#470 'Sunday Sailing, Morston'

Quite tricky to find a composition that worked with lots of comings and goings of boats and people because it was a sunny Sunday morning. 
I was there with the ROI (Royal Institute of Oil painters) and the IEA (institute of East Anglian painters.) A painting day with lots of amazing artist, really inspiring to see how they worked and paint with them.

I liked this National Trust hut silhouetted with the contra jour sun. Everything was high key and bight. Lots of interesting activity as well, the boat sail was a bonus! 

I kept it loose and sketchy wanting it to feel fresh and lively, to suit the day.
I felt honoured that David Curtis wanted to paint the same subject as me so he ducked in behind and this started a line of other painters joining in with this subject! ....

 The tide quickly drained out of this area, plus the blue foreground boat was taken away!

#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.

#295 'Late Afternoon Reflections' 10x10"

I had a plan to paint the sunset at Emsworth (Hampshire), I had seen it recently and went back to paint a certain view. But on the day you have to choose what's good and yesterday it was these beautiful still waters, reflections and strong colours...
A lovely subject to paint, it makes a difference with how colour saturated a subject is by where the sun is. This time the sun was opposite the view, recently I have been looking more into the sun, which takes out the colour and makes it more tonal.

I enjoyed painting the colours of boats, although quite complex with mixing each colour and then separate but connected colours for the reflections!
The boats were arranged in this composition although they moved about quite a bit on the incoming tide. I took out a couple of boats to make it more pleasing.

A family next to me were feeding the birds they were going mad for the bread, the swans didn't get a look in.

I have managed to finish and upload a speeded up video demonstration of the previous painting, have a look at number #295 for the 40 second video....

#263 'Harbour Entrance, Lyme Regis' 5x10"

Painting this on a 5x10" boards helps me be more free as its small and feels like a study so isn't prescious and I can attack it! 

It helped I was quite far away from the subject so its easier to translate onto a small board - see below. 

I started with thin dark paint on the harbour wall and then put the light in on the water next to it, as it could change quickly. 
It was the only bit of water in the harbour as the tide was out, it looked like the plug had been pulled as it's a mass of mud, bouys and boats!

#256 'Pheonix, Emsworth Harbour' 24x30cm

This scene didn't look that inspiring when I started the painting but knew it would get better as the sun rose. I liked the jaunty angle of the boat and part reflection obscured by the mud. 

It wasn't long before the tide rolled in and the boat was upright and floating. I made sure I didn't start painting it like this as its whole different painting on top of it! (see above pic)
There are three main colours two of them being complementary Red-Orange & Green-Blue, they do seam to go together well and the other a warm and cool grey.

Two areas I found difficult in the painting were the strip of houses on the horizon and the cabin of the boat. The houses I repainted until I finally cracked it, painting a block of similar tone and then over painting and picking out some roof shapes, it didn't need much. The Boat cabin was getting the drawing right and the tonal values within it. The mud line also got to fussy and overworked so wiped it off and had another go. (See pic below for the 3 areas.) 
I sometimes re paint san area as many times as it takes, it often adds to the painting to have ghost of marks underneath, so I don't think of it as a negative thing - although it can be frustrating sometimes!

#208 'Paynes Boat Yard, Thorney Island' 24x30cm

My husband and I did a recce on Saturday for possible painting and photographic spots around Thorney Island (on the south coast of Hampshire). I loved this old boat yard so went back today. The owner was very friendly and even made me a cup of tea and biscuits while I was painting! 
This little harbour had a barrage weir so the water hardly moved up and down with the tide, soooo much easier than chasing the water in and out! The wooden boat is over 100 years old and named Teal.
The weather was changeable, wind, rain, sun... but not bad enough to stop.
I used a thin strip of wood to help me paint the straight lines of the mast. I know some other artists use a mahl stick or edge of a board. I thought I try it and it definitely helped make a much stronger line shape, I will use it again!
I'm pleased with this painting and will do more there :-)

#205 'Yacht Harbour' 24x30cm

Not any easy subject! A mass of masts and mud! I was told it helps to paint the uprights - masts before you put the sky in. See pic below. I liked the light masts agaisnt the dark tree foliage and the hulls of the boats shining in the sun. 
I quickly put the father and little girl plus the lady looking down. The lady was there less than a minute, you never know how long they will stay for! 
Making the masts smaller and closer together gives the impression of space receding. One observation on masts.... They are generally lighter against the land background and when against the sky they are darker in tone. 

Back from The Patchings Art Festival, it was exciting to see my painting and it's awards :-) Also got to meet Ken Howard - a painting legend and watch David Curtis do a great seascape demo, all very inspiring! 

#197 'Flags & Fishing Buoys' 24x30cm

This was near our hotel and all of us artists past this scene and went ooooh! So brightly coloured and great shapes.

I drew it the night before so I could work out the shapes and composition.

It was still a challenge though! I haven't been mapping out before I paint on my board for a while but needed to with this one, complex shapes and fitting it together. Plus working out the parameters of the composition. I liked the top ends of the flags but it made the buoys too small, so I chopped the tops off.

I built up around the buoys first blocking in the background as it was the larger area. 
The hardest bit was getting the intensity of buoy colours but still keeping it light in tone - too light and it goes chalky.

It feels a risk this painting as its not what I'd usually do, but I enjoyed it and had two fellow artist paint the same subject with me.

#195 'Port en Bessin, France' 18x21cm

I simplified what was there and emphasised the bits I liked. Building up a patchwork of colour, shapes and tones. 
A tricky subject but enjoyed piecing it all together.
A young French couple watched me paint for a while and then using google translate asked if it was for sale!

#178 'Emsworth Habour Jetty' 5x10"

This is the second one I did a couple of days ago in Emsworth Harbour. I was running out of steam by then and the light wasn't as beautiful as the early morning so I packed up. Back in the studio I ended up wiping most of it off see below as I wasn't happy with how the paint was applied. 

So there was a ghost of a painting left and having been closely looking at the subject the day before I could remember it quite well, so it came together quickly.  I also looked at the drawing again because what had attracted me was looking through the uprights of the jetty to the boats behind. 
A mistake possibly was using too small a board so the scale of the boats were mini! 

#176 'Low Tide Emsworth Harbour' 18x24cm

Back home I wanted to explore what I had learnt with Richard Pikelsey as soon as possible. 
So I set off early to paint in Emsworth harbour. With a very low tide I was able to stand out on the mud flats and use a little boat as my table :-) see below

I liked the bright green with the blue boat combo. The green was being lit by the sun and it was difficult to mix. Because if you just mix pure say Lemon Yellow and Cerulean Blue it's an intense colour but too dark in tone, add white and it lighter but the colour is then chalky and not so intense! I think you get a feel in my painting with what was there?
I have attached the beginnings below as I thought you may want to see the different way I started this one in practising what I learnt with Richard. Not drawing first and blocking in colours & tones and covering the board quickly....

The man walked across once I tried to paint him while he was walking. Mixing a colour then looking up and he's gone! So difficult but it has the essence of him! And I think helps the composition.

#174 'West Bay Harbour' 18x24cm

I feel very privileged to have had a painting day with an English artist Richard Pikesley he is a wonderful painter and the president of the New English Art Club.

I felt like I needed some input and direction on how to progress my paintings to another level. I took a selection of paintings to show Richard and he gave me some great advice and guidance. We then painted in two locations morning and afternoon. The first I will post now the second tomorrow.....

West Bay Harbour 
What Richard told me to work on was less linear and more blocks of colour. To help me do this I didn't draw the subject first I went straight into looking and comparing two colours next to each other - I started on the reflection on the front of the boat. Trying to match the colour and tone. Also aiming to get the board covered quickly so you can relate the colours in the subject and not be distracted by the colour/tone of the board.

It definitely felt out of my comfort! Although I am pleased with the result and Richard liked it too! (The little boat was called 'Henry' and I love the character it has!)

The conditions weren't easy, it was chucking with rain when we started so sheltered under his Land Rover boot and at times the subject disappeared in the haze of rain! Thankfully it did stop but you can see it's a quiet tonal painting - not big contrasts like when the sun is out, which still has a beauty to it.

'Painting is about looking' a quote from Richard and something I am really working on :-)

#137 'Sunrise, Staithes Beach' 9.5x12"

This is the last sunrise from Staithes, I have enjoyed painting at this quiet time of the day and capturing the beautiful colours which are so quick to disappear. 
I have been experimenting with thicker paint, and not doing an under painting to start, just doing it in one thick go. Which is working well unless I'm being indecisive or unsure about an area and then the paint gets too thick, so I scrape off and start again! I like the thick lucsious quality of the oils although it's harder to control when there is loads of it on the board.
The early light really influences the whole scene, so to harmonise the palette, every colour mix I add a dab of peach colour from the sky. 
I painted this Monday morning we drove to the Lake District straight after. Lake paintings to follow :-)

#136 Sunrise The Beck, Staithes 9.5x12"

Another windy morning but lucky with the rain and had some great fluffy clouds. I really enjoyed painting the sky, a real test of observation under limited time.
I had to strap my pochard to the railings as the wind would blow it over and difficult to do any detail as it buffeted my arm.
But I still enjoyed it! A' large' painting with lots going on, I used a connected palette of colour, linking my mixes so the painting is harmonised.
As I painted the sky the clouds and colours just kept improving. which is frustrating when you have committed to certain cloud formation and colours. I did add a light orange glow on the horizon but to have added anymore I would have needed to scrub it off and start again. It's getting the balance in changing to improve but not obliteration what you have. 
It feels as though these paintings are at the limit of my comfort, pushing with size, application of paint - making it thicker, challenging subjects, composition, and the elements! I hope it will help my skills in the long run :-)
You can see the same little fishing boats I painted in yesterdays sunrise painting.
I now have another two other paintings on the go which I have started here (both tricky!) I will complete them soon. I wanted to get them started here as there's so many areas I'm itching to paint, and we leave tomorrow morning for the Lake district.... 

#135 'Sunrise, Staithes Harbour' 8x10"

Haven't posted in a few days as I was prepping for an eight day painting trip we are now on. My husband and I are away in North Yorkshire Staithes, a small fishing village I previously visited in the summer. It's a really inspiring place and everywhere you look is another painting opportunity.
We started this morning and I did this one at the top of the village looking down on the harbour. It was bitingly cold with the wind in my face and my fingers slowly seizing up with cold.

There were so many options for compositions I choose this view as it had all the elements I like! 
I put the sky in as it was changing colour fast. getting the tone light enough and a good intensity of colour, the sea came next as it mirrored a lot of the colour in the sky, with sweeping strokes for the breaking waves. Putting the cliffs in was a bit of a shock with the tonal contrast but with it helps make the sky look pastely and soft, I kept the cliffs fairly translucent and dark. Then to tackle the roof tops! I focused on the sky line as that was the interesting bit with getting the angles of the roofs and chimney pots, also changing the tone and colours of the red slate. The miniature boats were just a suggestion with hardly any detail.
It took 2.5 hours, a long time whens it's cold, but I felt happy for being there and the painting at the end.
I did another one in the afternoon but it needs more work so will go back tomorrow and finish it.

#91 'Early Morning Staithes Harbour' 8x10"

An early start on the final morning I completed half of this before I drove home. I liked the dark tones and a touches of bright sunlight coming through.
I finished the painting in my studio the next day. It was a challenge to keep the plein air freshness of working outside - when there isn't time to fiddle and overwork and be too careful. Which happend when I painted the sky, it was too careful and laboured looking, so I wiped it off and did this one in minutes with thined paint and quick brush strokes. Also getting the side of the boat in the shadow dark enough to show the bright red on the light side was tricky.

The pen and ink below I did on the first morning to get myself accustomed to the surroundings. I did a painting of it later but I'm not happy with it, so I thought I'd tackle it in my studio and see if it can be improved :-) and if so I will post it!

#90 'Three Boats, Staithes' 8x10"

These boats are so typical of Staithes North Yorkshire area. I like the colours and the flash of pink flowers. 
I initially got caught up in the view and up the cliff/bank on the other side of the water are lovely red rooved house and sky. I drew it in but scrubbed it out realising it was too big a view and wasnt strong enough.
I have included the first stages picture below to show how I blocked in the dark and mid tones, and then adding the more intense and lighter colours over the top.
This was the first time I used a bigger board 8x10 it took me longer but it is a complex subject, nice to have a bit more space to work with though.
Making the initial brush strokes broad and loose with medium and no white paint, it was then fairly translucent. This helps to make it look like water - see through, and adding more opaque paint over the top to some of the areas (the lower half) to show light.

I also was testing out a new piece of equipment i got from America called a 'Palette Garage' you can see it on the pochade (where all my squirts of paint sit.) You can stick it back in a plastic tube, it comes in which keeps the paint wet overnight ready for the next plein air painting :-) 

#89 'Fishing Boat, Staithes Harbour' 7x9.5"

I painted this on Saturday afternoon, bright sunshine and a busy beach. Lovely to be amongst the children playing in the sand and the dogs rushing into the sea.

Love this boat especially the coloured buoys catching the sunlight. It was quite windy so I depicted it in the sky, painting it quickly and loosely with some medium.
I painted the figures as they walked into my view. The guy next to the boat was up and down and bending he was painting the boat, quite tricky to capture him while he was moving! But I'm happy with the result and his yellow wellies :-) 

This pen and ink I did while I was in Staithes, a great view I may paint at a later date.