The Granary at Wells-Next-The-Sea

Super colourful! painting Thea. Love all the people and cars which add so much interest.

Very well drawn and painted in your fresh and lively style Thea and, as Louise has said, so much to look at!

Great sketch, and a very unusual building, I like the way you've brought the it to life.

Lots of detail in this, great painting.

Lovely sketch Thea, what pity it wasn't done on the spot, but good work.

Thak you very much Louise, Christin, Kevin, Glennis and Derek for your encouraging feedback. However, I have to say that after seeing this one on my screen, I am a lot less pleased with it than I first thought. To me, it is lacking something and I can't quite put my finger on what that is. I have decided that I don't care for the bottom of the harbour wall - not as fresh as I would have liked and also there isn't enough variety in colour in the big expanses of the walls of the Granary building. There are probably other issues as well and these will occur to me the more I look at it. One of my less successful pen and washes I think.

Interesting Thea but maybe needs some of the many small shapes joined up to make bigger shapes. Also noted your two colour palette I Find this works best for me with various hues but the paints mixed on The palette or wet on wet on The paper. Hope you don't mind these thoughts.

Can't see much wrong with it myself other than to comment that the boats tend to divide it in two - perhaps as Alan says, a bit of joining up? But who am I to comment on such a delightful piece.

Alan, of course I don't mind your thoughts and actually I like being able to discuss a painting, whether mine or someone else's. In this painting it is largely a two colour palette with accents of other colours thrown in. Perhaps that is what I am uncomfortable about as I don't really do limited palette paintings as they don't turn me on and perhaps, purely by chance, I fell into to doing that in this one. I never have the slightest idea what colours I am going to use in a painting and my hand just reaches for what my gut is telling me the painting needs, but sometimes one's gut lies! As for the smaller shapes being joined up to make larger shapes, I know that you are a Wesson fan and his idea, as with many artists like him, was to simplify. However, this the the polar opposite to what I want to see in my paintings as (rather unconventionally) it is the detail that attracts me, so making big shapes rather than keeping the diversity of the smaller shapes isn't something I am drawn to do. I think the detail aspect is why I am attracted to these harbour and boat scenes as there is always a lot of activity and paraphernalia which I find fun to draw and paint. I notice on your Pin Mill paintings that you tend to concentrate on the large shapes and leave the detail out, so we are at opposite ends of the spectrum from that point of view. As for the paint being mixed, my pen and wash sketches are done mainly in my Moleskine sketch books and although the paper is wonderful, it is not at all forgiving and it is hard to get paint to move on it. Wet in wet does work but I tend to work more wet against wet, which is harder on this paper. I rarely mix in a palette and any variation in colour or hue happen on the happen and is usually a bit beyond my control!

Sorry last sentence has come out as gobble-de-gook. What I meant to say was that 'any variation in colour or hue just happens how it happens and is usually a bit beyond my control'. I might add that that is what I love about watercolour - it's penchant for doing it's own thing!

I admire your pen and washes very much, Thea and this is a perfect exemple of your talent. It also is very interesting to read your exuberant and fluent explanation about your ideas on the matter!

Thank you very much, Michael and well spotted about the boats.. I thought exactly that after I had finished it. It is funny how you don't notice these things sometimes until they leap off a computer screen at you. In the end, these are what I consider to be 'doodle sketches' and not serious works of art (not that I do any of those either!!), but it is always good to look at what might have gone better, grist for the mill for next time.

Thank you very much, Mia - really kind of you. In a couple of days I am going to post another sketch, also done from a photo taken on our holiday in Norfolk, and I feel that one went a bit better than this one, so there is a glimmer of hope for me, lol!

I do like your style of painting Thea and this is as lovely as any you've done. However, composition wise, the two groups of boats seem to tug your eyes in opposite directions.

Thank you very much Frank - that's very nice of you. Agree about the boats - just didn't notice it at the time, but will in future.

Thea your paintings are getting more and more complex, well done on such great detail!

Lovely work full of interest and lovely bright colours !

Thank you very much Carole and Denise. Carole, I suppose they are containing more detail - is that a good or bad thing I wonder? I do rather like the interesting bits and bobs you find in harbour scenes, so I never feel I should leave them out. Others probably would I suppose?

I think your beautifully varied palette is what lends all your paintings such delightful charm, Thea, and this is no exception! Gorgeous, gorgeous work, and such a lively, uplifting atmosphere.

You have done such a good job capturing the at atmosphere that now I want to go there!