MoodyPaints
in words and watercolor in words and watercolor in words and watercolor in words and....
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Painting "Light" in Watercolor
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St. Bartholomew's Cathedral, the oldest church in London
Illustrated by Bob Moody, 2011
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For a watercolor artist, painting light and shadow is by far the most challenging of subjects and the essence of painting in watercolor as opposed to oil paintings. Cathedral interiors are the most fun to paint because they were designed to capture light through clerestory windows and stained glass - both intended to create an ethereal illusion suggesting the light coming from heaven.
The cathedral above, St. Bartholomew's, is in the 'old city of London' - the square mile that includes the incredibly beautiful interiors of the Liveries of London that Bob painted HERE.
The painting on the left is from the same trip to England, and is the entry to St. Mary's in Oxford. In both paintings, Bob tried to define the detail in sunlight and shadow.
As Bob explains, "Since watercolor is transparent, in order to achieve white, you have to paint it with water with very little pigment. This is one of the hardest effects to achieve in watercolor. There is NO room for error and you never get it quite right!"
To view additional paintings in this study or to view these paintings larger, please click HERE.
Enjoy the lights and fireworks this weekend. Happy 4th of July!
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