Autumn Daybreak, Niton Undercliff

A wonderful painting! I also paint in watercolour, however, I mainly paint in oils, so not an expert in watercolour in any way! However, in this painting I see good composition, great use of light and shadow, and love the way you captured the sky..good for you!

Super watercolour, just feel as if I could walk along here and feel as is I would battle with the wind. My only reservation is the ship in the background, just dont think it needs to be there. But otherwise just love it. Thanks for showing it.

This is great. You say you struggled - but in the end you got there. The colours are lovely... I like every thing about it.I long to produce such a picture. Keep at it, it's certainly working!

I love that combination of greens with darks. The whol painting is attractive and positive. ps Thank you Robert for your kind comment.

Syvia, it's my over-literal mind; the ship was there, so in it went... I tend to agree with you, but don't want to try lifting it out. Many thanks all for your comments.

Really nice watercolour, smashing sky. Lovely treatment and technique of your foreground.

Another lovely painting :) . I really like the greens and patch of sunlight in the sky.

Wonderful treatment of the foreground grasses and different textures. One query though. Usually the prevailing winds are off the sea so trees tend to lean away from them. This one leans towards the sea. It makes the picture better by leaning in but is it right? Of course there could be sea round to the left side too if it's a headland..

Diana: this tree is part of a hawthorn clump and basically doesn't know which way to turn - the sea curves around this part of the coast. I did think of moving it to the right, where I could have indicated directional growth into the picture, but felt that would unbalance it too much. That's my story, and I shall adhere to it closely. Your powers of observation are good, though, because this bit of cliff is west-facing so the dominant winds would come from that direction. Thanks to Jeanette, Karleen and yourself for these further comments.

nice, not a WC fan as you know but this one has balls. Great control of the greens. Not sure about the necessity of the ship.

You're not the only one to express disrespect for my nice ship, and I'd just like to say you're all wrong! I'd LIKE to say that; sadly, you aren't. This is the thing about watercolour: can't easily take it out, and it wouldn't help the picture if I tried - 'cause it would smear. I hoped I'd get away with it, but if you and Sylvia both noticed it as a sore thumb, then I admit defeat. It'll have to stay, but you live and learn - I suppose I tried to introduce a bit of modernity into a painting that was otherwise date-less, but ... there we are. At least we have balls, that's the main thing! Many thanks for your comments - for you to praise a watercolour, it has to have something.

Robert, sorry that you are ill. Have you got your laptop in bed with you? At least browsing through all the work on POL will take your mind off it. Sure it isn't Swine Flu? I spent five whole days in bed with it - took me two weeks to recover. Get better soon.

Bold and beautiful. Your strength of color and contrast is most exciting. The raw elemental power is outrageous! Incredible. Also, thank you for the wise technical advice (yes, I have six colors on my beginner's palette- I create all my greens, browns, and grays with a mix).

Thanks; I wish someone would buy, right now! No laptop in bed, Jeanette, I am just coming to the computer when I can, the b. thing is still hanging on.

Your work is so beautiful and stunning. You are amazing with watercolour.. And I thank you for your enlightening, and so well articulated comment on my painting.

Your paintings are just great!!!...... I want to thank you for your reply to Omar.. It was absolutely right on the money and superb... Thank you for you note to me on my blog.. .. I replied back to you on it, and apologise for getting a bit long winded.

Nice one Robert,, very good composition, and colours. Regards James I;m having a go at the Doge, Just posted the start.

Do'n't agree with the adverse comments about the ship,, maybe its a bit ti close to he headland. But keep it in. Regards James

Ade, who made that comment, is a really good painter, and he has strong opinions. But I agree with you about a medium being just that, a vehicle for an idea. I suspect Rupert that you're right: he will have seen some of those paintings that are more water than paint, tentative and feeble; or, even worse, those that are very laboriously drawn in blunt pencil, and then coloured in - such as you see in all too many local exhibitions up and down the country. A bad watercolour can look really, really bad... but then, so can terrible oils and acrylics, just in different ways. Very many thanks to all for these very encouraging comments.

Hello Robert, Really nice watercolour, nice treatment in the sky and I really, really, like the way you have painted the land in the background , I would have liked to have seen more of this coming forward and less of the bush because subconsciously I am stepping to the side to see passed it ! Thank you for your comments on my work it is very much appreciated, regards, Joe

Just spent a good ten minutes looking and admiring this picture again! And it's also been the source of a "rich" discussion. You can be proud of it.

Stone me... 22 comments..... Well, what can I say - I looked at the original today: the quite strong glow of yellow in the foreground seems to have sunk in rather, which is the curse of watercolour; I don't know what one can do about that.... any ideas welcome. It's basically cadmium yellow, and although it picks up a bit behind glass and with a bit of light, it's certainly lost some of that initial glow. I will do this again in acrylic, I think. Strangely (?) this painting, which I first thought a touch boring, to be entirely honest, has garnered more comments than any of my others. This is perhaps partly a consequence of my increasing confidence in watercolour and preparedness to employ strong darks - but I'

Blast... hit the Enter key.... but, as I was saying, |'m not entirely sure why it has attracted more comment .... tonal contrast, I suspect. But there we are: I'm never sure that over-analyzing a painting is ever helpful, so I shall just shut up and post the next one, when I'm sure it's finished. Many thanks for all your helpful comments.

The tonal contrasts are good. The picture hangs together well. It's overall effect is one of competence, so nmo worries there. Someone mentioned the ship. Why not have a ship? You do find them at sea! I might have put it a little further to the right is all. Nice work Robert Regards John

This is a very good watercolour and stands out in your gallery....I went to it straight away!! Yes ships do occur on the sea so why not put it in if it was there I would have used a bit of artistic licence though and have it coming in to the painting rather than going out....hey but that's a small point......well done.

Hi Robert, love this one, lovely control of the watercolour, know what you mean about the Langton paper.

Nice one Robert, painting deserves to be viewed from different angles, glad you kept the ship in. Regards James

Why not try rough paper

After 29 comments do you need another? This is watercolour at it's finest. Crisp, clean and bold. Maybe a few Goldenrods in the forground? Thanks

Really like this watercolour, love the sky and the tree, and have very much enjoyed reading the comments about the boat..... :)

I just love this sky. I paint in watercolour but find landscapes SO hard. I can do the wishey washey pale and VERY uninteresting ones but not the dramatic, fantastic ones like this.

Missed this one. Excellent and bold sky and treatment of the greenery. Love the acid tone to some of the foreground greens. A painting which really creates atmospher.

P.S. What is it that you don't like about Langton. I am one who swears by it, but my style is suited to a paper which is quite heavily sized as I want the pigment to stay on the top of the paper and not sink in too much. Perhaps you should try one of the more absorbant papers?

Robert I love your paintings and have just discovered your website, one I really admire is the green ploughed fields with the trees and hills in the background. I am new to painting and am discovering things all of the time, perhaps one day I'll try watercolour or oils but I'm still learning about acrylics. I will investigate Chromacolour which I know nothing about. Thank you for your comment about Hundertwasserhaus. Hundertwasser is an Austrian artist, if you google him you'll find the history about him and the building in Vienna. Thank you for your comments you are such an inspiration.

Great sky...

Dramatic atmosphere,excellent watercolour,strong lovely shadows,the horizon is in the best position/level(golden rule)

Dramatic atmosphere,excellent watercolour,strong lovely shadows,the horizon is in the best position/level(golden rule)

another lovely painting and i like the detail of the wood.

I wish I could struggle like that!!!!!