Gas Street Basin, Birmingham In Autumn. Original oil painting on canvas

There was no under drawing for this one. A freehand outline was painted directly onto the canvas using a mixture of Naples Yellow and Raw Umber. It was then blocked in and detailed in a semi realistic style, with much of the original muted tones deliberately emphasized to demonstrate just how many colours can be found in the everyday world that surrounds us.

Gas Street Basin is where the Worcester and Birmingham Canals come together in the centre of the city to meet the Birmingham Canal Navigation Main Line. The area was significantly run down in the 1970's/80's. Redevelopment which started in the 1990's has transformed the basin and surrounding areas, creating a juxtaposition of Midlands industrial heritage, buildings, narrow boats and the modern city that has grown up around it. It is now an area of leisure and entertainment, with pubs, shops and restaurants along the towpath and the route of the canal, with short canal boat cruises offered to the passers by and tourists.