St Mary's Cathedral, Merchant's Quay

St Mary's Cathedral, Merchant's Quay Oil and W&N oilbars on prepared Mdf panel 24x20in (51x61cm) This shows a view of St Mary's Cathedral, Merchant's Quay, which I worked up in the studio from a watercolour sketch done on site. This painting was worked in layers of luminous colour and free mark making in an impressionistic broken style contriving to give the effect of warm light reflecting off the water. About the materials: This painting is on a 6mm thick mdf board which has been sealed and gessoed before paint application. As there is no grain the board is resistant to warping. However it is recommended that this work be framed before hanging to protect the corners from accidental impact damage. W&N Oilbars are made to a special formulation of linseed or safflower oil and wax. There is a long tradition of combining oil paint with refined wax such as beeswax, this is often called cold wax painting. The inclusion of wax increases the transparency (luster) and durability in thicker paint applications. I use Royal Talens Cobra and Micheal Harding brand oil paints they give fantastic colour and clarity with lightfast pigments.