Midnight BlueIn Private collection

19 x 15 inches
Gouache and pastel on Saunders Waterford

A couple walk into a dark night by the canal, the lights of Venice beckoning, the sound of laughter and music in the distance. Street lighting leads their way, the gondolas bob quietly on the night water. All is still - windows and doorways in darkness, the city sleeps except for a few late souls.

This painting was done in three stages – firstly a line drawing in Indian ink to get the shapes and details of perspective. Then gouache applied quite thickly to create the depth of colour needed, not leaving any white paper visible at all. This forms all the mid and dark colours and is the basis of the painting. Then lastly, the pastel was applied, pulling out the bright details of the lights and their glow, and the reflected lights on the buildings. Parts of the gouache were left as originally painted – in the sky for instance. The pastel was applied thickly in some places, thinly in others making the painting more atmospheric, adding depth of colour, the illusion of peeling plasterwork and creating the mood.