Lyme Regis harbour

Lyme Regis harbour
8" x 10"

While we're on a maritime theme here's a little plein air study from beautiful Lyme Regis a couple of weeks ago. I was in Somerset for a demo and I was in Lyme Regis just to have a lovely day with my good friend Jean Stevens. And fish and chips, of course. We got dive bombed by seagulls, boy are they big and scary when they swoop down on your head!

Managed one painting and I loved the view from up here. Although it was a really bright day it was very breezy. So much so that it was one of those sessions that you really can't place a brushwork exactly where you want it because the wind takes your arm.

Painting pilchards in Cornwall

Fairmaids of Mousehole

Weather is a bit miserable at the moment down here in the south west of Cornwall! I got a small plein air piece painted yesterday in between showers but I wasn't very pleased with it. After lunch I had a drive around hoping to find a spot out of the wind and rain, but ended up buying these pilchards and painting a still life.

Fresh fried fish, Essaouira

Fresh fried fish, Essaouira
Oils 30 x 40 cms

'Tis finished! I am over the moon with this because I now have another studio painting which actually beats it's plein-air brother, in my opinion, hands down!

This is exciting progress as, for a long time now, I have believed that all my best work is painted plein air. If I can now take plein air paintings and make a studio version based on them which changes and improves on my original vision this is a huge step for me!

I am now looking forward to doing the same thing with some of the plein air paintings I will bring back from Florida in a little over a fortnight's time.

Here's the original plein air painting so you can compare which was done in less than an hour to be fair...

And here is a detail from the studio version...

I absolutely love the depiction of the guy on the right and especially his cigarette! He became really friendly with me during the week as I was often painting in the area and he always called out to me as I passed. I wish I'd asked his name now! His job is looking after the toilets and he is sitting next to the entrance which is just around the corner.

I had to be so careful to keep the brushwork loose but descriptive, and when you are painting figures in a setting you must treat them just the same as you would any other part of the painting if you want them to look as though they belong there.

Fried fresh fish

Painting a fish stall in Morocco 

Fresh fried fish

Fish fresh fried

Fried fresh fish

Fish fried fresh

I painted this little 8" x 10" in Essaouira on my recent trip to Morocco and now I am working on a studio painting based on it, since getting back from France in the wee small hours yesterday morning. I will post progress shots soon.

I also wrote a new 'to do' list when I got back, it's three pages long and fairly terrifying. Mostly it is work or work related but doesn't involve painting, so I have had to make time for two hours painting a day despite the big list. Those hours are keeping me sane and calm.

I also feel as if I've made a big breakthrough or a new discovery in my painting but I can't put it into words yet. Be assured you will be the first to know when I do manage to verbalise it!

What's coming next?!