Belated June/ July Project

The post title says it all. This was due to be posted at the end of July and as seems to be the case at present, life got in the way. Not in a bad way. A friend wanted help to deliver a car to his apartment in Southern Spain so I didn't hesitate to say 'yes' when asked. A week's road trip after which Sheila flew out and we then had an unexpected holiday in the sun.

On return we headed off to the Lakes but unfortunately I conspired to cause myself injury and ended up with a bunch of torn shoulder muscles and damaged tendons. Some excuse, but excuse it is for my latest hiatus.

The painting posted is one of a number of unsatisfactory attempts to address the photographs sent by my pal, Peter for the latest round of our monthly challenges. You can find him and his post at www.watercolourfanatic.blogspot.com

For me the painting lacks depth of both colour and tonal variation. The handling of the water puddles is poor and the drawing suspect. Need I go on. Just lots of apologies to those of you patient enough to hang on till this appeared.

Another LEARNING experience.

Boats - watercolour 11" x 9" on rough paper

Opportunity Knocks

Sitting in my room last weekend down in Norfolk having spent a hard day at the Norfolk Painting School I felt the need to relax a little or have a lie down and risk staying there till the next morning. I decided that a little watercolour work might keep me awake and get me in the mood to head out for an evening meal.

In the lounge of the digs I had spotted an interesting piece of porcelain and set it up on a table with a small vase of flowers. My palette box was sitting in front of the objects and demanded to be part of the composition so I stuck a brush in there as well. The effort did the trick and I was ready to eat once it was complete.

Susie's Pot - Watercolour on Not paper 14" x 11"

Studying at the Norfolk Painting School

The Norfolk Painting School has become a spiritual home for me since I first went there to discover the mysteries of oil painting. The teaching skill, encyclopaedic knowledge and enthusiasm of proprietor, Martin Kinnear make it a pleasure to spend a couple of days there to expand one's education. This time I had selected a two day investigation of impressionism.

As usual I was not disappointed, the depth of thought required and the rate of working contributed to a very satisfying experience.

The course was largely based around the work of Monet and we started with a detailed presentation relating to the scientific basis of various aspects of his technique. This lead to our first practical exercise exploring the notion of equiluminence and the use of balanced value colours to create the illusion of value shift in the picture. The selected image was the Sunset in Le Havre. We began by making a judgement as to the overall value of the piece then making a grey mix of paint at that value. The grey mix was then used to balance the other colours. We checked our effort using red coloured filters. The technique is one that many plein air painters use to unify their work; the so called 'mud' from their palette boards being the equivalent of our grey mix.

Sunset at Le Havre after Monet - One hour oil sketch on MDF 12" x 10"

Our next task was an exploration of some of the Seine series of paintings. The theme was Motif Planning, making decisions about dominant colour, warm/ cool bias, harmonic colours and complementaries. Having made a set of choices we then produced a sketch to show our thinking.

Seine at Giverny after Monet - Oil sketch on MDF 10" x 8"

As often happens on Martin's courses the main task is the production of a large piece, 40" x 30", and the Seine paintings were to be the stimulus. After creating the colour beginning for our large works we retired for the evening knowing that we had a hard day ahead completing the piece.

The results of my efforts are below.

Seine at Giverny after Monet - Oil on canvas 40" x 30"

Another fine couple of days. Try it sometime.

The Sanctuary, Castlerigg

In the absence of much other painting activity, here is another piece from my watercolour sketch book that accompanies me to most places. This was done on our recent trip to the Lake District.

This is a magical place. Castlerigg Stone Circle sits up above Keswick and fascinates the thousands of visitors who come to marvel at its design and speculate about its function in the ancient world. To make this picture I sat upon one of the flatter stones in the inner circle known as the Sanctuary. My idea was to create a more intimate image than would be possible taking in the full circle of stones.

The Sanctuary, Castlerigg - Watercolour on Not paper 14" x 11"

Lakes Break

This week we got away for a couple of days in the wonderful Lake District and even experienced a little decent weather. In between the pleasant walking and relaxation the odd splash of paint rested on paper. The image here is from a watercolour sketch done at one of the most popular spots in Keswick. The view is across Derwentwater from Friar's Crag.

Cat Bells - Watercolour on Rough paper 14' x 11"

May Project

The latest in the series of monthly projects shared by Peter Ward (www.watercolourfanatic@blogspot.com) and myself. The photograph is one I took on the Bridgewater canal at Lymm.

Bridgewater Canal at Lymm - Photograph

My regulars will be tiring of my recent travails and this piece epitomises the difficulties. I selected the image, thinking it would be a good test of a variety of things, including perspective. I began work on the picture a couple of weeks ago and it took days till I got the drawing anywhere near right and it's still not there. This had me almost avoiding the piece rather than get on with it. Once the painting was started the work was interrupted by other matters and was completed in stages over a number of sessions and I think that shows in the lack of linking passages. Had it not been for the arrangement I have with Peter I may well have ditched this piece.

Anyway here it is and I'm always happy to hear what fellow artists have to say about the flaws and how they might be worked upon.

Bridgewater Canal at Lymm - Watercolour on Rough paper 16" x 12"

Frustration and Working Through It

Feeling uncreative and attempting to get to the other side of it is something that many artists complain of, and I'm no different. The last couple of weeks have given me opportunities to paint, much wished for as I've struggled to find that time. Having found the time it is easy to imagine the despair of producing nothing of any merit, even in my own limited view. Oil painting in the Lake District produced more canvas wiping than I've ever done before. Watercolours were so weak and insipid that they hit the bin. How to get over it became the question?

Strangely enough the potential key to unlocking the impasse as I watched a late night film about the White Stripes. During the course of the programme Jack White was interviewed and made a very clear exposition of the relationship between work and creativity. Work is the answer. I awoke to the self evident thought that I need to work harder.

Going back to first principles is often a good way to re-focus on what is important in one's work. I decided to look through some of the books that line my shelves and pick out one or two that related to the type of subject matter I had been attempting in the Lakes. The book I ended up with was one by the Welsh artist, David Bellamy. In there I found a demonstration piece that gave me a chance to do some basic exercises in landscape rendition. The resulting effort is pictured below and whilst not perfect is a lot closer to being acceptable than other recent work.

Pembroke Coast - Watercolour on Rough paper 14" x 11"