Watercolour on Waterford Rough paper. 140lb. 1/2 Imperial. I took this photo some time ago but never got around to painting it. I thought I’d finally rectify that.
The canal isn’t navigable because of a low bridge further down. I believe that they open the locks occasionally to keep them working. The local canal trust were hoping to rectify the bridge after dredging operations, but ran out of money. It’s still a possibility in the future if more funds are available. The Bude basin and first section are used by pleasure boats that are hired from the Bude basin.
I used a fairly limited palette of French Ultramarine, Cobalt Blue, Light red, Aureolin, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber. Just a few highlights with white gouache. Total paint time was about 3 hours.
Pete Batho Artist 