Just two days of 2023 and then we are into a fresh January.  New projects to plan and prepare.  Italy – Quatro Archi De Barga in September. I am planning on going with good painting colleagues to share the experience of this medieval hill town.  The venue has studio work space and some printing equipment.

It will be the first year since the onset of Neos that I will not be doing the open studio event in Scotland. But other opportunities present themselves. I personally find that deadlines are an important focus for my work. Giving me the extra impetus to create more ambitious pieces if I know they will have an audience, however small. The incentive to create enough work, to then edit appropriately for the context of the exhibition.

And a second grandchild on the way… February already busy with a West Dean booking and the baby due. 

Its time to gather my wits, find my marbles sharpen my pencils, polish up my plans and paint.

I remember seeing a kingfisher flying back and forth as I painted this some years ago. I was in Cornwall near Wadebridge with Chris Forsey and chums. It has since languished in the, mmm… ‘Not sure’ pile. But it has caught my eye and I was in the mood to move it on.

Plenty more to ponder along with those just started or even still in my head.

Feeling under the cosh of a persistant cold and thawted by equally persistant rain, any desires to stroll out with my painters knapsack on my back have been quelled for the past few weeks.

For various reasons i have been driving a lot in the E. Sussex and Kent areas of England. Catching glimpses of sunshine and specks of brighter colour with some leaves hanging on gamely. Bracken becomes orange in contrast to the dark wet tree trunks. Grey clouds lilac hues, skies a multitude of greys from lightest breath to darkest indigo. It sets a seasonal 1940s palette.

I feel most confident in the direct response to landscape a plein aire. Responding more intuitively to the depth and tones, eye to hand, my mind almost removed from the process. Being stuck in doors… Frustrates me.

So I have been working in a less secure realm, painting from the memory of shapes and colours. Trying to sketch the detail in my head when I see it and then to spill it out on paper, in warmth and confort. In front of te fire.

One sure way to improve… To do it – again and again – and more. These images are some of the works I have done, driven by my blocked nose and the drear winter.

I have just delivered a short course at West Dean. Working with 12 really good ‘beginners’ in the orangery.   It lifts the level of play to work with such diverse and attentive folk.

I am now looking forward to the pre Christmas time with close family in the south.

It been the business of open studios that has given September wings.

We had a good number of visitors who kept our smiles in place. We managed to work and talk, the whole week of engagement with a great mix of audience response.  Oh – but I’m not the young thing that started this event 20 years ago. 

It’s taken me a week to recover.

I have some interesting classes prepared for my studio group and for Tarland Art Group. Some of which I can mix into the Beginners Watercolour Short Course that I hope to be delivering at West Dean toward the end of November. I always look to lift my teaching and with it my spirits for these – adding new, varied and fun ways to convey and practice the methods and techniques of water colour. From the essential basics to the more inventive and innovative.

Young visitor to Neos, Struen, created all the planets and more for us. The studio was a hive of activity.

My sister Sarah showed us a very simple but delightful upgrade to the basic pamphlet booklet. We were fired up and went into creative mass production! Using some of my back catalogue of printed cards and past demo watercolour sheets as decorative covers. Collaboration, skill sharing, fun.

All through the cool spring I made merit from necessity I concentrated on the slow emerging leaves.

Since then, the weather has improved and I had the opportunity to paint in Greece for a few days. How I love being warm, outside, painting with watercolours.

I have a booking at West Dean next month and really hope I can encourage the Watercour Improvers to draw and use colour outside in the lovely grownds.

I had a two day gig at West Dean at the weekend, glorious weather, gardens, and people. Unfortunetly having returned home with the expectation of a weeks painting with my fellows, I have spent two days very close to the water closet. A tenacious bug has gripped my tum.

West Dean is an evolving environment. Restoration and repair, trimming and affirming. Never guite the same, but a consistently high standard. It is good to work there, it helps keep me on my toes.

The weather remained chilly all week. Jeni, Sally and Sarah went to Rye and come back with no sketches, but some rescued items from the vast array of desirable booty that the shops there have to offer. They hope to go to Hastings Contemporary tomorrow. I will look forward to being with them when I feel recovered.

This morning while gardening I had the need to un peel my layers of clothes – the sun shining and a such a heat. I was literally dripping with sweat. It was wonderful to feel so unexpectedly warm.

Up til now- (9th May) – Chill winds and damp grey skies have held back the force of spring – many trees are barely with leaf, some still with branches all visible and buds bulging, but not yet burst. I have continued painting/sketching the progress, slowly emerging leaves and flowers, as they cautiously unfurl.

Driving back north from the south at this time of year has an added bonus. That the breathtaking colour of fresh growth on all my favorite trees, which I’ve observed in the last few days, will be repeated in the next few week’s in Scotland. The seasonal lag is between ten and fifteen days. Crossing the country on the A66, the devide is clear. Sussex behind us was bursting out all over, but now we have gone back in time. Most trees are still bare of leaves, the daffodils are fully out and it’s cold. (I’ve lit the fire).

These first signs of clean green, flushing like a jelous blush on the dark stems of Hawthorn. A pure bright pea colour. Later these branches will brim with flowers. May Blossom as represented splendidly in many paintings by David Hockney. Bowers laden with pale flowers, almost bulging – looking like plump festooned caterpillars.

Our Beach trees are still bare with neat tight buds, wee wrapped bundles like crystalists ready to burst. But instead of butterflies, they unfurl into wafer thin beach leaves.

Poplars, some will start with burnt orange shades or light burnt scienna, these turn to a soft olive green. And the tree is no longer distinguishable from others. Maples are sprouting florets with many exotic hues.

The Will lows, sappy yellow green, with puffs of pollen laden buds. From citrus green to light pinky grey and soft pale yellows. All these flowering branches… no wonder this time is so bad for hayfeaver.

Chestnut sticky buds visibly plumping on the tips of smooth curving branches, like a huge unlit match, bursts into light, and onward becomes the pink and cream flames that will adorn the tree in early summer. But how extraordinary they look when the leaves first emerge, a strange beast unfurling.

Cherry blossom and camelia replace the earliest bird of paradise, the magnolias. Not so many of those up here. They favour the warmer suburbs.

The last trees to wear fresh leaves will be the Oak and the Ash, who’s black buds unwrap festoons of delicate flowers on clusters of dainty stems.

I found a fairy ring of St George’s mushroom – so named for it’s appearance on 23rd April. (Down south) We ate them as part of our supper with right confidence. I’ve identified them just once before near our allotment in Dorking over 25 years ago. Ate them then and ate them again. (I wonder if they come on St Andrews Day in Scotland.)

There was a time when I thought being married for twenty years was remarkable. But then my parents did forty, fifty and even sixty. That was remarkable…

Having started The North East Open Studios with a core of key (multi talented) people, I came off the steering committee in year 4/5. Niel Paton took over as chair just when NEOS was nominated for and received The Northern Lights award.

I have participated in the event every year since the start, rarely by myself, but mainly sharing my studio space with a variety of different creative people. We have had visitor numbers ranging from 49, with covid social distancing in 2020 and over 2000 visitors in 2012.

The North East Open Studio event was conceived in 2003 and with the benifit of great effort by an incredible number of people, it will be 20 years this year.

Each year a different dynamic.

Back on the committee again – with a really skillful and energetic group. It’s hard to believe we managed to kick it off with so little knowledge or professionalism. But we did – and I’m going to enjoy being part of the 20th year with all these generous and switched on, clever folk.

First time in three years, on a train to meet up with painting buddy Sarah. It’s a splendid blue sky day. Wrap up warm but bright and sunny. We are meeting at Waterloo (under zee clock) and then heading for the RWS Bankside and Tate Modern.

Always have a sketch book handy. The back-lit station made a dramatic subject, the low lighting reducing detail and tones to almost black and white. I was discussing this with a class just a few days ago and will keep this sketch for another time.