Dennis The Forger

After teaching at the Art Students League of Denver and then teaching a Master Class at my home studio I didn't have much time for my own painting so I decided to talk about this one that I copied from my Trevor Chamberlain Watercolor Book. He is one of my favorite artists and I consider it a privilege to copy one of his paintings for a learning experience. This was painted in my 6 x 9 inch Hahnemuhle sketch book which has toned paper. I like working on toned paper because it has a subtle way of tying the colors together.

Venice, with it's canals, water reflections, bridges, and handsome old buildings, is a city that seems to have been designed for watercolor painting. This scene of a quiet canal away from the throngs of tourists is exactly what I look for when visiting this charming city. Painting the left side of the composition in shadow shows how colors and shapes can be so beautiful in the shade when painted by a master. I love the way Trevor Chamberlain used that dark shadow to tie the boats and steps together along the canal wall. On the other side of the canal, which is in sunlight, the texture on the wall and in the water is extremely important. This is accomplished with dripping paint, visible brushstrokes, and a good combination of hard and soft edges. Interlocking reflections in the water is another way the boats, bridge and mooring poles are tied together.

Most of all I like the quiet serene mood captured with light and shadow, hard and soft edges and muted colors. The bridge was painted with Indian red and mineral violet and the distant wall behind is different values of gray mixed with brilliant orange and cerulean blue. The building on the right was painted with lemon yellow and yellow ochre and the darker portion is cobalt violet and yellow ochre and the same colors are reflected in the water. The two large mooring poles, on the right side of the canal, were painted with burnt sienna and transparent yellow and their cast shadows on the wall are yellow ochre with a small bit of cobalt violet. The wall on the left with all the soft and blurred edges is yellow ochre, cobalt violet and gray. Thank you Trevor Chamberlain for a great learning experience. Happy Painting! Dennis