The Desert Collection in the Algarve

 Sandstone Cliffs Praia de Falesia, Algarve   1 and 2
     watercolours by Tessa Spanton (c)

Winsor and Newton Desert Collection limited edition professional watercolours.
Transparent  Phthalo sapphire,  Indian red deep, transparent orange,
Opaque  yellow titanate, gold brown with mixes shown above,
and dark brown ( shown below right)

I bought these paints to take to the Algarve with me as I thought they looked ideal for the reds and ochres of the sandstone cliffs.
Phthalo sapphire is a beautiful blue that is complementary to the transparent orange. They really sizzle next to each other. The transparent orange is an intense colour bordering on red,
I don't usually buy tubes of brown as I prefer to mix my own and the gold brown looks similar to gold ochre but I decided to buy them all. I wanted to explore the colour interactions when set next to one another and to see what mixes I could make from them.

I also made greens from this group. I used these for the pines growing on the cliffs. The greens produced are fairly muted.

above  View from Porto Bay Falesia watercolour Tessa Spanton (c) painted en plein air.

I have tested how the colours react with each other on wet watercolour paper,
 and made some comparisons with other colours I have, i will put these and my conclusions in another post.

Strelitzias on Silk

 

This is an original silk painting of Strelitzia reginae, They are also known as Birds of Paradise. 
I first noticed and found out the name of these beautiful flowers in Madeira. I have seen them growing out of doors in the mild Winter climate there and have photographed, painted in watercolour and brought them back home on the plane. People are often surprised to hear this. It is allowed to take them to another EU country and the florists and airports are all prepared.
I have been trying to grow one in the UK but so far in about six years it has only produced leaves. it has to come inside in the Winter as it is tender here,
The painting was done in my studio and is mounted on a ph neutral backing board.
I have ear marked it for an exhibition in September unless it sells before then.

Details and contact  here

Notes about buying these flowers
 When I first bought them I was advised to get them from a florist. The next time I got them in the market from Botanica 17, both times beautifully packaged in a sturdy box and delivered to the hotel. For no extra charge BA would put them in a special area that didn't get cold like the area where the cases go. BA sold the line to Easyjet, they charge for this.
 I decided it wasn't worth bringing them on Easyjet. I had been originally advised by the rep not to buy the flowers from the market or airport. Having bought them from the market and found they were good I was tempted to try the airport ones which were much cheaper. The florist there said Easyjet don't charge if  you carry them on to the plane as a bouquet. wrapped. They are very robust flowers and were fine without the box though I think some flowers like orchids are better boxed. They lasted well.
 There are extra flowers in the beak of the flower that would come out if they were growing. As cut flowers you can give them a helping hand out of the beak when the first flowers start to fade and they will last a few days more.