Regents Canal, London

Detail from "View along the towpath", London.
Oil. Alistair Butt © 2009.

Reference for this was gathered on a warm late September day last year. I'd walked for a number of miles along the canal before coming across this view. During the time I was there... mid to late afternoon, the sun began to sink in the sky and in doing so, provided some interesting cast shadows across the canal. The cast shadows combined with the reflections required some concentration with regards to both colour and tone shifts.

The painting was produced along the lines of those demonstrated elsewhere on this blog. A quick but considered under painting, tending towards the darker colours in an area, then, working from the background forwards, the details were added. This oil painting was produced in one sitting. This allowed the areas of the trees and likewise the water to be done wet against wet (very little wet on wet). By doing this, some blending takes places so 'slightly' softening the edges between the two mixes.