Friday, July 03, 2009

Wyndham's Theatre, Charing Cross Rd, 14" x 10", Mixed Media on Watercolour Paper, 2009

This piece brings again my love for energy, movement and life of the urban scenes! This view is from under the theatre as opposed to the front of it. I just loved the angled lines and artificial lighting under the theatre against the natural light around the theatre with the burst of buzzing human movement that is so common around the West End in London. The current show "Hamlet" is what is actually on now!



This piece started off as a watercolour, then gouache and acrylic were introduced for opacity and texture.

14 comments:

vivien said...

do you work on the spot with paint or work from sketches or photos with these?

I really like your night time paintings - the light is caught perfectly and the buzz of humanity bustling by.

Andrea Longhi said...

cool, can you explain better how did you use the acrylic?
I'm interessed :)

adebanji said...

Vivien Thanks! For this particular work, I worked directly from a photo I took immediately I got arrested by the natural compostion of the scene! The only thing I do to make it have a bit of vitality and spontaniety, is that,I time myself as if I am working form life and that helps the work to have a cohesive alla-prima effect that works done over time might lack.

Andrea, it is hard to see this online, because the work has been sacled down a bit but the acrylic came in handy with the use of a impasto gel for renderring the highlights around the movement of people and textures of the red lightings around the theatre. It creates a kind of 3D feel and helps break up the 2D work surface-thereby creating interest and contrast against the light washes of watercolour and flat opaque washes of gouache.

dominique eichi said...

What a great powerful urban scene you did here. I feels as we got a wonderful glimpse of that area in full action . BRAVO

adebanji said...

Thanks Dominique! It's good you remembered! It's always packed!

Edward Burton said...

GREAT scene, Adebanji - very cool.

adebanji said...

Thanks Edward!

Unknown said...

Wow wow wow.....This piece is so dramatic! It may be one of my favorites from your vast collection. Bravo. Hugs to you, your wife and your beautiful babies.

adebanji said...

Thanks Sheila! The little family is doing well! Cheers!

AC said...

I like very much the mix between the natural day light and the artifical ligths from the Theater.
I think I never saw a painting with this sort of mix.

David Larson Evans said...

Its electric. Great job.

James Parker said...

This is one of my favorites from you.. it IS electic... and kind of has a Toulouse Lautrec air to it. I really like it.

adebanji said...

Thanks James and David!

adebanji said...

Thanks AC!