Fishing boat at Staithes

Fishing boat at Staithes

I have had a fantastic summer, I hope you have too. I've got so much to show you from June through to the end of August that I thought it was high time I wrote a blog post or two... for those who are not avid Instagram users!

Here's one of my favourites from my teaching trip to Staithes in June. The attraction was the light coming through those buoys and even though it clouded over soon after I started I had sketched out the shape of the shadow cast by the boat and managed to stick to the effect of the sunlight. You wouldn't know that my group, who were watching me paint this were actually shivering with cold by the time I'd finished! I don't tend to notice the cold because I get so involved with solving the problems in the painting ;-)

Next year I'm going to be taking two courses for the Staithes art school, one in June and one in July. If you are interested in coming please contact Al straight away via the website because places are already booking up so quickly. The dates aren't on the website yet for next year but it's probably best to enquire now because it may be too late if you wait. It's a very special weekend and I'd love to see you there :-)

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.

Redwings at Looe

Redwings at Looe
14" x 18"

One of my favourite paintings of the year so far. I feel that the vigorous sketchy nature of the brush marks reflect my excitement and passion for the subject. I lay in wait for hours for the racing to finish and the boats to come ashore and then I ran around with my camera like a woman possessed, in and out of the water. Moments like this are so special and so fleeting that I didn't think I would achieve very much if I attempted a plein air piece. Instead I decided to gather as much information with my camera as I could which I could then use for a series of studio paintings. This is the first and it all came together so easily, I was right back there on the beach with wet legs and a silly grin on my face :-)

This painting is currently on show in the Barn gallery at Patchings Art Centre. I have six paintings in a group exhibition with other artists who won the exhibition prize at The Artist magazine exhibition there last year. It's a smashing exhibition and it's on until the 22nd November so do make a trip to see it if you can. You could even make a day of it if visiting from the 13th November because my solo show 'A lighter touch' will be open in Nottingham city centre a couple of miles away.

Majestic tall ships

Tall ships at Falmouth

I'm in Cornwall this week, not far from Falmouth, which reminds me of my 'tall ships' series painted in Falmouth last August. This was definitely one of my favourites from the trip, and surprisingly I still have it. I just think it has a terrific mood and an urgency of execution and - oh how I love this word - economy. So I've just entered it in the Royal Society of Marine Artists 2015 exhibition, along with other current favourites. Keeping fingers crossed!

Last hour

Last hour on the beach
Oils 16" x 20" SOLD

I painted this en plein air on the French island of Bréhat this summer. It was fairly late afternoon when I got started, a very hot day, and the tide was going out. It was the usual race against the clock, and it was important to get a statement down quickly about the sea and where it reached to on the sand and pinky rocks. 

I was very grateful for the can of cold drink on my easel that Tim brought me. Some local and Parisian friends stopped to say hello. I didn't want to take my eyes from the subject!

So funny, the things you remember. Every plein air painting has a story like no other. This one takes me right back to lazy hot August days on the island.

I'm very happy to say that this painting will be exhibited in the forthcoming Royal Institute of Oil painters exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London. The exhibition is open from the 10th to the 21st December, closing at 1pm on the final day.

Explaining my absence...

Tall ships at Falmouth docks
Oils 12" x 16" unframed 16" x 20" framed
£950

I should have sent you a postcard, I know... but I've been a busy girl dashing about all over the place again. I've had the pleasure of five days of painting in Cornwall, mostly at Falmouth where tall ships from around the world were moored for the first time since 2008, for the Falmouth to Royal Greenwich Tall Ships Regatta. 

What a fantastic carnival atmosphere there was! There were thousands and thousands of people there and it was pretty hard to find a spot to paint at times. It can be pretty overwhelming in such a crowded place, but once you've staked your spot by setting up your easel and start working you can pretty well block the rest out and you become sort of a part of the scenery.

For the last month or so I've been taking advantage of the fine weather and taking canvasses out with me to paint, rather than panels or boards. I've absolutely loved painting on the soft yielding surface of canvas. It's always been my preferred choice for the studio but takes a little bit more effort to carry outside and isn't ideal on a windy day.

My favourite size to use outside has been 12" x 16" and sometimes 14" x 18" and I will be exhibiting my latest paintings from France and Cornwall at Patchings art centre near Nottingham, where my very 

next solo exhibition will open on October 4th.

Yes it's very soon and yes I'm very busy finishing and framing, signing and varnishing right now!

Click here for details :-)

Detail 

If you can't wait til then to get your hands on one of my tall ships paintings and claim it for yourself then you might like to take a look at the Harbour Gallery as Mark already has three hanging up on the walls, all framed up and looking beautiful, including this one.

Squeezing in wherever I could get a view!

Storm before the calm

Early morning, penny nab
Oils 8" x 16"

You know that saying 'calm before the storm'? Well, it's the other way round for me at the moment. I'm enjoying (enduring?) a week or two of heavy work in the studio getting odds and ends tied up before going to France in a few days time for three weeks of calm. So I've been finishing paintings, painting frames galore, waxing frames, varnishing and signing paintings, fitting paintings into frames, wrapping framed paintings, delivering paintings... the list goes on, but I've probably bored you enough!

I'll just show you this newly framed plein air painting then from my trip to Staithes last month. Oh and also, my £250 Pro Arte award arrived - feeling rather self indulgent I chose these absolutely gorgeous four watercolour brushes. Now I am rather afraid to use them, they're so special! Think I will take two of them to France with me to dabble in my sketchbook and see how I get on...

The latest round of seemingly never-ending framing has almost come to an end! Hurrah!

Ha ha! Someone on Facebook said the large brush in the middle looks ready to stand guard at Buckingham Palace! So funny, and true. It's now been named Buckingham.

Have you seen my Facebook page yet? Feel free to like it if you, erm, like it!

Perfect summer's day

A perfect summer's day, Portscatho

After four mostly rainy days in Cornwall when I had to leave on Friday the weather had transformed into a mini heatwave with sunshine and blue skies as far as the eye could see. It goes like that sometimes. Hopefully my week in Morocco will be dry. 

Although I didn't get very much plein air painting achieved last week I did at least have time to finish this studio painting of Portscatho harbour. I'm afraid the photo above doesn't really do it justice.

It's now available for purchase at the Harbour Gallery in Portscatho along with many others. Take a better look here.

And... I remembered to take some photos of the work in progress as I know you like to see that :-)

Heading out of harbour - the start

Very beginning, a simple painted line to work out the composition

Ok, while I'm packing for Cornwall I thought I could show you this recent studio painting in stages. 

You know how much I loved that red sail don't you? I couldn't resist another go at it. I'm still not sure I'm over it!

In fact I'm seeking out sails this summer... watch this space as they say.

I began with a fine linen canvas panel which I had already tinted with a diluted umber. 

Adding diluted paint to create tonal areas

After a rough linear sketch I began working on tonal values, again with paint thinned with turps. 

Initial turpsy washes of paint drying flat

Then I couldn't wait to add a bit of red! This photo shows the painting drying flat because the washes were so runny and I wanted them to pretty much stay put! By the way, everything hadn't suddenly turned green! My camera picked it up as green at this point, must have been dazzled by the red.

Incidentally, is it just me or is it too soon to be March? Apologies to those awaiting workshop news I just haven't had the time yet. On the plus side though it's great to be so busy :-)

Boat sheds at Brancaster

Boat sheds at Brancaster
16" x 20"

I think the addition of a couple of figures in the background not only lends a sense of scale to the proceedings but also a sort of 'story' which I seem to consider more when studio painting, rightly or wrongly.

With additional work on the trees and grasses I was pleased to decide the painting was finished. (Rather feels like a boat launch but without the bottle of champagne being broken against it!)

Although I've spent lots of time and thought and paint layers on this one I'm hopeful that it still looks fresh and not laboured, and glad I've managed a decent variety of marks too with some areas of the paint being left thin and bare and others more impasto.  The photo above is just an iPad shot as it's a little too dark for trying a decent photo but it gives you the idea, and here are a few 'closer-ups'.

Wet sand at Mousehole

Wet sand at Mousehole
Oils 24 x 30cms

Another plein air piece from my October trip to Cornwall. The addition of a couple of figures really helps to inform us about the scale of the subject. Again a complicated scene that needed simplifying down to the bare essentials. With the benefit of a couple of photos I could tackle this again as a slightly more refined studio piece but unfortunately I haven't worked out how to successfully take photos looking towards the light yet. Yes that's right, had new posh camera more than four months now and still haven't learnt anything outside of the 'auto' setting!

Here's some news that may be of interest to any of you living in the south of England. I'm going to be teaching a day workshop on 'painting seascapes in acrylics' at the Old Bank Studios in Harwich Essex on Saturday 26th April 2014. I would love to see you there if you can make it :-)
Click here for the website and booking information.

Razzle dazzle

Razzle dazzle at Mousehole harbour
Oils 24 x 30 cms
SOLD

They say no news is good news and the reason I haven't been in touch for a few days is that I've been so busy planning great events for 2014 which I will look forward very much to sharing with you. I've also been painting away in the studio and although I haven't got anything finished to show you yet I will be able to share step by step photos when I do. Plus I'm working on two articles currently for The Artist magazine and reading a couple of my latest Amazon purchases - one is a David Curtis book from 1994 and the other is 'Catching the light, the art and life of Henry Scott Tuke'. I've finally got around to watching the film 'Summer in February' about Alfred Munnings' time in Cornwall with Laura and Harold Knight, and I've eaten through most of my large supply of birthday chocolate. I have no more day workshops in 2013 but I'm looking forward to visiting Horncastle art club and York art society for demos this side of Christmas.

This is a painting from last month's trip to Cornwall. It was quite a challenge to simplify all that but so thrilling to try. This subject would definitely be worth revisiting in the studio. I have pushed the sky completely out of the composition to focus on that intense area of light on the water and the lead-in lines of the ropes in the foreground.

Mud and wind in Norfolk

Reflections at low tide, Brancaster Staithe
SOLD

At low tide at Brancaster Staithe in Norfolk the colours and reflections in the wet mud are stunning. We were blessed again with a bright but cold day, it was extremely windy though! To counteract the effects of the wind I positioned myself in front of a wall, had my tripod legs spread wide and my bag of paints hanging from the tripod as a weight. Still, it was very tricky to attempt straight lines!

I deliberately pushed the boat up and out of the top of the painting because I wanted to focus attention on the reflections beneath and the weight and bulk of the boat. The buoys provided a nice couple of bright spots amongst all the gorgeous greys.

Work in progress at Brancaster Staithe

Backlighting at Brancaster Staithe

Boat sheds at Brancaster Staithe
SOLD

Here's a better look at the two paintings from my day in Norfolk last week. I could have done with a little bit more time on the oil sketch above, but I spent long enough absorbed in it and have a pretty good memory of the scene. This is my new 'red sail', meaning that this subject got me hugely excited and gave me goose bumps just like the moment in Paimpol harbour in August when the red sail went up on the boat.

These days I take that as a sure sign that I can develop the motif further with a studio painting.

It's amazing how our art practice evolves and develops. A year ago I would have told you I had no interest in studio painting whatsoever. That in my eyes all of the excitement and vitality was to be found outdoors. Now I realise what I was missing then. I can get that excitement in the studio but here's the secret - I have to have been immersed in the subject first. I have to have been there, experienced the sights and sounds, and painted there on location. I have to absorb, study, capture the subject from life first.

As I've always said to my students I'm not big on imagination. Working directly from the subject feeds my ideas.

The bonus of my new method of working is that I have the plein air study with me to work from in the studio as an aide-memoire.

This is definitely my new 'red sail' so watch this space, as they say.

My afternoon painting from the day was this quiet one, painted on watercolour paper with a limited palette of gouache colours - burnt sienna, ultramarine, cerulean blue, yellow ochre and white.

Reflections at Brancaster Staithe
Gouache

Sails up in harbour, Paimpol

Sails up in harbour, Paimpol
SOLD

Here you go, the completed painting! Hope you like it. I really do, it was so worth me being a little more patient than usual. I can't wait to give it a coat of retouching varnish because it will really bring out the deep dark colours and provide a pleasing all over sheen. Next job is the framing!

And here's a close-up...

Big red in the studio

Stage 1

I'm hoping you're still willing to see the sailing boats in Paimpol harbour because as I said a little while ago I've been working on a large studio version. I'm happy to say it's finally finished and I've been taking photos all the way through at various stages to show you how it progressed!

So, right back to the beginning which was some weeks ago now... I started work on a large canvas panel (large compared to all my plein air paintings) sized 24" x 30" and I primed it all over with a tinted gesso mix consisting of white gesso and pale umber acrylic paint.

I then painted the large area that would become the red sail again with white gesso, because I imagined that the red of the sail would work better with a white ground showing through the red rather than the warm grey underneath.

When this was all dry I started with the oil paints. Using a turpsy mix of a greenish-brown grey I plotted in the main dark areas and this is what you can see in Stage 1 above.

Everything is full of promise and no angst at this stage!

Stage 2

While that was still wet I also added a slightly darker version of the same colour to differentiate between two tonal values in the dark area. Then when this stage was dry I used another turpsy mix, cooler in colour this time to deepen some of those darks and add further shape to the buildings behind. 

(Stage 2)

Stage 3

I took the painting along to a workshop then and stage 3 was completed as a little demo. With the tonal values in place I really needed to start thinking about colour, and in particular it was time to get cracking with that red! I also worked on the colour of the 'white' sails and their reflections, and completed the shadowy buildings on the right hand side. I wasn't particularly concerned with the accuracy of the roofline, as I knew I could confirm the drawing there when painting the sky.

The touches of blue in the sky and water and the blue banners on the quayside added a lot of liveliness.

Stage 4

On returning to the studio after it's trip out I realised that I needed much more of the sky colour reflected in the water and worked on this area with thicker paint.

To be honest I thought it was very nearly finished at this stage but apparently not!

I'll show you how things proceeded tomorrow...

Detail at stage 4

Whitby

I've come away for a few days painting, to the north east of Yorkshire. I arrived in Whitby early evening after travelling on three trains to get here, and I have already set to work. I feel very rusty as it's been a couple of weeks since I last painted plein air, and that's no good at all! I have been teaching a lot, including a great watercolour workshop this week. Also lots of planning and bookings going on right now for next year. The diary is looking really full for 2014.
Tomorrow I'm going to be painting in Staithes all day. I've been looking forward to this trip for a long time.
I may not be able to post pics until next week though.
I feel quite at home in this part of the world, as I spent half my childhood living in North Yorkshire and my art studies began in York.

Red red sail

Red sail in Paimpol harbour

At the risk of boring you I'm sorry but I'm not done with this subject yet. This is a small oil painting on Arches huile paper distilling the subject down to it's basic elements. It's based on a sketching trip one afternoon in August to Paimpol harbour which I did tell you about at the time. I was waiting to meet my friend Lori Putnam off the train and couldn't believe my luck to see a few boats with their sails up in the harbour.

Here's my first drawing of the day, I was struggling to make sense of the lighting conditions and I think you can see my confusion in the sketch...

As I was finishing this one the red sail went up! I was SO excited, but I got to work quickly because I didn't think it would stick around....

But it was still there, and I thought I could do a better job so...

Yes! I was happy with that one. By this time the front of the buildings were in darker shadow which was making my life MUCH easier, and I veered towards green-blue in the shadow colour to help that red to sing out :-)

But as I was leaving I saw a better view, with the red sail on the right of the white sails so I had to sit right in the middle of the pavement there... it was awkward but it had to be done and the people who stepped over and around me seemed to enjoy the spectacle too...

Now please don't be getting sick of the red sail just yet because I'm working on a BIG one now in the studio, and I'm just hoping I can keep the same vitality.

I find if I'm working 'en studio air' it's best to tackle up to half a dozen at the same time and flit between them. This helps ward off the possibility of an unhealthy fixation forming with a rising pressure level, tense shoulders and a disposition towards tightening up. I also chant 'Just because it's big, doesn't mean it's got to be special...' (repeat to fade)

Summer paradise

Sketching, painting, eating, reading and relaxing - I'm still here and still enjoying the lovely sunshine! I've been having lots of time away from the easel and also I've been tackling some tricky subjects such as this one. It's so easy to get away from it all on the island, it's like being on retreat. Having said that I am aware that my Royal Society of Marine Artists paintings were being judged in London today. Usually I'm able to more-or-less switch off until results day but not so today. One more day of wondering (agonising?) and then I'll know either way. Where has cool, calm and collected gone?! Maybe it's the heat...

Outgoing tide at Port Clos

Outgoing tide at Port Clos

Outgoing tide down at the port and outgoing visitors too. The people you can see in the painting are walking away from me, around the headland there and all the way to the third cale where the boat leaves the island at low tide.
I really enjoyed painting this, side by side with Lori. We climbed up on a big rock and were relatively undisturbed by onlookers up there! We remarked on how pleasant it is to paint boats when they are out of water, as they keep still for you. This is my largest painting so far this trip at 30 x 40 cms.
The day afterwards Lori was one of the people to leave the island, so now sadly I am back to painting toute seule. At least the sun is still shining!