#479 'Bosham Creek' & Artist Life en plein air...

The trial and tribulations of plein air...I stopped 5 times to find a suitable place and subject to paint! I but came home with no painting!
(I actually went back the next day and did the above painting.)

To give you an idea of what sometimes happens when I am searching for a subject....

Wednesday
First stop off the A3 going south near Clanford, I'd seen the area before and wanted to look with sunlight. But not inspiring enough to paint. so I continued to the coast, I usually start looking from the closest place to begin with which is Langstone Harbour, looking for the right combination of tide, light and boats. This time the tide was too high so there wasn't enough compositional elements. 
I moved onto Emsworth Harbour, the best bit there was on the mud contra jour but it wasn't what I fancied so moved on again, to Bosham Creek. This was just right, the tide level, the gorgeous sky. But I didn't have the board that would suit the subject - it needed to be a long panoramic shape, I tried to make do with a traditional landscape shape board but it didn't work. 
So moved on again to Bosham Harbour. The tide was just right as I arrived which didn't leave me time to set up and paint it. I tried but the wind was very gusty and knocked my easel over while I had my back turned all my paint from my palette garage fell onto the road, I tried to scrap it up and re use it but there was too many bits in it!

By then the water was at my feet and the the composition had disappeared. I remembered it enough to draw so it would remind me to return and try a paint again...
Driving home I didn't feel too dejected with no painting to show for my efforts as there were two subjects found and I would return the next day to try again!

Thursday 
I arrived earlier at the Bosham Creek and there was no water as the tide was so far out, the water looked miles away. But I decided to set up all my equipment, it was a bit of a mission as I had two pochards with me - I was going big!!
80x40cm en plein air is not to be sniffed for me, one of my biggest to date I think. My usual pochade was way too small to hold it. So I used a half french pochade and my open box m as the palette - see pic.

I spent time on the composition, being a big painting I wanted it to be dynamic and strong. I liked the S shape of the water and emphasised it. It was changing incredibly quickly within 15 mins it was starting to flood the area and you couldn't see the S shape anymore! I didn't even pause to mix paint before I started and put the water and land in so I had a starting point. 
Near the end of the painting I saw some little sail boats came out and they worked perfectly against the dark of the boat house in the distance.

The sky wasn't as good as the day before so I changed it back in the studio to the big clouds and lovely light. 

#402 'Early Light, Bosham Channel' 8x14"

An oil sketch before the tide swallowed the grasses up. I was pleased the sun direction was directly in front of me so great light on the water. 
Nice to paint something natural after the architecture of Venice.

This area is a haven for Swans there must of been over 30 cleaning and preparing for the day...

#354 'Sunset Bosham Harbour 11x14"

I faffed for an hour starting another one, putting two much building and foreground in. Then I realised it was the sky I liked so started again and focused on the sky...
I had only a little time then before the sun went below the cloud line, very fast mixing and painting!
Quite a big board so used a big brush and thicker paint in the area I liked and thinner up above.
I stopped when it had changed too much and started another but a drawing preparation for a painting.

The Sky turned a gorgeous pink!

#353 'Preparing to Sail, Bosham' 9x12"

In this gorgeous weather Bosham has Mediterranean rich colours and sweltering heat! Painted on Sunday when the families were turning up to sail. 

A lovely commission open to what I wanted to paint in Bosham. I turned up and really liked the blues and sweeping path in leading the eye nicely to the yachts and building - which I can't remember the name of?

It got better when the people arrived and the sails started going up. So much potential for paintings this area.

Nearing the end of the painting and my view was now almost fully obscured! 

#330 'Sunrise, Bosham Hoe' 30x40cm

A quick sunrise painting of Bosham on a largish canvas. Getting the essence of the scene, brush marks still visible, did this in a hour. It was a beautiful morning, so still and glass like refections.
Tricky to paint as there was an ethereal quality to it, sort of thing I'd like to have another go at straight away!

Here are the beginnings, just blocking in shapes for the buildings, and then picking out lights and darks and roof line.
Painting the sky at the same time as the water, to get the mirror reflection effect.

#328 'Bosham Quay' 9x12"

I haven't painted in while because my lovely Mum in Law died last week, it wasn't expected and very sad.

I am now back to work and this weather has been glorious for plein air allbeit a little hot!
I timed it just right for this contra jour - sparkle on water - tonal painting.

The tide went lower and the reflections on the posts disappeared before I could put them in. Luckily I was there long enough for the tide to come back up and I could paint them!

Also the light moved really quickly off the water and wet mud, it was very light in tone just warmed a little with Naples Yellow.

Because the yacht is silhouetted in the strong morning sun it is quite dark in tone even though it's a white hulled boat! 

The people in the boat moved around a lot but stayed sitting for enough time to capture them. I didn't want them too pronounced so they come out of the shadows.
The jaunty lean to the boat helps with the composition.

A local chap asked to see my painting when it was 3/4 finished, he said he really liked it and ended up buying it almost off the easel - I wanted to finish it first and let it dry a little :-) 
A great start back to painting...

#314 'Low Tide Crossing, Bosham' 8x14" & When to Scrap a Painting!

My husband Nick and I went down to Emsworth - Hampshire/West Sussex coast line to paint and photo for a long weekend. This was my first painting from it.

It was a struggle painting and I nearly ditched it 3/4 of the way through. I didn't think it was working and therefore I felt despondent and upset and so couldn't see the wood for the trees! I hate being beaten so I took it back to our place and Nick said it's good! Looking with fresh eyes I realised it was not a disaster!! and actually came out well in the end. 

Lesson: Don't scrap a painting immediately wait as long as you can. If I'm unsure I have them up on my shelf in my studio and after a while and if I still cant bear it I will put them in place where all the others are! I have quite a stack, wether finished or not. At a later date I go through and can see if I can learn from them and how I'd do them differently now, and I can also see the progress I have made with a current comparable painting.

I don't tent to paint over them as I don't like the surface it creates, some artists reuse their boards which can be an economical thing to do.

A thing I learnt from another artist is keep starting paintings it's the way you really learn and improve. The finishing come with time & practise but it's the starting that's the real foundation to your work. So sometimes that's what I say to myself just start this, and usually I can't help but continue!

Heres a pic of how I started this one:

The sky was beautiful so I put it in first and it also helps with the colour fo the mud and water.

#310 'Winter Covers, Bosham Quay' 10x12"

Yesterday was blowing a gale in Bosham Harbour but it was a bright wintery day and of course the best spot to paint was at the windiest point!

I like the bright blue covers of the yachts and the old barn style building - the sailing club. 
A challenge to make the painting work as a whole. So I linked the sky colour to the water and the masts of the boats through the dark of the building. The clouds I made stronge shapes, the blue of the sky was bright and clear. 
The barn was super dark almost black in the shadow part and the light side was tricky to get it dark but showing the light as well. 
The boats were fun to paint emphasising the covers - as it's the bit I liked. The fronts of the boats were in the light and the brightest part of the painting, almost Titanium White with a little yellow added.
The wooden struts of the harbour wall I didn't want to overpaint as they can look stiff, I put them in sweeping strokes and making sure I added the light after to give a sense of sunshine. Leaving some fo the ground showing through to make the painting link together in another way. 
Pleased with how this one turned out when I wasn't sure it would work.

First stages...

#291 'Cutmill Creek' 9x10"

One of those that happened like magic! It painted itself. 
I spent sometime looking for the 'right' composition and ended up back at the first place I looked! I had been put off as my back was right next to a main road - loud and fast.
But I enjoyed painting it and tried to keep the brush strokes loose and visible.
The board was given to me from artist friend Sarah Manolescue. A trial for a new format being 9x10" quite unusual but it worked well for this subject. If it was square the composition is harder to get right.
This is right next to Bosham, a great little area, I have now painted 3 times, many more to come!...

#282 'Bosham Channel' 8x18"

A gorgeous morning ones of those days when everything works out and even the painting! 
I went with painting friend Sarah Manolescue, the sun was low and contra jour with great sparkling light on the water.
These are the first stages see pic below:

I put in the light on the water and the sky first, as they would change the quickest. 
The sun on the water was so bright I looked up to try and observe whats there and looking back at the board and my eyes were dazzled and couldn't see the board surface or palette of colours! So when the sun went in it was good to see how it was looking :-)

The distant horizon line of land I put in quickly and roughly not too much detail. Just suggesting shapes especially the witches hat of Bosham Church.
The channel marker posts I tried to do in one sweep down of the brush, no fussing!
I enjoyed the bigger board size and used bigger brushes especially on the sky. 
The board - wood block, (see pic below) is different to my usual ones and gave a nice finish - it really makes a difference what surface you paint on to the end result.

#268 'Sunrise, Bosham Channel' 8x14"

I had seen this view passing in the car so it was a bonus it was so gorgeous.  I was surprised to see over 30 swans nestling in the sea grass, cleaning and having breaky, it was quite a sight!
A very cold start, the sun rose to the left of the picture and the shape of the shoreline where the tide level was just right, it led the eye in nicely and with little posts in the foreground not sure what they were for. 
The tower in the distance is the witches hat of the Bosham Church. Nice to have a focal point along that horizon line.
The green sea grass was very dark in tone but had a little light and colour on it. I used the mix for the brown foreground foliage and added Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue and a little Zinc White - which lightens but not too much. I will go back there it was a great spot!
(The above photo was taken not of the exact subject I painted as the sun came up and it was too bright to see the work so I moved the easel around.)

More news..... 
This week was the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) Private View and start of their exhibition. My first time showing at The Mall Galleries so I was hopping around with excitement looking at the wonderful work - worth a visit if your in London. I felt so proud to have my painting on display, it's the landscape above my head. It's been one of my goals as an artist so lets hope it continues!

#232 'View to Bosham' 15x40cm

I was itching to get out yesterday and was a lovely afternoon, I went to Chidham (West Sussex) and walked to the coast with a view across the water to Bosham. 
There was some gorgeous fluffy clouds when I arrived, I whipped out a board and drew with a brush the general form and movement of the clouds. They were scudding so quickly off to the left and no more were coming. 
The tide was high and my tripod was sitting in the sea water. I set the tone of the painting with the sky first making sure it was light enough. And then put the greenery and buidling strip with general shapes and looking for the light and shadows. 
When things happened in the water like a yacht going by or activiy on the shore I put that in too. Then the sea around the boats and adding light boats on the top of the sea colour. The light greens in the foreground weren't there when I started but I thought it would add to the composition.
This is where I got up to outside....

I aim to finish or complete as much as possible on the spot outside, but sometimes circumstances lead to finishing inside, this time it was because I wanted the reference of the sky to finish it. I have talked to other plein air artists about this and so many are the same as me, plan to finish outside in one go and it doesnt always happen! (So I'm not going  to beat myself up about it!)

We have our shared disabled dog Matte staying at the moment (he's blind & deaf.) He can't be left so I have worked in the studio this week on a painting but not a 100% So here it is warts and all!

I painted it on a different surface board - rougher like sandpaper and the paint sunk more and looks flatter. Board surfaces make such a difference to the finished quality of a painting. I wont use that Gesso again!

#227 'Low Tide Bosham Harbour' 24x30cm

This is one that I didn't think was any good at the time but came out alright! Sometimes its the other way around, thinking its an ok painting and then looking at it again the next day and being disappointed!
It was just after sunrise, a beautiful sky and a slither of sea. 
I tinted the mud and distant green in the violet sky cloud mix which gives a harmonious feel to the colours. Careful not to overpaint or fuss the boats but leave them 'imperfect' looking. This helps make them sit in the panting and be connected with the surroundings.
Bosham has so many painting possibilities...

Off to Somerset tomorrow for a painting weekend :-)

#226 'Boats, Bosham Harbour' 8x10"

Last week I went to Bosham early morning and as I finished 'Bosham Harbour' #223 I turned 90 degrees and saw this scene, so I whipped out another board and got the composition down (before the boats moved) but ran out of steam to paint on site so I painted it today in my studio. 
The colours and reflections were so strong I painted it with thicker oils loading my brush and using less medium to thin it, which lent itself to the subject and fun to do!

#223 'Bosham Harbour' 9x12"

I planned to go down to Bosham on advice from an artist saying it was gorgeous early morning. Somehow I picked the most stunning day, so happy. 
Got there just after sunrise and the cloud formation and reflections in the water....

I painted the clouds quickly, they were fun to do. Using Pale Naples Yellow ( I prefer the standard N. Yellow as you can always lighten it) I used it for warmth in the clouds then added it to Cerulean blue for the water.
The boats were swinging about on the tide quite a bit. The posts were a challenge put them in or not? I'm happy with the yellow and black one and good to have an upright in there as it's quite a horizontal composition. The two in the corner also help balance the composition without them there would be a big gap!

It's already been framed and into the Haslemere Art Society Exhibition...more on that in next post.

#220 'Evening Sun, Bosham' 21x29cm

It's been gorgeous weather and I have made the most of it by doing an evening paint where the light gives me the subject.
Husband Nick and I went down to Bosham and this view grabbed me as the sun was dancing on the water and warm apricots in the sky. I knew it would be a hard one because it was changing so quickly. I painted some structure of the harbour side and building first and then whacked in the light. Keeping in mind less is more and not putting in too much detail letting the eye do the work.
In 40 minutes the water was this height and then see the pic below to what it drained to...

Spot Nick taking photo in the edge of the shot.

I finished at this point as it was very different to when I began, and refined it in the studio, tricky as you don't want to loose the fresh quality but it needs to be resolved as well.