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Richard Towers

@r_towers

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A couple of months ago I posted a loose (by my standards) sketch done from life in @barnstaplepanniermarket. This week I used it as the basis for a more finished watercolour. I tried to keep it loose but I think that's just not me. About A3 size. taken in Barnstaple Pannier Market by @r_towers

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8 days ago

While I was down in Sidmouth (Devon, UK) a couple of weeks ago I bought on impulse a paint spreader (like a small silicone kitchen spatula) from the amazing @southwestartmaterials. This WIP is my first try at using it. This was done almost entirely with it. I think it lends itself to urban subjects - or perhaps that is what I am most comfortable doing - and I would like to try it on a larger piece. This is 25 by 30cm, done with alkyd oil. taken in Pilton Arts Group by @r_towers

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a month ago

This month's NDA Plein air meeting was at 51 degrees North Coffee at Chivenor. It was well attended and nice to meet up with people. Thanks as always to Zsuzsa Reynolds for her organisation. As it happens, both my posted works are on paper stained by previous efforts. The first in pen and ink on A5 cartridge paper and the second, pen and wash, on Milford watercolour paper. taken in Chivenor, Devon, United Kingdom by @r_towers

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a month ago

I'm sorry for the repost of these paintings but my carefully crafted commentary went astray and there was no context.

I spent some of the past week at @eastdevonart with the excellent @mariaroseartist, working on plein air painting.. l learned a lot from watching Maria working - mixing colours, building up the picture, dynamic greys. Let's hope I can put it into practice. taken in Sidmouth by @r_towers

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a month ago

taken in Sidmouth by @r_towers

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a month ago

I've been working on this one for some time, on and off. It's funny how some paintings can't be rushed; you just have to paint them at their pace. Am I the only one round here who anthropomorphises their pictures like this? Anyway, this was a very enjoyable one to spend time on. It may be incomplete but it's finished, I think. I am grateful for the space at @piltonartsgroup to let me work on paintings of this size. Oil on canvas, about 40 by 60 cm. taken in Pilton Arts Group by @r_towers

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2 months ago

I'm continuing my reacquaintance with pastels by having a go at a still life. I have gone back to an object I have previously painted in other media, a miner's safety lamp. The challenge with pastels is the limited ability to mix precise colours (especially when you have built up a palette aimed at landscape). Colour becomes about looking for a close match and focusing on tone, or by learning to build colour by visual mixing. Mix of soft pastel makes on Canson Pastelmat 30 x 40cm. taken in Pilton Arts Group by @r_towers

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2 months ago

It's catching up time, as I have not posted for a while.

I did the first picture during this month's @northdevonarts plein air meeting at "The Cedars", with thanks to Zsuzsa Reynolds for organising.

The next sketch reminded me of leading one of the workshops associated with @barummuseum exhibition "Turner in Barnstaple": the Long Bridge from Rock Park.

Finally, last Saturday I was acting as an NDA support for one of the @barummuseum plein air events at Withypool, as part of the Alfred Munnings on Exmoor exhibition. by @r_towers

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2 months ago

I rarely post non-art stuff, but here's one of the exceptions. I spent a very good evening following the eclipse here in North Devon. As it is quite likely the last chance I will have and the conditions couldn't have been better, I went to town and constructed a viewer using an old pair of binoculars to project an image. It worked perfectly, making observation and photography easy. taken in Fremington Quay by @r_towers

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2 months ago

What started as an early morning doodle over my first cup of tea became a morning project. I find little exercises like this very enjoyable, but they also provide practice in mixing and manipulating paint. Unusually I did the drawing in pencil rather than my usual pen and ink, and I was surprised by the difference in the experience. Pencil, W&N watercolour on @tworiverspaper taken in Barnstaple, North Devon by @r_towers

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2 months ago

I'm continuing to renew my acquaintance with pastel. This is a reference I have used before, as an oil painting. The scene is a lot brighter than I remember. I tried to work directly and expressively, with minimal blending. Unison and Jackson's pastels on Pastelmat, about A3 size. taken in Pilton Arts Group by @r_towers

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3 months ago

Next Saturday, 1 August, I will be leading a plein air workshop at Barnstaple Museum, starting at 10:00. I will do a short demonstration, then we will go out and sketch, with a meet-up back at the museum at 12:00.

This is the first in a series of five workshops linked to the current Alfred Munnings exhibition at the museum. The next three will be at Withypool on Exmoor, near to where Munnings lived during WWI, with a final return to the museum. Each will be led by a local artist.

The price of each is £10, or £45 for all five. More details and booking on the museums website https://barnstaplemuseum.org.uk

@barummuseum taken in The Museum of Barnstaple & North Devon by @r_towers

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3 months ago