Bruce Mulcahy 2016

Bruce Mulcahy demonstration at Farsley Art Club.
Painting, part finished at end of demonstration

 

Bruce Mulcahy seascape in acrylic 2015

Bruce Mulcahy gave a demonstration using artist quality acrylic, applied with a fairly small white nylon brush, on 200lb cold pressed Bockingford watercolour paper with a slightly rough random texture.

Bruce sketched the position of the main shapes from the photograph of boats in Staithes beck. He established the dark areas with a “black” made from cobalt blue and burnt umber.

Bruce, working from dark to light, painted the similar areas of colour across the scene, creating a unified painting.

Bruce worked through the painting methodically adding the larger areas, a light cobalt blue sky, grass and light sand.

In the short time available, Bruce added detail to the houses and painted the boats.

Painting at end of demonstration, needing an hour or so to refine.

Painting by Bruce Mulcahy

These painting were displayed as examples during Bruce Mulcahy’s demonstration at Farsley Art Club.

Bruce Mulcahy oil demonstration 2014

Initial layout sketch in oil paint with low odour thinners on Daler board

Oil paint applied to establish tone, starting with darkest first

Sea and cliff shadow painted

Sky sculpted into grassland taking care to clean the green off the brush and refresh the blue

White applied to sea

Slightly greyer white paint applied to sea in the shadows 

Painting at end of excellent oil demonstration

Bruce Mulcahy Oil Demonstration 2012

Bruce gave a demonstration of how he paints outdoors in oils onto board. He also showed us techniques of applying the oils and manipulating them when still wet.
He uses warm and cool blues, reds and yellows together with burnt umber and white. These can be used to create most colours.
He works quickly to try to finish the painting in one session, painting the changeable areas as early as possible.
Bruce worked from a photograph of a harbour. The demonstration piece still needed work to include finer details.

Although Bruce paints en plein air, for a demonstration he has to work from photographs taken during painting trips.

The sequence of his oil painting is shown in the following photographs.

Dark areas – mainly boats & buildings

Mid tones – red colours onto buildings

Further mid tones and skyline

Some lighter tones in buildings

Painting half complete at the end of the demonstration

Sample paintings by Bruce Mulcahy