Bath Saturday Antique & Flea Market, Bath, 6" x 8", Oil on Gessoed Mountboard

Bath Saturday Antique & Flea Market, 6" x 8", Oil on Gessoed Mountboard.

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This is one from my Bath Marathon Series. I never expected to see an Antique Market on the morning I painted this but once I launched out and caught a sight of it, that was it!

Adebanji painting the Bath Saturday Antique & Flea market

 I really enjoyed  the colours of all the top of the stalls-together they looked like a collage of coloured shapes.

SPECIAL QUOTE
"The experience of painting outdoors in the City is immense, people are watching and they know if you have done justice to the scene"-Adebanji Alade

Sketches on the Train, Tube and Bus in June I

These are some sketches done earlier this year. I am going to be sharing the importance of Lines and their weight at my SKETCHINSPIRATION blog, so be sure to sign up for the latest updates.

Lines are everything to me when it comes to sketching and there is something sensual, emotional and lyrical about lines-they are everything to me when I sketch on the tube, train or bus, so look out for the lines here and have fun!

SPECIAL QUOTE
"If you love to sketch people, public transport in London is your best shot! The faces are just everything you'll long for- Colour, mood, age, youth, beauty, sleepy, serious, happy, friendly, curious.....JUST DO IT!-Adebanji Alade

Kidz, Life, Art and Stuff II, 8" x 8", Oil on Board

KLAAS II-Kezia says a prayer before her breakfast

I was really a bit to anxious to paint this piece, that my impatience almost ruined the piece. I got lost in the lines and the drawing and whenever the drawing goes wrong in any painting of this nature....the doom is quite near! But thank God, I rescued it in the end by cooling down and focusing on what actually went wrong. I was so wrapped up in the piece that I didn't take many stage shots but the few here give an indication of my mind's process.

Recording these phases in the lives of my children is a very interesting exercise and I hope to develop this further, maybe into something the can look back in the future as a visual diary. I already have many sketches of Josh and Kezia in sleepmode, you can click HERE to see. I think it's very normal for artists to have their children as part of their painting subjects.

Lest I forget to say-I used the Anders Zorn palette for this piece too, which consists of 4 colours- Titanium White, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red and Ivory Black.

Kidz, Life, art and Stuff II, 8" x 8", Oil on board-  

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STAGE 1- This is the 'gridding' process, always to make sure everything falls into place and its on solid foundation.  sometimes, I don't do 'gridding' but for safety purposes I go through the rigours of making these lines.

STAGE 2- This is where I lost it, as you can see, I was so anxious to start putting paint with completing the brush drawing...I was heading for disaster!

STAGE 3- After all the rushing, I ended up with a face that looked miles older than my daughter,  I knew I had lost a few lines with the profile drawing that I had to correct and on the hands and fingers too. This picture was also taken in poor light, so the colours are very wrong at this stage. This is a lesson I constantly have to learn over and over again even after all these years of painting. and it's HASTE IS THE ARTISTS WORST ENEMY!!!
I was happy to work a little more hours repairing but how better would it have been if I had made this piece at a steady pace, making sure each shape was correct as I went along.

SPECIAL QUOTE
I must have put this as a special quote before but I think it is more applicable here and it's, "PAINTING TOO FAST IS ON THE LIST OF COMMON MISTAKES AND DIFFICULTIES" by Richard Schmid

Kidz, Life, Art and Stuff I, 8" x 8", Oil on Board

 INTRODUCTION

Hey!! I'm really thrilled! It's June! A month of victory! The month I got married! Yes! And I'm gonna be starting this new series on "Kidz, Life, Art and Stuff"- It's a visual documentary of my observations as a dad at home with the kidz!

Last year I was at home with them for 7 months while my wife worked at Three Bridges-I had to move all my painting gear to my house, during that period I really got to relate with them better and watch them more closely because I was basically with them for the whole day apart from when they were at school, prayed together, I dropped them and picked them up, cooked, bathed, did everything....school work, played games, and often went mad too!

I enjoyed growing up as a kid and I never feel I have grown up myself! So I really enjoyed being what my wife didn't really like to hear me say at the time. But I will, I was "The Househusband".


Everyday was different, I either  sketched, took photos or painted....So get ready to enjoy the fruits of this period!

KLAAS I -Joshua paints on a hot day in the afternoon

Kidz, Life, Art and Stuff I, 8" x 8", Oil on Board

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Stage 1- Grid scaling becomes a necessity to make sure the drawing is positioned right.

Stage 2- I am using the Anders Zorn palette of 4 colours only-Titanium White, Cadmium Red, Yellow Ochre and Ivory Black. I start the sketch with a mixture of black and red, it is diluted with mineral spirits for fluidity.

Stage 3- I run straight into painting shape by shape, my emphasis here is not to overwork it and keep the edges alive! I love mixing mysterious greys!

Stage 4- Bad picture, but this was the stage that I had covered the whole surface, moving shape by shape. It's the "Inside out" technique I often use. It's when i start from a particular point inside the piece and gradually move out.

Stage 5- More of the final stage, a few refining details and the picture also taken in better light.

This is a progress shot while on the easel.

My palette for this painting.

SPECIAL QUOTE
"There comes a time in your life that you just believe anything is possible! You link up with The Spirit and you defeat that ego which keeps telling you, "you can't". You defy the odds and deliver the goods! The future can only be bright to the artist that thinks of possibility!!!"-Adebanji Alade

Late Afternoon Light Reflections, Albert Bridge, 8" x 10", Oil on Board (Plein air)

This is another one in the reflections series.

My studio is very close to Albert Bridge and every now and then I pop down to do a painting. It's a nice experience, The River Thames never ceases to be one of those spots I just can't get enough of.

Late Afternoon Light Reflections, Albert Bridge, 8" x 10", Oil on Board

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I started this one with a very detailed drawing as can  be seen below. There was so much to see that I needed to be careful to make sure everything was in the right place.

The beginning, my very detailed approach, I sketch with pencil on the board, measuring was vital.

I didn't take much stage shots but I  had a photo of the final stage before I called it quits.

The full set up

SPECIAL QUOTE
"Once we make a decision to do a thing, the means appear......"-Andrew Matthews

Spring Reflections, Oliver's Island- Strand on the Green, 8" x 10", Oil on Board, (Plein Air)

Spring Reflections,  Oliver's Island -Strand on The Green, 8" x 10" , Oil on Board

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I am continuing a series of paintings on reflections and this was painting was done on a wonderful day out with members of the ROI at Strand on the Green, I really enjoyed painting this scene and it was a great experience because I was able to sit down under a shady tree without much distractions but most importantly, the light remain constant for most of the day.

The Scene and the set up.

SPECIAL QUOTE
"Once the painting becomes a burden and you just don't know what to do, don't fiddle, STOP!!"-Adebanji Alade

Summer and Frozen Reflections, 10" x 8", Oil on board,

These are two paintings that deal with the subject of reflections. I really love painting reflections and that's why I'd take my time any day to paint them wholeheartedly!

One was painted outdoor and one indoor!

Obviously the summer one was outdoor and the frozen one painted in the warmth of my studio.

Frozen Reflections

Frozen Reflections, 10" x 8", Oil on Board

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Summer Reflections

 Shady Summer Reflections, Oil on Board, 8" x 10"

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The painting set-up.

SPECIAL QUOTE
Whether you paint indoors or outdoors! Just make sure you paint with your heart!-Adebanji Alade

Urban Shadow Highlights- Series 8-12 (5 paintings) Oil on board

 In all these paintings, the main subject is LIGHT! Once there's light, there's bound to be shadows! I love highlights and shadows!

The effect they have in urban space and settings is what this retrospective series of 5 paintings (mainly of London) is all  about. 

Light has colour, it has atmosphere and it has a life of it's own! The ability to capture this remains the task and duty of the artist, whether he or she paints indoors or outdoors.

Paintings are powerful with light! Especially when the light is glorious!

Hope you enjoy!

8. Urban Shadow Highlights VIII- Morning Light from Wandworth Bridge

Urban Shadow Highlights VIII- Morning Light from Wandworth Bridge , 6" x 8", Oil on Gessoed Card.

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Adebanji painting Morning Light from Wandworth Bridge

My set up with brushes

9. Urban Shadow Highlights IX- Evening Light, The West End.

Urban Shadow Highlights IX- Evening Light, The West End. 8" x 6", Oil on board

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10. Urban Shadow Highlights X- 2 Taxis and a Rickshaw

Urban Shadow Highlights X- 2 Taxis and a Rickshaw, 8" x 10", oil on board

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11. Urban Shadow Highlights XI- Afternoon Light, Lower High Street Harpenden.

Urban Shadow Highlights XI- Afternoon Light, Lower High Street Harpenden, 8" x 10", Oil on board

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Adebanji painting Afternoon Light, Lower Road, Harpenden

The set up for Afternoon Light, Lower Road, Harpenden

12.  Urban Shadow Highlights XII- Evening Light Hampstead High Street

Urban Shadow Highlights XII- Evening Light Hampstead High Street, 8" x 10", Oil on boaord

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SPECIAL QUOTE

"Don't invent little schemes whereby you can get ahead of nature, little schemes to make it look like nature.

You don't need to know how to do it, all you need is to do it. The things that count and make it look like out of doors are the big differences between the shadow and the light side"-Hawthorne on Painting

Evening Light, Whistler Statue, Chelsea Embankment (The Process)

Evening Light, Whistler Statue, Chelsea Embankment, oil on gessoed mountboard, 6" x 8"

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I was determined to paint on an evening when the light was brilliant around the River Thames and the Chelsea Embankment. I thought I was going to go a bit further in search of a scene to paint when I suddenly got struck by the light hitting the Whistler Statue along the Chelsea Embankment.

I just parked my Pochade Box and decided to give it a real go!

I enjoyed every bit of the process and decided to share the way I go about doing these small paintings in this blogpost.

Adebanji painting Whilster Statue

STAGE 1- Paints all lined up, in order, yes in order, I'm a bit of an order freak when it comes to lining up paint. The shadow is there, I love the light effects, I know it won't last, so I am gonna have to paint FAST! The view is great and I am positioned well. These are all important first things that go through my mind. I am sitting down to paint, this is my preferred position, because it stops me from rushing when my legs start to ache. Also I feel more relaxed when I sit down.

STAGE 2- I don't want to put the statue in the dead centre, so I do a little thing I call "dividing the format into unequal parts". If you notice the shapes that emerge from the division are all unequal but also the line that runs vertically helps me to know where to position the statue off-centre. I am not using the sight size method to paint as many other painters do, I just sketch to suit the surface I am working on, I'm a bit flexible, loads of sketching on a daily basis has helped me judge proportions naturally.

STAGE 3- Here, I quickly sketch the base of the statue and plan to capture the light effects and the shadows as I  know this part would not last as the light is changing quickly.  In a shape-by shape procedure you can see how I have quickly put blocks of colour patches to capture the bottom area of the painting. It's the part that is going to be hardest to capture from memory if the light changes so I handle it first!

STAGE 4- I add a bit more details to the bottom area of the painting, moving shape by shape- I try to finish one section and then move on to the next section. I finish off the base of the statue and then quickly sketch in the main statue parts. The sketching is done in Terra Rosa with liquin, I sketch with a very thin sable brush.

STAGE 5- Once I have completed painting the base of the statue and all the parts on the bottom third of the painting. I leave off completing the main statue and quickly capture the sky, the light is beautiful and the sky plays an integral part so getting the right colours is vital! You can see the patch of mixtures on the right hand side of my palette where the sky colour gradation is planned.

STAGE 6- Once the sky is complete, I then sketch into the sky-wet on wet- to get the tree into the painting. It is possible to paint into the sky as the sky was colour was mixed with a lot of liquin, this helped it in drying fast. The painting is beginning to take shape now!

STAGE 7- Now I concentrate my energies on the main thing, the Statue of Whistler. When hit by the light it looks so dramatic! I had to refer to the images on my digital camera to remember how the light hit some areas of the statue as the light had changed completely while I was painting this part.

FINAL STAGE- I bring everything together by adding a few details here and there and work on a few lamp poles is the background, I didn't want to add the traffic lights as I thought it would ruin the airy space around the statue

SPECIAL QUOTE
"Sometimes it's important to remember how the scene looked when you first got there!"-Adebanji Alade