Bath

The Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath, finished painting

/ davidrpharmer / 2 Comments
The Royal Crescent Hotel

This commissioned painting is finished and approved, and once I have cut a mount and signed and dated, then this will be going off to its new owner

Testing in many ways, classical architecture doesn’t leave a lot of room for error, nonetheless enjoyable to do, and I am happy with the way it has turned out

I shall be otherwise engaged for a few days, but as soon as I can, I need to start on another commission, which is a really interesting looking house portrait. That will need a shetch for approval before getting started.

Added to that I have an important exhibition coming up mid October at one of the local hospitals. This is one where I usually sell. I pray that I sell something as I am bulging with framed pictures. It’s lovely to sell on the internet, but I get left with frames. However, a happy problem

So quite busy for a while

I don’t know what made me do it, but I started going through boxes of slides which I took in the 1970s. Some of us can remember that colour photographs were made into slides at one time, for projecting onto a screen, for amusement of family and friends with our holiday pics, or not as the case may be.

I found amongst the many, a lovely shot of a fishing harbour in Brittany where we stayed in 1972. I have had it printed so that I can work from it, and that will be up after the commissioned work.

Much to do

The Royal Crescent in Bath : the Preparatory Sketch

/ davidrpharmer / 5 Comments
The Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath

I went to Bath a few days ago and took some pictures as reference for sketch ideas for the commission I have been given. I have been commissioned to paint the Royal Crescent Hotel which is dead centre of the crescent of that name. I have never stayed there, although I believe it is magnificent, and certainly world famous

This is my black and white sketch in ink and wash which covers the points that the client wanted. The large window is included which is about the only thing that identifies the hotel, that and the tubs by the railings. There was no signage that I could see, presumably not allowed. I managed to get some idea of the crescent shape in the roof line

Georgian architecture is certainly magnificent, drawing on classical details. It is certainly quite testing to draw. Having said that, I try not to include too much detail, as this will be a painting, not an architect’s drawing. That is my excuse anyway

If the sketch is approved then I move on to the drawing proper ready for painting, which will keep me out of mischief for a while

It may be some time before I post again, but I haven’t gone away

One day I shall have to count and see how many categories I have covered over the years. Certainly quite a lot and all things that have interested me

The Royal Crescent in Bath

/ davidrpharmer / 2 Comments

I have been commissioned to paint the facade of the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath. which is a beautiful building in a beautiful city

Bath was made especially fashionable in the c18. It was a spa town. The rich and the famous went there for their health, to take the waters and to see and to be seen. It had been famous for its natural spring waters since Roman times, and the Roman baths today are a favourite tourist attraction. The Roman name for Bath was Aquae Sulis, or the waters of Sul. Sul was a British god whom the Romans adopted, so presumably the spring waters were venerated long before the Romans arrived.

The Royal Crescent

This is a long shot of the famous crescent. Sadly a dull day when I was there so the light does no justice to the lovely Bath stone which is a gorgeous honey colour. I have been commissioned to paint the hotel which is in the middle of the crescent and has a larger central window than the rest of the houses in the terrace

The terrace was designed in 1774 by an architect called John Wood the Younger. It looks out over parkland to this day, and has earned the soubriquet of “rus in urbe”. The Royal Crescent is considered to be the finest example of neo-classical architecture in the country, and has been imitated in Brighton, Buxton and London

I now have the task of doing this fine building justice in paint, which should prove challenging to say the very least.