like each painting.

    Perhaps it is becoming an annoying refrain.

    But you have to remember these are the few survivors from a large number of paintings that got binned.

    As for this particular painting, I like the limited number of colors.

    It’s basically a monotone painting with a touch of yellow.

    The yellow glow of the sky amidst those soft gray sweeping clouds and the dramatic reflection of the yellow light across the surface of the sea that is streaked with long gray shadows is beautiful.

    I think the shape of the clouds has been painted very well and the final effect is extremely beautiful.

    I also like that tiny fishing boat. 

    It’s tiny size helps create a feeling of vast space, even a touch of epicness.

    Watercolor painting of a seascape with a fishing boat on a beautiful day
    “A beautiful day at sea”

    This is a rather simple painting but I am very pleased with it.

    The color palette is very limited consisting mostly of a warm gray, blue and black.

    I like the misty background and the soft but dynamic feel of the clouds.

    The ship is well painted and also catches the eye.

    And there is a refreshing sparkle across the surface of the sea.

    The only thing I am upset about is my signature which is too big and not very elegant. 

    I want to wash it out and redo it.

    However, I won’t because there is a high chance that I will wipe out the paint underneath and thus spoil the painting even more.

    Watercolor painting of a seascape with ships at anchor beneath a dramatic sky
    “Ships at anchor”

    I did several paintings of seascapes with big ships. 

    Luckily, I often see ships when I go to this bay.

    There is a big steel factory by the bay called Shin-ni-tetsu and there is a regular flow of big ships going to and from this factory.

    And the ships are sometimes anchored near the factory. 

    I think at the time I did this painting there were three ships at anchor. 

    I don’t know why I only painted two, especially as I think three would have been even better. 

    And I might add another ship in a future version of this painting.

    But I am very happy with this painting.

    I think the sky is stunning. 

    I love the intense colors and the shapes of the clouds.

    For me, there is a feeling of dramatic beauty and vastness in this painting.

    My only regret is once again my signature. 

    I wish it was smaller, simpler and less conspicuous like my present signature which is just the two initials of my name: “G” and “N”.

    Watercolor painting of a ship crossing Beppu bay with a beautiful evening sky
    “Beautiful evening crossing”

    Here is another painting with a big ship.

    I like once again the simplicity of colors.

    Essentially you have a warm red, a cool blue and the white of the paper.

    And I am very pleased with the dramatic shape and softness of the clouds, the misty mountains in the distance, and the calm feeling of the sea.

    But once again I am disappointed with my signature.

    Watercolor painting of a seascape with a fishing boat and a dramatically red evening sky
    “Red evening glow across the sea”

    This painting was an experiment.

    And I think there is a slightly dreamy or surreal feeling about this image.

    Perhaps one of the reasons for this surreal feeling is the intensity of the red across the surface of the sea. 

    It’s too red for a realistic image.

    But I love it.

    And perhaps another reason for the surreal quality is the softness.

    Only the boat and the birds are hard shapes in this painting.

    And as you look down from the top to the bottom there is a lovely transition of color and intensity. 

    At the top is a very pure blue, next a mix of that blue with white and a warm gray, then this sinks into a gray and this gray sinks into a very pure and transparent red and then this red becomes combined with lines of blue and finally the red fades into a very light red and the blue becomes more dominant and darker. 

    And finally I love the shape of the boat and its position in the painting.

    Yet once again I can’t say I’m happy with my signature. 

    It’s too big.

    Watercolor painting of a seascape with a dramatic and beautiful evening sky
    “Evening grandeur”

    This is my final painting.

    And it’s a little different to the others because of the variety of colors and that touch of orange.

    In most of these paintings I’ve used a very limited number of colors and no orange.

    And sometimes I’ve been extremely limited with the color and made essentially a monotone painting with the subtle addition of just one color.

    But in this painting there is a lot of color variety.

    In the sky, for instance, there is a light purple, blackish gray, almost pure blue sweeping clouds, orange and a very light blue. 

    But even though this painting has more variety of colors than the others, it is like them all done with a soft and subtle touch.

    And once again, like in a few of the paintings here, there is a feeling of vastness due to the tiny fishing boats. 

    I love this feeling of vast space.

    Final word

    I hope you enjoyed seeing these paintings of Beppu bay. 

    I am so happy to have this place on my doorstep. 

    It is a source of inspiration for me.

    That’s all,

    Gareth.

  • Paintings of an old shed and barn in a small, rural Japanese town called Shonai

    Paintings of an old shed and barn in a small, rural Japanese town called Shonai

    Around 2021, I began to organize all my artwork.

    This is a momentous task as I have over 1000 paintings.

    In the process, I found the painting above.

    It is an old painting which was done around 2013.

    And I still remember seeing the rather dilapidated but picturesque shed in the painting.

    I was cycling along the main road through a small, Japanese town called Shonai that is deep in the countryside.

    At some point, I turned off the main road and onto a very narrow side road.

    And along this road I saw the shed.

    I think that as soon as I saw this shed, I felt the urge to paint it.

    And I’m happy with my painting of this building as I caught the slight lean of the structure as well as the irregularities of the structure. 

    Also, I think the light blue roof looks very good.

    And I think the rice field looks beautiful.

    The viewpoint of this shed is very good. 

    As the gutter by the side of the road, guides the viewer’s eye towards the shed which is the focal point of the painting.

    However, I think the foliage is not so well painted or the other buildings.

    And yet I’m happy I didn’t throw away this painting.

    Because it is a precious reminder of where I’ve been, what I liked to paint and also what my artwork used to be like.

    It is so easy to forget these things and not even realize you’ve forgotten.

    Watercolor painting of an old Japanese barn
    “Beautiful, old Japanese barn”

    And here is one more painting of Shonai.

    I think it was that old Japanese barn on the left that captured my interest and made me stop and paint this scene.

    It is such a beautiful structure.

    And I think I’ve done a good job of painting that barn.

    The fields are well done. 

    I love the combination of yellows and browns and those soft brown dots in the foreground field.

    I’m not sure how I did those dots but I’d definitely like to use that technique in future paintings.

    Everything else, such as the other buildings, the foliage and the figures are just passable.

    And sadly, the mountains are not very well painted. 

    In reality they look amazing. 

    I normally say that I’ll have another go at painting a picture that doesn’t quite work but for some reason with this particular picture I don’t feel the urge to have another go.

    At least not yet!

    I have painted this particular scene a few times since though because I found the view very beautiful.

    It was near here that I did a painting of some Japanese haystacks in 2014 that I’m really happy with.

    That’s all for now,

    Gareth.

  • Picturesque Japanese village in Oita

    Picturesque Japanese village in Oita

    For a long time, I didn’t used to like painting countryside scenes. 

    And given the choice, I would prefer to paint an urban scene. 

    Urban scenes are easier to paint and usually more interesting.

    Whereas countryside scenes are very difficult to paint well.

    One of the biggest challenges with a countryside scene is painting trees, bushes and grass.

    Trees in particular are the most difficult to paint as my watercolor students soon discover. 

    And I have to tell my students that it takes years to be able to paint a good tree. 

    And I add that: if you can paint a good tree in watercolor it means you are a good artist.

    Another reason I don’t like to paint countryside scenes is that despite appearing beautiful they are often look monotonous as a painting.

    This is especially true of paintings of the Japanese countryside where you often see an endless number of tree covered mountains.

    It is very beautiful.

    But normally everything is the same kind of green color and in a picture it will look monotonous.

    Even in autumn, when those tree covered mountains have a variety of beautiful colors, it is still monotonous as a picture.

    I have seen Japanese paintings of such scenes and I can’t say I like them.

    They are not visually interesting.

    After saying this about painting countryside scenes in Japan, you will understand the happiness I experienced when I started to paint good pictures of countryside scenes.

    And the pictures here are my earliest paintings of countryside scenes that I think are good.

    Both paintings are of a countryside area called Wasada.

    It is on the outskirts of Oita city. 

    And I found this beautiful countryside area during one of my bicycle adventures.

    Of the two, I think the painting above is my favorite.

    In this painting the foliage looks very beautiful.

    And the rice field has lovely colors and texture. 

    Even the rough grass by the side of the rice field is well done.

    The houses are beautifully painted.

    And the figure with the dog is fairly good too.

    As for my signature, I’m just glad it isn’t so noticeable.

    Watercolor painting of a picturesque Japanese village
    “Coming home”

    You can see that the second painting is similar to the previous one. 

    I’m fairly sure that these two paintings are of the same village, or two small villages next to one another in Wasada.

    And I’m fairly sure that they were painted around the same time.

    Once again I am very happy with the foliage and the rice fields in this painting.

    And the figures are fairly good.

    The houses are okay but not as good as in the previous painting.

    And once again, I’m glad that you can’t see my signature clearly because it’s too big and not very well done.

    That’s all,

    Gareth. 

  • Painting of a steep flight of steps going up to a Japanese shrine

    Painting of a steep flight of steps going up to a Japanese shrine

    Watercolor painting of a steep flight of steps going up to a Japanese shrine
    “Visiting the shrine with grandfather”

    I think this place is in or near Wasada.

    Wasada is a region on the outskirts of Oita city.

    In this region, the urban landscape starts to disappear and farmhouses and fields begin to appear.

    I found this place by chance during one of my cycling adventures.

    This steep flight of steps was a good subject for a painting as it is not too high and it has that interesting bend in the middle. 

    This is not always the case.

    On several occasions in the Japanese countryside I have seen similar steep flights of steps going up a hill side. 

    But the ones I can remember were often completely straight and furthermore they were very long as they went up very high hills. 

    Although they were interesting to look at I don’t think they would have made for a good painting because of the sheer scale.

    And I couldn’t help thinking that it would have been exhausting to climb up them.

    I read that in Kumamoto, the prefecture next to Oita, which is where I live, there is one shrine that has a flight of 3333 stone steps and the distance is just over 2 kilometers. 

    It is the longest flight of steps to a shrine in Japan. 

    It takes about 90 minutes to climb to the top.

    Anyway, at the beginning of the flights of steps there is a distinctive stone gate, called Torii in Japanese, that tells you this is the entrance to a Shinto shrine.

    This gate also marks the passage from the mundane world to the sacred.

    I added the figures from my imagination. 

    I thought it would be a nice image to show a boy and his grandfather visiting the shrine together. 

    I’m quite happy with how I painted these figures.

    I am not so happy though with the trees in the background at the top of the hill.

    They are a bit faint and need to be a bit stronger. 

    And perhaps the foliage could be simplified a little more because it looks a little scrappy.

    But overall I think this is an interesting and good painting.

    That’s all,

    Gareth.

  • Paintings of a picturesque Japanese village called Shonai

    Paintings of a picturesque Japanese village called Shonai

    During my wilderness years of getting on my bicycle with my art gear and cycling off into the blue yonder of the Japanese countryside I found a picturesque village called Shonai.

    And I think it was around 2011 that I painted these pictures of Shonai.

    Looking at the painting above, I find that I like the colorfulness of the sky. 

    I can see touches of blue, a light orange and even a dash of red in that sky. 

    It’s very exciting.

    And the shapes of the buildings are well painted. 

    I am disappointed, though, with the trees, bushes and grass. 

    That said, with trees, bushes and grass you need a combination of softness and contrast and that is difficult to achieve in watercolor.

    And yet overall, I like this painting because when I look at it I feel very relaxed. 

    I don’t know how I managed to convey that feeling of relaxation. 

    So I have to study this painting and learn how I created that feeling of relaxation.

    Then, hopefully, I can express that feeling of relaxation in my new paintings.

    Watercolor painting of a farmer pushing a wheelbarrow in rural Japan at evening time
    “Idyllic rural Japan”

    This is another painting of Shonai.

    I really like this particular scene and I have painted it several times. 

    I think what I like in particular is that meandering path.

    It looks so interesting.

    Also, it leads the eye of the viewer into the painting and makes them look towards the distant mountains.

    And I’m very happy with my painting of the distant mountains. 

    There are some nice subtle effects in the distant mountains. 

    And the sky is bright and warm but also pleasantly softened and subdued.

    I’m also quite happy with the trees in the background too. 

    I managed to paint the shape and edge of them right.

    However, I’m a little disappointed with the houses.

    They are a little too blue. 

    If I’d done the walls white or brown it would have been better. 

    And I think the utility poles need to be a bit thicker.

    They look like they will snap at any minute.

    But the overall feeling of the painting is very satisfying for me.

    And when I look at this painting I experience the feelings of calmness, light and space.

    Watercolor painting of a Japanese river in the countryside
    “Countryside river”

    This is a painting of the river that runs through Shonai. 

    I think this painting captures a little of the ruggedness of the natural Japanese landscape.

    And this painting almost works. 

    The river is quite beautiful and the grass by the side of the river too. 

    I also quite like the sky and the distant mountain.

    But the foliage is not well done. 

    The shadows need to be softer and a little simpler. 

    Also the trees in the top left hand corner and the tall trees in the middle don’t look very beautiful.

    I think, though, that this scene has potential and if I did another painting of it it might look very beautiful. 

    Final word

    Looking at these paintings I had the fancy that it would be interesting and fun to revisit these places in Shonai and to paint them again. 

    I’d love to see the difference. 

    I hope that happens but presently I have too many projects.

    That’s all,

    Gareth.

  • Paintings of rural Japan from cycling adventures

    Paintings of rural Japan from cycling adventures

    Watercolor painting of rural Japan
    “A quiet scene of rural Japan”

    Roughly around 2011, I painted these pictures.

    This area is called Wasada and it is on the outskirts of Oita city.

    They built a shopping mall here and although it is nice it has led to urban sprawl.

    There has also been an increase in billboards. 

    At first there were just a few but now there are many.

    And I dislike them because they are ugly and they obscure the surrounding beautiful scenery of fields and farmer’s houses.

    This painting shows one of the nicer areas around Wasada.

    It’s next to Nanase park.

    With this painting, I’m particularly happy with the distant hill. 

    I like the way I have painted it. 

    It’s different from my normal style. 

    Everything else in the painting could be improved. 

    But I’m glad I painted quite a complicated subject.

    And below is a painting of Nanase river which runs through Wasada.

    Watercolor painting of a Japanese river called Nanase
    “Japanese fisherman with a net wading through the river”

    I’m very pleased with the viewpoint of this painting.

    I think this was the view from the top of a bridge.

    I’m also happy with the composition.

    The figure of the fisherman made for an interesting focal point in the painting.

    And below is a small village that I found further on and possibly this is no longer Wasada but another area.

    “A pretty Japanese countryside road”

    I thought the composition was quite interesting.

    And I’m happy with the bright, cheerful colors in this painting.

    It was near here that I encountered a snake in the reeds by the river.

    Luckily, it was as frightened of me as I was of it.

    That’s all, 

    Gareth.

  • Watercolor painting of an old-fashioned Japanese street that I found by accident

    Watercolor painting of an old-fashioned Japanese street that I found by accident

    I can’t say I like this painting very much.

    It’s not particularly well painted. 

    But it was painted around 2011 when I was still learning watercolor painting and struggling very much with this mercurial medium.

    And this painting reminds me of how I would cycle around the city looking for beautiful or interesting scenes to paint.

    Normally I was thoroughly disappointed.

    But occasionally I would find something beautiful or interesting and this was one such time.

    I was cycling through a dense cluster of unremarkable houses on the edge of the city when I turned a corner and came to this street of old-fashioned Japanese buildings. 

    It was such a surprise.

    I’m not sure if this street is beautiful but it is very interesting and I enjoyed the surprise.

    I wonder if many people in Oita city even know about this street.

    Older buildings are interesting because they are full of ornamentation. 

    I see a lot of new houses being built in Oita city and although these houses are okay and I think very nice to live in, they have no ornamentation. 

    It seems that ornamentation is anathema in modern building. 

    But perhaps the reason is that it would be too expensive nowadays to have such ornamentation not unless it could be quickly done by a machine.

    For me, there is a kind of poverty in that.

    This is not to say I like all older buildings in Japan. 

    I think many of the buildings in the Showa period are very ugly. 

    But the Taisho period and earlier produced some beautiful buildings.

    And as I look at the buildings along this street I feel a love for the interesting surfaces and patterns they used on the walls of these buildings as well as the heavy tiled and ornate roof tops.

    Distinctiveness, beauty and craftsmanship have disappeared in the bland modern world.

    Gareth.

  • Watercolor paintings of the sun setting over Beppu bay

    Watercolor paintings of the sun setting over Beppu bay

    Beppu Bay is in Oita prefecture, Japan.

    This place is just a 10 minute bicycle ride from my house.

    This is wonderful for painting but a bit of a worry if we ever get a tsunami.

    From my side of the bay at evening time you have a perfect view of the sun setting behind the distant mountains.

    Around 2011, when these paintings were done, I often cycled to this coastal place and painted the sunset.

    It was a wonderful experience.

    Although the enjoyment was lessened by my struggles with trying to paint a sunset scene in watercolor.

    There is a big concrete sea wall here that I would sit upon and where I would paint. 

    It was a very wide and flat surface and ideal for painting. 

    The concrete was also warm because it had soaked in all the heat of the day.

    And in the evening time as the temperature cooled the concrete would release the heat.

    Between the wall and sea is a huge pile of concrete tetrapods.

    The tetrapods appear to have been just thrown on top of one another. 

    It is so ugly.

    And when I first saw them I felt so disappointed.

    But I can’t change that.

    Normally, though, I don’t include them in my paintings.

    Fishermen stand on these concrete tetrapods. 

    They are very quiet.

    And I am always surprised to see fishermen arriving when I am leaving and it is becoming cold and dark. 

    I very rarely have any interaction with them.

    But I find them an interesting addition to my sea paintings.

    And one time, I remember a fisherman catching a very big fish.

    He was so happy and he wished to give me the fish. 

    But I had no bag to put the fish in so I politely refused his generosity.

    The only drawback to this wonderful painting spot are the funamushi, or sea roaches. 

    They are harmless, but who wants a black bug with lots of legs crawling up the leg of your pants.

    And I should add that they are crawling up the inside of your pants.

    But nothing is perfect.

    And they are harmless.

    Anyway, I should talk about the paintings.

    So in the first painting, you have the mountains partially covered in mist. 

    I was very happy with this painting and have since done several more paintings based on this one.

    I obviously used too much yellow and yet in some ways I like that excessive touch of yellow. 

    I think it is good to be excessive in my artwork.

    Because I am too timid.

    Also, being excessive increases the excitement and gets the creative juice flowing.

    Watercolor painting of a dramatic evening sky over Beppu bay
    “Enchanting evening sky over Beppu bay”

    The second painting is a very dramatic evening scene of Beppu bay.

    I’m happy with the variety of colors in the sky.

    And I’m happy with the strong contrast of warm and cool colors in the sky. 

    I think that I managed to express an epic feeling to the sky.

    And you can see the warm lights of Beppu city at the bottom of the distant mountain. 

    These soft and twinkling specks of light appear almost magical as the evening sunlight disappears.

    Watercolor painting of a small fishing boat on Beppu bay at evening time
    “A peaceful evening moment”

    The third painting is a much simpler and less dramatic image of Beppu Bay.

    But I like the feeling of calmness in this painting. 

    The original painting had no boat in the foreground.

    I added that boat later.

    It was from a photo I had taken on another occasion.

    I remember being surprised by how well this addition worked out. 

    And I further remember a person who liked this painting very much.

    She was very interested in buying it. 

    But in the end she never did. 

    However, she did buy another painting so it worked out well in the end.

    But it didn’t work out well for this painting because one day I threw this painting away.

    This is because although I thought it was quite a good painting, my later work is so much better.

    Also, I have too many paintings and it’s a big problem.

    Luckily I still had an image of this painting so I could show another one of my very few early paintings of Beppu bay. 

    That’s all,

    Gareth.

  • Painting of a Japanese shrine from my long ago bicycle adventures

    Painting of a Japanese shrine from my long ago bicycle adventures

    I know the place in this painting very well.

    But I don’t know when I painted this picture.

    It is a very old painting.

    I could have painted this picture as far back as 2010.

    At that time I was getting on my bicycle and cycling deep into the Japanese countryside.

    I was looking for scenes to paint.

    I had many adventures.

    And at that time of my life I could cycle all day.

    And sometimes I would cycle all day and find nothing to paint.

    I’ll always remember the route that I would take.

    It led from Oita river path to a big road.

    This road went through a very long tunnel that slanted downwards.

    That tunnel was like an echo chamber.

    And the engines of the vehicles reverberated loudly throughout the length of the tunnel.

    And this road led to a very long and wide river called Ono river.

    It was a great river to cycle along.

    And following this river, I could go deep into the Japanese countryside.

    I call this period of bicycle painting adventures my wilderness years.

    It was a period of exploring the Japanese countryside for beautiful scenes to paint.

    And it was a period of improving my watercolor painting skills.

    I experienced a lot of frustration in those years but it was also exciting.

    Anyway, it was on one of these trips that I discovered this shrine.

    I was so delighted because I thought this shrine was very beautiful.

    And the painting above was done on the spot.

    I used to take all my painting equipment with me in those days, even my easel.

    I was so serious!

    At that time, I was pleased with this painting.

    But nowadays I don’t think it is such a good painting.

    And you are lucky to see this painting.

    Because I would like to throw away this painting.

    I only keep it because it is one of my few remaining paintings from my bicycle painting adventures.

    That said, I think there are some good points about this painting.

    The composition is quite interesting.

    And the buildings look good. 

    I like the combination of warm orange and cool blue on the roof.

    That is particularly good.

    But the trees and bushes don’t look good.

    They look messy and overcomplicated. 

    If the trees and bushes were simplified then this might be a very good painting.

    However, I feel no strong desire to improve this painting.

    At one time I would have forced myself to paint the picture again.

    But nowadays, I think that it’s important to paint something only if I feel a desire to paint.

    This is because desire contains energy, excitement and interest. 

    And in my opinion when you have energy, excitement and interest then there is much more chance of painting a beautiful work of art.

    That’s all,

    Gareth.

  • Painting of a utility pole in the Japanese countryside

    Painting of a utility pole in the Japanese countryside

    This is an old painting. 

    I painted it on the spot around 2010. 

    This countryside path is in a region called Wasada. 

    It is on the outskirts of Oita city. 

    I found this place by chance during one of my bicycle painting adventures. 

    At that time, I would cycle all over the local countryside looking for beautiful places to paint.

    If I couldn’t find beautiful places to paint then I would look for interesting places or subjects.

    And I vividly remember coming across the scene in the painting above and thinking that the utility looked very interesting.

    I know utility poles are not very beautiful.

    But when you start looking at things like utility poles as shapes then you see possibilities.

    And in this painting the arrangement of shapes, including the utility pole, are very good.

    The arrangement of shapes means the composition.

    There are weaknesses in this painting.

    The second utility pole in the distance is too thin and fragile looking.

    Another weakness is the  foliage.

    The foliage looks too messy and overcomplicated. 

    It needs to be simplified.

    Also the pattern of the shadowy areas in the foliage needs to be improved.

    This painting was done on wood pulp paper.

    It is very difficult to get soft gradations of dark areas on this type of paper.

    That is why the shadowy areas of the foliage look stuck on.

    Despite these weaknesses, I consider this painting a success.

    I think the main reason is the strong composition.

    And also, the big utility pole, which makes this an interesting painting.

    Finally, I like this painting because it has sentimental value for me.

    It reminds me of the excitement of my bicycle painting adventures.

    That’s all,

    Gareth.