'If ever there was a subject to get the blood stirring, the heart pounding and the sprits soaring, for me it would have to be harbours and coastal scenes,' says John Patchett.

'The smell of salt in the air, the cry of the gulls and the endless fascination of marine paraphernalia all contribute to capturing the essence of estuarine and marine subjects. They say you have to feel it before you can express it, so spending time taking it all in is essential.

'When attempting to capture a harbour scene you will usually find that there’s far too much to include, so you need to be selective. To help you decide what to include and what to leave out you need to ask yourself what your painting is going to be about.

'Is it the interesting arrangement of positive and negative shapes in the composition? Is it the feeling of squally conditions building up on the far horizon? Is it about the silhouetted boats against the bright morning light or does it capture a moment in time when the gulls have staked their positions awaiting the next fishing vessel? Once this has been established you can proceed with a greater sense of purpose.

'Planning ahead is so important when faced with the problems of painting on location in a harbour environment. You need to understand that the scene before you will change radically over the ensuing hours. Sea levels change and that boat in the water will be in a different position and a different height by the time you expect to finish for the day. The sun moves around and lights up the scene from different angles. Tides run in opposite directions when they turn, causing boats at anchor to swing around 180 degrees. Boats that are moored set sail and those on the shore get towed away. I have tried to paint a boat under repair which has changed colour before my eyes.


Paper selection

As a pastelist, I have a range of coloured supports.

Choosing a suitable colour and tone will greatly affect the way in which a painting evolves, as the background dictates the painting’s overall key.

Reflective Mood, pastel. 18” x 23”

For Reflective Mood, above, I chose a dark-toned paper which emphasises light colours.

Because the view looks directly into the morning light, I needed a paper tone to show the contrasting bright light against the dark silhouetted shapes of the boats.


Pin Mill Morning, pastel, 18” x 24”

Conversely, I selected a mid-grey colour for Pin Mill Morning.

This was ideal for the subtle tones of the boats and the delicate changes of hue in the sky. It was a wet, breezy day and the sky reflections in puddles united the whole picture.


High and Dry, pastel, 15½” x 21”

In the case of High and Dry, the colour of the support was a mid-toned golden ochre.

This has a number of advantages because the tone allows for the dark and light areas of the painting to have equal importance. The warm colour is ideally suited to the tones of the foreground and, with the blue expanse of sky having an underpainting of its complementary colour, an illusion of depth is achieved naturally.


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Getting started

One of my old tutors once told me: “A painting is only as good as its start”. Bearing that in mind, I generally find I need to establish a good composition with a focal point by doing a small drawing in my sketchbook. Sometimes I make notes alongside to help me stick to my original intention, otherwise I can easily be chasing the changing scene all day.

I like to start a piece of work using willow charcoal. It allows me to work quickly and broadly without getting bogged down with detail and it doesn’t muddy the subsequent layers of pastel.

Working rapidly, with a light touch so as to set up a momentum that will take me well into the painting, I try to establish the dark areas of the painting fairly early.

I use pastel board for my support because it has a particularly versatile surface, capable of gentle blends of delicate transparent layers, as well as strong opaque areas and more vigorously applied accents. For me, its only disadvantage is that it must not get wet.

A careful eye on the weather is essential, because any spots of water landing on the board result in the shiny white backing card appearing through the surface.


Strong contrast

Morning Patrol, pastel. 17” x 22”

In the pastel painting, Morning Patrol, above the distant river bank needed a delicate, soft edged application to suggest it receding into the early morning mist, with blue grey and raw sienna buildings looming through the hazy light.

The fishing boat, moored at its jetty, was treated with bolder strokes and darker tones, yet keeping the overall feeling slightly soft edged by using the side of the sticks of pastel.

The old wooden jetty and seagulls in the foreground were drawn in greater detail and I used my darkest autumn brown and purple to create a strong contrast against the muted background.

The treatment of the gulls required a bold, hard edged technique using the tip of the pastels. I had to make some sketches of the gulls, as they rarely stay still for long.

Gulls stretch themselves tall, then snuggle down into crouched positions, remaining alert and watchful. Fortunately, if they fly off when you are painting them, others inevitably take their place.


Afternoon Light, pastel, 12” x 17”

Like most outdoor scenes, the sky sets the mood for a painting. This is particularly so in Afternoon Light, above, painted on the banks of the River Orwell.

The day was warm and hazy and the light was soft, making the colours slightly muted. It was very much the lazy afternoon – if you are not an artist, that is. These two old boats left behind by the outgoing tide sat slumped alongside each other like two old friends.

I chose a yellow ochre board and delicately covered the surface with gentle, transparent layers of colours to retain the soft feeling of the day. Virtually, the whole of the picture surface, even the details, were treated with soft edged marks, using the side of the pastel.


Special place

Mediterranean Fishing Boats. Pastel. 13½”x 18"

It is interesting to compare the soft English light with that of the Mediterranean Fishing Boats, above.

Here the brighter conditions brought both boats into clearer focus and sharper contrast.

The stronger sunlight turned the shadows slightly mauve and the white changed to more of a lemon yellow tint.

The ripples of abstract colour reflected in the water helped to balance the hard edged boats with the soft edged marks of the water and heat haze in the distance.


End of the Promenade, Southwold. Pastel. 11½” x 18¼”

One of my favourite places to paint in this country is Southwold.

This is mainly because it is a nostalgic step back and there is a feeling that you are in a special place, which allows all your senses to become highly tuned.

The dominant primary colours in the painting, End of the Promenade, Southwold, above, caught my eye and I just had to paint these three brightly coloured, different man-made shapes which, in a strange way, fitted in perfectly with the relatively unspoiled coastal backdrop.

It is a slightly unusual composition with the blue chalet slap bang in the middle of the picture. However, the diagonal line of the promenade takes the eye to the right-hand side of the bathing hut, allowing the figures to take the eye further into the picture and round to the bright horizon.

The painterly effect of the distant beach is echoed in the treatment of the clouds, whose mauve grey and raw umber shadows are repeated in the horizontal lines in the foreground.


Materials and equipment

My materials and equipment have remained relatively unchanged for a number of years, except for some slight modifications here and there.

As I have said, I used pastel card with a surface of fine pumice powder for my supports.

I prefer the very soft pastels, which include some of the Sennelier, George Rowney and Unison ranges, although I have odd colours, tints and shades from a number of different manufacturers.

I attach my pastel card to a sheet of 5mm Foamcore, which is incredibly light and godsend when I have to lug my equipment any distance. I use luggage straps to secure my board to my easel, otherwise the wind can make my work chatter furiously.

As I always stand up to paint, my only other piece of equipment, besides my box of pastels, is a second portable easel. I set this up so that I can fix a drawing board in a horizontal position, turning it into an impromptu table to hold my large box of pastels.

I am often asked how I transport my pastel work. Well, after shaking the work furiously and blowing away any loose particles, I turn it face down against the Foamcore, keeping it in place with masking tape.


This article was originally published in the September 1999 issue of Leisure Painter


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