I dithered about using oils or acrylics. I asked Adebanji Alade and he said he was probably taking acrylics but I reckon that the painting he did that won the main prize was done in oils - I will have to ask! I took Atelier acrylics - big mistake. It was such a hot day that I spent all my time trying to re-open partially dried paint. No matter how much I sprayed the stuff I was constantly having to remix paint and apply it to layers already 'sticky-dry'. In a way it was worse than traditional acrylics because for them I would have taken my Staywet palette (rather than a sheet of plastic) and probably managed to keep mixes moist. One lives and learns.
The other lesson I re-learned was that the Thames is tidal. Of course I know that very well but in the heat of the moment I forgot. On my last painting I kept adjusting my preliminary work (thinking what a bad drawing it had been) until I realised that the boats were all rising against the background of the bridge and I should have just stuck with the original design!
We could paint as many pictures as we liked but only one would be allowed in Sunday's show. I managed three small panels and when I went to collect the one I submitted it had been sold, so I only have a thumbnail of the design in my sketchbook:
That was my second one. The first was painted looking North down the road to the Albert Bridge. Roger Dellar also painted this scene from further back:
Towards the Albert Bridge
My last picture was done near the bridge:
Boats and The Albert Bridge
I noticed a few gems at the show. The ones I remember were by Marion Wilcox, Adebanji, Roger, Rob Adams and my favourite - a shopfront by Roy Connelly. There were also some good watercolours including an impressive and large painting of the long view down the Thames but we all had fun and it was great to see what everyone had been up to during the day. I hope they run it again.
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