#360 'Widemouth Bay' 20x50cm

The North Cornwall surf was so much fun to paint! 
Looking the other way the beach was busy with people, life guards and surfers, it looked interesting but this way attracted me more because of the colours. - Looking into the sun creates strong tonal shapes and less colour, looking away from the sun i.e the light shining directly onto the subject makes the colours strong and less about tonal values.

Although I still worked on the tones I compare what is a similar tone within the subject:
sky and the sand are similar 
The distant sea and the rocks 
Wet sand & foreground sea - squint your eyes and have a go!

The sky was changing with lots going on in it. The foreground rocks helped with composition, the tide was high so only the tops of them stuck out it was good to have the water around them - low tide it's just a mass of rocks.

Spot the ring of sandcastles, they were making them as I was painting, I decided not to include in my painting.

This is one of the those paintings that did it itself. Hardly any wiping off and quite quick to get it all in.They dont all happen like that! 

#357 'Rocks at Kingsand' 8x10"

I have spent a few days in Cornwall with my husband. We have been visiting family and friends but I have managed to fit some painting too! 
I haven't painted plein air in this area before, I want to go back and do more, so beautiful and paintable.

Before this one I had started a painting looking the other way it wasn't going well and I was looking around and saw this view, I turned the easel and it took only 50mins start to finish, I liked the distant haze of the cliffs contrasting the strong rocks in the foreground. Also the lovely colours in the water.
Broad brush strokes and no fussing got it down quickly.
Next painting posted tomorrow....

#302 'Looking down on Barricane Beach' 10x12"

Had a great day today, 3 paintings and lovely weather! 

This was my first, a challenge to say the least. The rocks were hard, to get the tonal differences right and working with the rest of the painting. The sand shadow may still need work, it started off a bit dark so I lightened it and maybe a bit warm. 
It's hard to tell in one alla prima paint, looking the next day you often see things you didn't see the day before! Here it is before I reworked it:

First stages...Squinting my eyes to simplify and blocking in the shadow areas and linking the shapes together. You can also see how strong the shadow was in the photograph.

Perched on top of the cliff, tide going out, sea looking bluer than when I began. It was fun painting the little people too - gives it scale.

#301 'Light over Baggy Point' 8x10"

Within minutes of starting this painting my subject disappeared - the light! A huge raincloud came over, I carried on for a bit but then abandoned and started another one. 

The rain cloud was amazing so dramatic, I enjoyed painting it. The photo doesn't really show the subtleties here is a sneak preview... It's not quite finished.

Then back to this one after the rain front went.

I wanted to make strong brush strokes no fiddling. I was on a top of a very windy exposed cliff and I had to attack my painting so it had the same energy as the subject. The sea was so loud the crashing waves. Quite a spot!

#300 'Barracane Beach' 8x10"

I felt out of my comfort painting this, not used to rocky shorelines and big waves! But it's good to push the skills and enjoyed painting it. 

Quite a sheltered spot and by the time I finished full of children and dogs! I decided not to include them as I had already mapped in and to go over the top doesn't work as well as including them in the beginning and painting around them.

Although I did have a little episode with a dog, a women shrieked as a dog came running towards me, and I wasn't quick enough to stop him peeing on my art bag! The lady was mortified, 'he's an old dog' she said. I understood having an old dog ourselves but still my bag was now a target for other dogs (the smell)!!

It was a beautiful morning although you can see a cloud front had come in and started to rain as we left.

I put the darks of the rocks first and made sure the lights of the rock weren't too light. The sea was quickly receding in low tide so had to get it in before it went.

I would like to paint this again now that I am more familiar with this subject.

Sketches of South Africa

Arrived back home yesterday from South Africa, a wonderful trip visiting my sister.
Pen & Ink, Table Mountain. We saw the sunrise over Table Mountain twice - It was so good we had to go back and see it again! Beautiful colours and I was itching to paint them.

We went on safari in Madikwe Game Reserve (up near the Botswana boarder). We stayed in an eco bush camp called Mosetlha, the stars at night were unbelievable! These group of African pots were outside in the couryard next to our cabins. Really strong shdaows because of the blazing African sun - I fried when I did the drawing! 

This was the same water soluble pen I used in the Table Mountain drawing but with out a wash on top.

Drawing lions

Really loved the game drives, saw so many animals up close (the safari trucks were able to go off road.) I took photos but I also wanted to try drawing the animal. Not reasy! As you usually had only seconds to complete it buy getting the general form down before they moved again. It was fun to do and I'm sure helped my observational skills.

I did the same thing at Boulders Beach in Cape Town where the wild African Penguins hang out. You can't help smile at them especially when they waddle about. It was blowing a gale when we were there and being sand blasted while I drew added an extra challenge!

#115 'Sunrise Vik, Iceland' 8x8"

I was back in front of the church looking down on the rocks at 5am for sunrise, which happened a lot faster than sunset the night before. I didn't have time to paint the rocks in first. Instead I quickly mapped in the shapes and got to work on the sky. The colours were so fleeting but it helped having painted this subject numerous times before I had 'learnt' it in my mind, so I was able to paint it quickly.
This was on Friday and my last painting in Vik. I was sad to say goodbye as it had been such an inspiring place. We then drove all day to our next stop along the coast to quite a different landscape...

#114 'Sunset Vik, Iceland' 8x8"

I stood in front of the church at 8pm, it was my last painting of the day. Being higher up it allowed me to see more of the sea which reflected the evening colours.
I put the rocks in first which gave me some structure to work around. - Dark and silhouetted. It felt a lottery to when I should paint the sky as I wanted the sunset to be at its peak.
A German lady asked while I was painting how do you paint this when it's changing to fast? And it was every time I mixed a colour and looked up the colours had changed or the clouds had moved! So once I started on the sky I committed to my mind what I saw the colours and shapes and then I painted like billio! I also took a photo in case I needed it later.
It was a challenge to get the colours light in tone but with enough colour and not to chalky. I'm pleased with how it turned out, with no time for overworking and it inspired me to do another one here  the next morning :-)

#113 'Vik Church, Iceland' 7x9.5"

 

I was standing a little way up a mountain to be eye level with this church. I thought it had an alpine feel and is actually very typical of Icelandic churches.

I simplified the scene and focused on the bits I liked - the contrast between the white building and the dark rocks. I used thicker paint then previous seascapes to emphasis the lush greens. The plain below the hill was so wide and expansive to the sea I had to reduce it a little for the composition and the board!

The distant cliff and land I made sure looked far away with very pale muted colours, not much darker in tone than the sky, to give a sense of space.

The sounds around me travelled and high up on the mountain were Oyster Catchers swooping and calling, they sounded like they were just above my head.

#110 'Vik Beach, Iceland' 8x10"

I did two more paintings yesterday from the Vik village side, where you see more of the rocks I thought they looked a bit like teeth!  I tried a more textured surface board and after a smooth board it felt strange and I didn't have enough paint on my brush a few times as it grips more. Not much sunlight and therefore little contrast between light and shade. Although the froth of the waves coming onto the black sandy beach was very strongly contrasted.

#109 'Reynisdrangar Vik, Iceland' 7x9.5"

 

I completed this second painting in the afternoon. The light changed half way through with the sun coming out which enriched the colours and contrast.
I walked down the beach it was hard going in the soft back sand and my gear. I liked the stacks smaller and at a different angle so I could see three instead of two of them - in the first painting.
I wanted to try and convey the energy of the sea, it was massive and so loud, with continuous spray in my face. I used lots of loose brush marks in the sky and sea. And putting some tiny figures in gave a sense of scale.

#108 'Reynisdranger Sea Stacks', Iceland' 20x30cm

I did two paintings yesterday, this was the first on such a dramatic beach at Vik, with black sands and sea stacks jutting out of the water, the seas were huge with crashing waves. Such an inspiring place to paint :-)
Vik is on the south coast of Iceland exposed to the Atlantic weather although we were lucky it didn't rain and the sun actually came out!
I was fairly close to the stacks (rocks) along with many tourists interested in the Puffins and me, lol!
I wanted a contrast of thin translucent paint and thicker opaque and being careful not to cover all the thin first layer. With the black sands the colours all harmonised and so I used a limited palette which added to the drama.
If Monet were alive and here I'm sure he'd love to paint in Vik as I do! His Etretat paintings remind of this area in Iceland.