We are away in the camper van for a few days, today at Lamborne, Berkshire. This is the view from our motorhome, the weather is glorious and we have Kites and Buzzards overhead. Tomorrow we are going to Oxford and then Blenheim Palace for a couple of nights.
Early walk to the beach with the dogs this morning, I couldn’t resist photographing the sunrise as I arrived. Now I have two damp, slightly sandy sleepy dogs.
After painting on the beach on Thursday I went for a coffee at Middle beach cafe and was able to sit in the sun and sketch the other customers. The two girls on the table in front of me were deep in conversation and took no notice of me until they got up to leave and saw my sketch as they walked passed. They were very complementary and admired my work which gave me a warm glow of satisfaction!
At PEDAS last night we had a demonstration by the water colourist Sue Smith. She showed us her technique for using cling film to create texture in backgrounds and using wax and masking fluid to preserve highlights. She loves to paint natural subjects from. The hedgerows so I painted these blackberries. Sue was very inspiring and we all enjoyed the evening. Not sure we will be able to have more meetings in the near future but the committee are working on it.
This morning we went to Middle Beach in Studland with PEDAS It is a beautiful part of Studland Bay and generally quieter than Knoll Beach a little further round the bay. There were very few people on the beach when I arrived so I had to sketch a few walkers going past. It got busier later but that picture will wait till tomorrow to post.
I am a bit happier with today’s painting although his mother may not recognise him! I think I need to practice painting hair.
My intention was to paint a nice loose portrait letting the colour run and giving a spontaneous feel. The reality is I overworked it and made his face too fat then lost the bright sunny patches of light. Never mind, it’s only a piece of paper.
Another watercolour sketch from the weekend when we had the grandchildren to stay. I had to do this from a photo because they don’t stay still for long!
Poole and East Dorset art society are back indoors one Sunday a month with carefully monitored social distancing. This afternoon’s session was a landscape demonstration in oils by Rob Andrew, a very experienced local painter. We painted along with him using the tonal method which I had not come across before but with his excellent tuition I managed this recognisable scene of Kimmeridge Bay. I learnt a lot and will carry on with oils when I can.
We have our grandchildren Emmet and Cillian staying for the weekend. They are great fun but don’t have an off switch! This afternoon they were playing in the garden so I tried a couple of sketches while they were distracted, this is probably the most successful one.
