Original Acrylic on Board
Another wild purply blue night in Birmingham, by the Mailbox, with cars whizzing over the flyover of Suffolk Street Queensway. Three figures are climbing the stairs up to the Mailbox shopping centre, whilst others are disappearing under the illuminated flyover, heading to the station and the city centre. The distant skyscrapers hang heavy in the night sky, with the skeletal ironwork of the bright red car park glowing in front. I have deliberately used more expressive brushstrokes throughout, to add to the atmosphere of the wild, windy and wet night. Acrylic dries quicker and allows me to paint with more momentum, rarely waiting for any part to dry.
Techniques and media used:
Starting with a thin, but bold layer of bright orange acrylic, and denoting the main architectural forms with darker lines, I then progressed, using large brushes, adding the acrylic often directly to the brush, using more than one colour, then making sweeping and dramatic strokes and leaving them to dry whilst tackling another part. Working in complimentary colours, from background to foreground. The highlights came last, thin glazes, or impasto in areas, especially where the glowing lights were, to lift the key of the colour scheme and make it shimmer.
Frame Size 47 x 64 cm Painting Size 42x59
Original Acrylic on Board
Another wild purply blue night in Birmingham, by the Mailbox, with cars whizzing over the flyover of Suffolk Street Queensway. Three figures are climbing the stairs up to the Mailbox shopping centre, whilst others are disappearing under the illuminated flyover, heading to the station and the city centre. The distant skyscrapers hang heavy in the night sky, with the skeletal ironwork of the bright red car park glowing in front. I have deliberately used more expressive brushstrokes throughout, to add to the atmosphere of the wild, windy and wet night. Acrylic dries quicker and allows me to paint with more momentum, rarely waiting for any part to dry.
Techniques and media used:
Starting with a thin, but bold layer of bright orange acrylic, and denoting the main architectural forms with darker lines, I then progressed, using large brushes, adding the acrylic often directly to the brush, using more than one colour, then making sweeping and dramatic strokes and leaving them to dry whilst tackling another part. Working in complimentary colours, from background to foreground. The highlights came last, thin glazes, or impasto in areas, especially where the glowing lights were, to lift the key of the colour scheme and make it shimmer.
Frame Size 47 x 64 cm Painting Size 42x59