Welsh Farm Cockerels on Patrol
by Edward McNaught-Davis
Title
Welsh Farm Cockerels on Patrol
Artist
Edward McNaught-Davis
Medium
Painting - Watercolour On Paper
Description
Welsh Farm Cockerels on Patrol is an acrylic painting using watercolour techniques on paper.
These particular cockerels belong to a farm above Llandewi Brefi on the Cambrain mountain road to Ffarmers; on the Western side of mid Wales.
The painting was built up by using glazing or layering techniques on specially prepared paper that not only looked like fine canvas but felt like it too. The paper was really meant for use with oil paints but worked well with thinned acrylics.
At the time of creation I was unaware that the central group of cockerels were making a diamond pattern similar to the struts on the gate. If there is a deep rooted meaning to this pattern then I do not know what it is all about. It just happened without any conscious effort from me.
The scene is part of an overgrown farmyard and which appeared to be unused and unloved. It looked a little lost in time. The rusty gate with its diamond shaped struts looked very old and fragile. So I left it in its closed position in case it fell apart in my hands. I was only visiting the farm for a few hours and I did not really know its owner.
There were several cockerels on this farm and many came over to me out of curiosity as I was looking for a good view in which to make an interesting composition. My intention was to paint cockerels but with a plain looking background and discarded farming implements to reflect their environment. I had to work quickly to sketch the walking movements of each bird because they would not stand still as they invariably do.
As a back up to my pencil sketches, I took several digital photos and which were used as colour references for the final painting. This was completed in my studio near Lampeter then.
Further along the dusty farmyard floor you can see a rusting wheel barrow propped up and with its wheel engulfed in weeds. Beyond that you can see an outbuilding made from stone and with two brown doors and a solitary brown coloured drain pipe on the left. Brown paint on doors and window frames seem to be quite fashionable on Welsh farms.
Uploaded
March 1st, 2012
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