First impressions.

Walking and exploring. It’s a new location to me, but there are familiar echoes.  The smells of hot earth, mown grasses, jasmine and frying vegetables (with garlic).  The colours of Italy, painted houses, yellow ochre, venetian red,  cold blue hills and warm terracotta tones in the fore. Roof tile burnt scienna, sunlit to bright orange.

It is a rare opportunity I have here, to look and sketch – with nobody to please but myself. I am finding my way, navigating the steep pathways, hard hand cut stone step ways and dark intruiging alleyways.

And in the studio I am starting to figure out how to put some of this into picture form.

Back home for a couple of weeks to gather my bits and wits.  I have spent many wonderful weeks in Italy with painting groups and am looking forward to being there again in September.  This trip has a great difference for me, in that I will have two weeks to familiarise myself with the location and ten days working collectively with other painters. More of a round table than a leadership role.

Sadly two people have had to drop out for medical reasons.  Frailties of age beating our enthusiasm to create and paint.

So if you wish for a period in a medieval hill town in beautiful Italy. dedicated to sketching, painting and other creative media, from 15th – 25th September – check out the details. @Quatro_Archi_Barga.

You’ve got a month to get it sorted!

I am now of the age to receive my state pension. I sort of don’t need to teach for the income, but it is so much part of my  painting, teaching, preparation, stimulation, inspiration – breathing, that I’m loath to let it go.

I deliver Beginners Watercolour at West Dean, which has so much to recommend it.  The learning is one thing, but then: There are the gardens, which not only look, but smell delightful. Swathes of pinks and purples, or whites and creams, with all manner of leaves and spikes.  The accomodstion rooms are up and down old corridors and staircases, grand wide carpeted, some with carved wooden balustrade, some winding up and up with narrow wee steps, taking you onto different levels and further into mysterious spaces. There are quirkly rooms with cast iron baths, huge taps and plugs.

Surrealist artifacts are dotted amongst ancient old tapestries and glass displays which house all manner of stuffed exotic birds and beasts.

And regular feasts are served in the dining halls, fresh coffee is dispenced from a number of self service modern machines. (I do like a good coffee…)

Best of all is the endless variety of people who come to experience one of the many creative classes.  Last week I had eleven ladies and gentlemen in the group, the class was held in the Orangery.  Sunlight filling the victorian built – hot house.  They were interested and interesting, learning some of the magical effects that make watercolour the most versatile of painting media. Not the easiest, but in my opinion the most satisfying to convey  complex or simple ideas.

We did flat washes and wet in wet, dry brush, wax resist, splatter and mask.  We drew and painted and chatted and scribbled.

Colour theory and colour mixing.

All in this elegant space.

The Orangery.

This time of year, late spring for us northern souls – though I know Summer is being shy in the  south as well this year.  The garden is lush, trees in their leafy finery, the weeds growing profusely in plain sight.  As I pot up cuttings and plant out the tender vegetable plants, with my fingers crossed against a frosty night… I also plot and plan the next trip away, which includes a teaching session at West Dean College. 

Preparation starts in my head, sifting what I deem vital techniques and their potential uses in the watercolour medium, while  keeping them suitable for beginners.  Also how best to deliver to this new cohort.

If I can think of a logical progression for delivery of techniques,  step by steps toward an achievable resolve,  that will help people achieve a lovely conclusion. While also giving them an understanding of its potential and application in the practice of Water Colour Painting ongoing…

  The next step is for me to work with the methods and be sure that I can explain and demo the technigues clearly (and confidently).

I need to alight upon a title in my head to work as the frame for just some of the many techniques I must choose from for the workshop. Because watercolour really is so versatile and infinite in possibility, my job is to make it seem manageable to beginners.  To grasp some of what I believe to be basic essential techniques, in order to then fly solo.

Sharpen the pencils and clean brushes with care.

I heard a cuckoo yesterday, a way across the hillside, but however far, it lifts my spirits. My father was listening out each year, 24th, 25th April.  And then came the times he couldn’t hear that there wasn’t a cuckoo to be heard.

He would have  enjoyed the cowslips and Northern marsh orchids that appear in my garden 

I’m heading south to see family and on a new venture.  I am showing my work to who ever cares to visit under the umbrella of South East Open Studios.  A new audience and some new works to share.

I will be open the first two weekends in June plus a few days in the week. Dipping my toes into the southern art scene.

And seeing all my family.

If you are interested. Look out for the SEOS catalogues in shops and cafes and the signage at every venue, I am venue no.44 – half a mile down the hill from Brightling.

A varied mix of images and media.  I think they all benifit from viewing in the real. To see the true colours, surface, scale, and intention.

Such a good variety of work in the area,

Louise Borguese made three monumental towers (and a lot of spiders). I Do, I Undo, I Redo.  She created an inclusive visual for what We do all the time… As mother’s, sculptors, painters, basket weavers, gardener, all things, but fundamentally female (I think). We make, we learn, we tear apart, we learn, we make again.

Those who ask – how?

Don’t get it.

We don’t ask, we try, we see and we work it out.

It’s what we do.

And we are lucky, because it drives us. We don’t need a leader or a boss or a god. We want to find out what happens and then work out what to do with it. And one thing leads to another.

A change is as good as a rest…

To go away so to appreciate what you have at home..

Compare and contrast and to enjoy the difference.

For a number of years my friend Sue has visited Athens as a representative for  Greenwich University.  The NYC (New York College) have campus in Central Athens and Thessolonica.  Previously she has respected the business and made no provision to see much of the country where she is briefly located.   This year I have tagged along and she has extended the trip to allow time for her meetings, some site seeing and for me sketching,

Ditching the normal anonymous and  predictable she found accomodation for us on booking dot com via Airbnb. Her time doing research was well spent.

With green space – Olive and Carob trees paths and rocks, just over the road and splendid views of the Acropylis – it is a dreamy location. The weather mild and comfortable for walking and sketching. The hill is also littered with wild flowers and plenty of butterflies. We are here until tomorrow when, as part of the tourist pleasure we are taking a 5 hour train ride to Thessolonica.

Onward tomorrow.

I drove south on the 2nd of February with two good reasons for travelling,  the first to tutor a three day course at West Dean and the other being the imminent arrival of my second grandchild.

The people in the  group at West Dean, all had such a positive attitude,  different charactors as always, but they melded together, were friendly and sharing with each other. A pleasure for me to work with.

We started with a gentle confidence building exersize,  looking at the subject and then mixing the colours as they saw them.  Painting the mixes into squares. Much less pressure than going straight to the subject.

Then to paint the subject using just the colours chosen from an edited palette.

They did it all so beautifully.

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Spring was starting to emerge as I was waiting for the baby’s arrival. Snowdrops, primroses and a few daffodils.

Baby Erica was born 16 days past due date. It was a relief and joy.  I have since returned home, but without my dear dog Maybelle who ran out of steam on Wednesday 6th March. A fine life, and gentle end aged 15.

I am still catching my breath from the February excitement, managing to get my mind to resolving painting conundrums.  Some to improve, some to ponder on, some to destroy.  When I make a mount for the work, it is the final test. I can truly see if they are right to be photographed and signed – or put back into the ‘work in progress’ pile, or torn up and on the floor disguarded.

Countryside, conservation, community…?

February 8th – 11th 2024

West Dean College offers such an inspiring setting for a huge variety and breadth of arts and craft. For the tutors and participants alike, it should be a really joyful experience.  It is certainly that for me when I get a group of kind, attentive, eager people to work with.

I introduced the group to my favorite sketching pen. One I have used since my foundation time at Canterbury in the 70’s

Chris Alexander and Eric Hurren led the year and gave me and all of us students, a most valuable grownding in drawing, painting, also many diciplins and possibilities for creativity.  With Chris, we made sketch books and he also demonstraed the use of this water soluble felt pen. I’m glad to say, Pentel still produce it in exactly the same form.

This group were collectively friendly and helpful to each other.  Fun and receptive.

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.