Farm, Isle of Wight

My poor eyesight and worse photography skills have struck again - this is slightly skew-whiff, leaning a bit to the right: pray make allowances! www.wightpaint.blogspot.com = Hint: come and visit!

It is not a disappointment at all, I think this is really beautilly "dirty", Robert. I like the variation of sunny and dark greens and I love the subject, typically British. Just one question: is the house on a slope or did you give it a G&T (LOL)? :) Mia.

Hi Robert, sorry (hic!!!) for the G&T-question (mine whas a Whisky&Cola) but your comment whas not yet showing on the web when I posted mine.

Fear not, Mia .... you might easily have been right! G & T is one of my favourites; or - if you're buying - a double cognac.

nothing wrong with this mate it is very good .it is a long way from being mud ,and i think your style would lend itself to a litle gouache ..and I think there is a lot of good work in this painting were you leaning on the lampost . at the time,, or were you having , one for me just think winslow Hommer used to rip pieces of his paintings to get his white passages ps/ could n,t have been using toilet paper though .

Perhaps because I've already had a G&T the angle of the painting looks fine to me Robert....! Not only does the angle look good so does your painting, it has a lovely wild, country rustic feel to it with not a bit of mud in sight.

Fine wine G&T who cares - as long as you drink it and don't mix your washes with it !! - whatever you may say Robert you have achieved some great textures here of which I quite envious - not easy with watercolour

Re textures, Michael - a very small amount of salt; a lot of scrabbling with my finger nail and a pen-knife; a fair bit of blotting; and a good deal of glazing - all on a rough paper. But if you want great textures, Malcolm Coils is your man.

I like your heavy-handed textures Robert! Also your strong, rich colours. They always come through in your unique style.

Well I like it Robert makes a change ,:)Linda

Robert my friend, you can call this dirty and heavy handed ( but as you well know most of my watecolours are like this ) In lots of days gone by many artists painted watercolour this way-- its only the modern trend that says we should not.----For me the painting is not even split in half, its painting what is there and making it look right and it certainly looks ok, the track only leads to the cottages that in itself does not spilt the painting---- I know I have not commented on your work very often but I find this work very charismatic and full of power. Very hard to paint watercolour this way ---- Better pack up now cos -wrote six lines -- mind you -had a few double malt whiskeys PS do more of this work ---- I think its your best watercolour yet

I like it too, Robert - I don't think the painting is skewed - maybe just scanned a bit tilted? Thanks too for your comment on mine - in answer to your query : my standby is always payne's grey (WN artist) - this time added a bit of winsor blue (green) and a touch of sap green

Nowt wrong with strong colour Robert and it seems ideal for this excellent pic. The only thing I find slightly disconcerting is the chimney, perhaps needed to be a little more above the the line of the distant hill. The skewy bit usually can be sorted out in whatever photo editing programme you are using.

nice painting, and good use of watercolours. :-)

Just found this Robert. I am not too bright on wandering the gallery. Hence I like it when people post on the forum in a showy off manner that they have posted.... Like what i do. If this is mud then bring it on. Full of life and vigour cottage...a wee bit tipsy maybe you and Mel have had a session.. Apart from the sky I really would not have known it is a watercolour. But I can't think that's a problem. As you know I don't do either pretty or wishy washy. Like a lot.

Robert, when I saw the painting I thought that it was an Oil! You have achieved strength of colours within a Watercolour. I love it! Not everybody can use so much green and make it so attractive. Me too, I have missed seeing your work Robert. It is nice to be back :)

I agree with most of the comments above. Apart from the crude rendering of the cottage, the foliage and ground treatment - quality of colour and observation is absolutely superb! Well done. If it wasn't for the pesky cottage I would buy this one if it were on offer.

I'd quite happily set fire to the perishing cottage, Peter - I think its treatment betrays where my interest actually lay, and it doesn't help that the photo is slightly out of true, making it look as though it's slipping off to the right. Which I wish it would.... It was worse, by the way, before I painted out a modern garage building to the right of the cottage.

Strong and vibrant, yes but certainly not muddy. Your technique used in this way is admirable.

This country scene drew me in straight away, crooked, muddy or not it is a delight to make mud look this good but then I often look at the real thing (mud that is) and see lovely purples and browns hidden it its glossy depths! Thank you for your comment on my hay bales, I have not been on here lately but still get the Artist mag. since my 2 sons emmigrated I have been using facebook to keep in touch with them and for art also, there is also another site for plein air painters - www.pleineire.ning.com - which I use and we meet most sats to go out painting, safety and great fun in numbers (why dont you join us if only from afar ?) so I have to limit my time on comp or the night is gone and I get googly eyed. Good to see a few familiar names and paintings still here though and will try to keep up to date !