My 2013 review - October to December

Wet mud and reflections at Brancaster Staithe
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 Sorry for the delay in bringing you the final part of my 2013 review - I hope you haven't been waiting on tenterhooks! I've been so busy preparing my big exhibition which starts tomorrow and I will definitely be taking some photos for you.
I'll start off this period with some paintings from a new favourite painting place, Brancaster Staithe in Norfolk. Both of these pieces got me really excited, and I'm trying a studio painting based on the one below.

Boat sheds at Brancaster Staithe
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October brought with it the excitement that was my first ever time exhibiting with the Royal Society of Marine Artists at the Mall Galleries in London. The painting selected was a large studio painting of a dilapidated building at Eastpoint in Florida, lit brightly by the early rising sun which was already pretty warm by my standards!

At the RSMA
Thanks to Peter Barker for photo!

I am standing there with a big grin because it's always an honour and excitement to have a work exhibited at the Mall Galleries, amongst the best painters in the UK. Also the private views are so much fun.

Low tide at Mousehole

After all that mingling and chatting it must have been time to head off to the coast again... oh yes, my favourite place!

Wet sand in Mousehole harbour
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Managed to get a week in Cornwall at the end of October with the children and Maisie. We had some rainy days but on the whole it was good and I managed to combine painting with other activities such as eating scampi and chips in the pub.

St Clements Isle, sparkling light
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In November I was working on further magazine articles and painting portraits, with some new studio work too. I gave workshops on 'finding and using more colour', 'painting like the impressionists' and 'an introduction to oils'. I travelled north to York and east to Horncastle to meet art groups and give demos.

My article on painting 'vibrant still life' was published in The Artist magazine.

Peonies and hen

In December it was back down to London for the Royal Institute of Oil painters preview, and then again for a portrait painting day, and again for the portrait painting evening. Big month for train fares!

I was enormously honoured to have three paintings accepted and hung in the exhibition this year. 

Sails up in harbour, Paimpol
Oils 24" x 30"
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Me with Galley hill allotments
at ROI show 2013

Fresh fried fish, Essaouira

Then as if the year could get any more exciting at all, my painting of Galley hill allotments in the snow which was painted right back in January and saved all year for the ROI (and luckily they wanted it!) won the Making a Mark award for 'best painting of a place on an art blog in 2013'! Hooray! A double honour, and big thanks to you if you voted ;-)

Galley hill allotments in the snow
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My 2013 year review - July to September

Going to the beach, Porthcurnick
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The summer of 2013 can be remembered in my mind as being a 'proper summer'! I painted this on the 'hottest day of the year' (according to the radio) not knowing that there were many more 'hottest days of the year' to follow! I think everyone in England at the time felt they should 'enjoy it while it lasts' not knowing that the heatwave would go on and on, to give us our best summer in recent memory.

July saw me heading down to Cornwall with my paints and a car full of easels and frames and lashings of ginger beer (possibly). My first stop was Mousehole and I stayed in the most wonderful studio you could imagine, just a short walk from the harbour and perfect in every way. My dream home!

St Clements Studio
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I fell in love with Mousehole harbour and didn't really want to leave and paint anywhere else, but I did sneak a look at beautiful Sennen Cove too. 

Evening light at Sennen Cove
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Painting at Mousehole harbour

Day before regatta, Mousehole

Party boat

High tide at Mousehole
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My next stop was pretty Portscatho on the Roseland peninsula, during a heatwave! I only had a couple of days here and a lot of inspiration and work to do.

Evening light in the harbour
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Still evening in Portscatho
30" x 30"

Dropping off wet paintings at the Harbour Gallery, Portscatho

Evening shadows, Portscatho
8" x 10"

At the end of July I was in London for a hectic few days at the SAA's event at the Business Design Centre, and I had another article published in The Artist magazine. This one was about painting alla prima in oils.

August was the time for painting and relaxing and yes, more sunshine! I spent the whole month on the island of Bréhat in France with my family and we had the pleasure of Lori Putnam's company so it was super to have a painting companion as I'm usually there painting on my own. 

Painting with Lori

Crowded beach, Bréhat

I've painted on Guerzido beach lots of times but this has to be one of the busiest! In August all the holiday houses on the island are full and day visitors come across in their thousands from the mainland.

Regatta day at Bréhat

Check out that blue sky!

Cottage with blue shutters, Bréhat

Hidden garden by the sea
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August was such a great month for painting on the island, and I gained much inspiration in Paimpol harbour on the mainland too with a series of watercolour and felt tip studies of my beloved red sails. In between the painting sessions there was plenty of time for relaxing, although I even painted at the neighbourhood party!

Deuxieme câle at Port Clos
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Outgoing tide at Port Clos

I was also sketching away, taking part in 'drawing August' on twitter. It was a fun event and lovely to have the time for it. Here are a few of my sketches from the month -

Sketches from August

After a brilliant long summer it was back home and back to school for the children, and back to workshops and writing for me. However I still had an exciting event to look forward to! In September I was invited up to the beautiful town of Staithes on the North Yorkshire coast. Staithes has a famous history as an artists colony here in the UK. The group of painters based here in the 19th century included Laura and Harold Knight. I have a real fondness for Laura Knight for her dedication to plein air painting, her passion and perseverance, and being able to make it in what truly was a man's world. Dame Laura Knight was the first woman to be honoured with a retrospective exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1965.  Here's an interesting snippet for you - Laura was a member of Nottingham Society of Artists as an art student in the 1890's before leaving for Staithes, as was I in the 1990's. 

Me painting in Staithes

I was staying with family and friends in Whitby and painting in Staithes in the daytime with members of the Royal Society of Marine Artists. It was a terrific few days with great company.

House by the beck

Morning light at Staithes
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Shadows in the beck, Staithes

Thanks for bearing with me this far on my trip down memory lane! In tomorrow's post I'll review the last three months of the year which will bring us right up to date, and then I'll start to think about what 2014 may hold... in the meantime I'd like to wish you all a very very happy new year!

My 2013 year review - April to June

August evening on Bréhat
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Settle down for a long post as I take a look over the second quarter of the year...

Back in April something of a sea change was underway. After several years of painting almost exclusively from life and most of that outdoors I began to produce some paintings in the studio that I was pleased with. A large part of the 'secret' seemed to be that if I had already painted the subject on site I could draw on the experiences of actually being there observing and could also muster up something of the enthusiasm and excitement that I feel whilst painting plein air.
Previously attempts to paint purely from photos had resulted in frustration and boredom for me, and stiffness in the finished work. This really was a breakthrough.

Here are a couple of those studio works together with the plein air studies that kicked them off -

Sketch painted at the fish market, you can see that I was very interested in the WC sign!
8" x 10"

Fresh fried fish, Essaouira
Studio painting
16" x 20"

Sketch painted on site at Belmont tower
10" x 12"

Sledging at Belmont tower
18" x 22"
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In April I had a week in France with my family with a bit of painting time thrown in, and travelled to Bristol to give workshops for the SAA again.

The month of May brought the most wonderful painting trip when I was invited to Florida as one of the featured artists in the Forgotten Coast great plein air paint out. Whereas 2012 will be remembered for painting in the rain 2013 was shaping up to be a year of sunshine!

Early morning at the marina, Mexico beach
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Sunrise over the marsh
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I had such a fantastic time and was made to feel so welcome by all the other artists and event organisers. I met so many kind and lovely people. The subject matter was great, the weather was great, I was fed and watered and driven everywhere by my great friend Lori Putnam. What more does a girl need?

Best pals- me, Lori Putnam, Sandie Yarbrough and Dawn Whitelaw

One of the sweetest plein air painting events ever happened to me during this trip to Florida, with the watermelon man. You can read the story if you want to by clicking here!

Me and the watermelon seller

Watermelons for sale
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One of the highlights of the trip was the Quick Draw event. Unfortunately for the morning of the event it was pouring with rain but that didn't deter all the invited artists and many other keen painters from coming along and joining in the fun! There was music, dancing, coffee and doughnuts! How like me to remember the coffee and doughnuts... 

Anyway the rain didn't dampen our spirits and I was thrilled to win an honourable mention award amongst such prestigious company!

Me with my medal and the painting titled
'View from the restroom'

Here are a couple of other paintings from the trip -

Early morning shadows on Mexico beach
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Morning light at devil's elbow

Greg La Rock and other artists painting at Cape San Blas
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Lazy afternoon at the marina

Oyster boats in the early morning light, Eastpoint
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Shrimp huts on Water Street
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Also happening at the time I had a painting accepted for the Society of Women Artists exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London, and another article published in The Artist magazine. The subject this time was painting cats in acrylics and I used my own three cats as models.

Ginger Charlie and Pumpkin

Firmly back in the UK June was Patchings Festival time. Again I had taken a stand in the Painters marquee for this four day event.

I was enormously honoured to have all three of my entries accepted for the Patchings/The Artist magazine annual exhibition, the opening of which coincides with the Festival and takes place in the Barn gallery. I'm so fortunate to have Patchings art centre almost on my doorstep, at around 40 minutes drive from home. I've met many good friends through being involved with the Patchings festival.

I was even more delighted to hear that one of my paintings had been selected for a prize in the exhibition. I won the Royal Talens award which was £250 worth of art materials of my choice. I decided I could do with a new studio easel and the other nice thing about that is that the easel I'd been using for the past 20 years was also a prize that I'd won with a small self portrait on the Channel 4 show 'The Big Breakfast'!

Workshops continued apace in this quarter with 'Painting from photos', 'Figures in a setting', 'Still life with flowers in acrylics' and 'Introduction to gouache' amongst others.

Daler Rowney System 3 workshop at Patchings Festival
They did so well!

Corner of the Barn gallery
Painted as a plein air demo during Patchings Festival 2013

That brings us right up to UK summer time, what an action packed few months that was! Tomorrow I'll have a look around the July to September period, lots more travel still to come...