High Tide, Borthwen

#11 'High Tide, Borthwen' oil on board 12x16"

Another painting that I started on my recent trip to Anglesey but finished back home in the studio.  It is larger than my other paintings and I really enjoyed this size. I'll definitely be doing more. I prepared my own board using a textured paste and an acrylic gesso primer on top.  I like the way the paint goes on this surface and much prefer it to bought canvas boards which I find a bit too rough.

At first the headland in the foreground was too bright and distracted the eye so I scraped off and re-painted.  It works much better with the more muted green helps to create the cooler Easter atmosphere.

In the Studio

#10 'The Tide on the Turn'  oil on canvas board 10x8"

I started this one en plein air but didn't have a chance to finish it so I worked on it in the studio today. The hardest part of studio painting is keeping it fresh and not spending too long on one part, remembering to look at the whole.  I am pleased with the sea - the colour and brush strokes. I mixed more colour on my palette so I wasn't too mean with the amount of paint I applied which really helped.

In progress in the studio

Early Evening Painting, Anglesey

#9 'Early Spring, Borthwen' Oil on Canvas Board 10x8"

I had a small window of 40 minutes for this painting. Partly due to the rapidly setting sun which was giving the sky a lovely purple glow.  I wanted to concentrate on colour in order to have a reference for when I am back from Anglesey.  I might use this as the basis for a larger studio painting although it think some of the values may need adjusting slightly go give more contrast.  I was pleased with it though for the limited time I had.

Plein air painting, Anglesey

A Mothers Day View

#8 Mothers Day Morning Oil on Canvas 5"x5"

It was a real Mothers Day treat a few weeks ago to get out in the fresh air and do this little plein air sketch.  I walked up a hill in my village where the week before we'd been sledging. Although the sun wasn't out the snow had melted and I painted the view looking over the fields towards the neighbouring village of Seaton in Rutland.

It was also the first outing for my new Open Box M plein air easel.  It was as good as I'd hoped it would be! Lightweight, versatile, a large mixing area and the smell of the newly oiled wood is beautiful.

My new Open Box M easel on top of the hill