I bought a new watercolour, Cadmium orange from schminke. To see what it could do I did this painting without using a brush, just an old credit card and a stick. Perhaps I should lose my brushes and do this more often. The first van I ever drove was a split screen VW belonging to the company I worked for as an audio visual technician, I drove it around the centre of London taking film and sound equipment to conferences and shows. I have had three VW vans of my own since but none of them had the character of the old split screen.

I went to Upton Country Park this morning with the Poole and East Dorset Art Society for our first plain air session this year. It was windy and overcast but I managed a quick painting of the salt marsh before walking back to the more formal gardens to paint a family picnicking on the grass by Upton House. Unfortunately it started to rain before I finished and the family packed up and went home. I did the same but before I got home the sun came out again so perhaps I should have stayed and painted some more.

Another attempt at copying the watercolour style of William Russel Flint. I think he used a very light under drawing to get the proportions right and the very subtle colour washes to give form to the figure. I will try to incorporate some of those techniques into my own work and see what happens.

Our first day out en plain air with Broadstone Art Society this morning. We went to Hamworthy Park which has a small safe beach and great views across Poole Harbour. It was good to be out as a group again and easy enough to maintain social distancing.

I tried to keep this watercolour of Nuala and Fletcher nice and loose but lost all definition in their bodies soI added a little pen to try and rescue it.

Following the Sky arts portrait artist of the week this morning. Clare Balding is a great model and is full of fascinating stories. The resident artist Anne Devine is painting a really loose watercolour which looks amazing. This is my effort in watercolour.

Yesterday I did a virtual,sketch walk around Dartmouth. It’s a town I have been to many times but haven’t sketched there for years so it was good to draw the boat flat and the butter walk.

This is my ninth portrait for NHS heroes, the initiative started on Instagram but the artist Tom Croft. Lucy is a nurse in Polperro Cornwall and I am so pleased to have been able to paint her portrait. I am sat safely at home in my spare bedroom studio listening to music and podcasts and doing something I enjoy so it’s the least I can do for those who are putting themselves at risk everyday and looking after us all.

Tuesday is portrait day at Broadstone art society but as we made a tentative start on our summer plain air program yesterday this may well be the last for a while, unless we are all locked down again. This is Josh. As Grayson Perry said on his art program on Monday “It’s the mistakes we make that give us our individual style and if we all painted perfectly we would create photographs” I totally agree as it must make me very stylish.

We had our first plain air outing with Broadstone art society at Upton Country park this morning. Everyone felt a bit nervous but it was easy to maintain social distancing and still enjoy painting outside in company with other artists. The park was fairly busy but everyone was careful and respected the rules,