Beginnings

I am now two weeks into this new challenge. On the first day I took over 100 photographs on my walk around.  The views/panoramas and the small individual 'spots' that I make a point of checking on regularly.  It's surprising how ones eyes become accustomed to glazing over most things and always direct themselves to the same places.

The rest of the week I have spent making graphite drawings of some of the small spaces and a few rather unsuccessful watercolours.

 I thought I had discovered the next best thing when I tried experimenting with watercolour pencils - the next day when all was dry it was astonishing how little tonal definition there was between the colours. At the moment watercolour is not fast enough for me - I want to learn the forms and lines of the spaces I have chosen, so that each time I draw/paint them the marks flow from my arm as an extension of myself.  I am reminded of a charcoal study I did earlier this summer of my son - it was a relatively easy thing to do and when someone pointed out to me the economy and simplicity of line I realised it was because he is so like his father - I have lived with that bone structure for over 35 years - of course I know how it fits together.






Some of the drawings desperately needed colour as the tonal definition in the greys was minimal. I tried experimenting with coloured pencils - again not very satisfactory.

Then Jacksons sent me an email with good deal on their pastels - guess who is now the proud owner of 200 different colours mmmmmm. Loving this new medium. These 3 studies are on Hanelmuhle Pastelfix paper (grey/blue, black and ivory) Loving every moment.

 

This is a huge leap of faith for me.  I have never kept a diary for longer than 24 hours, can't even guarantee posting on social media on a regular basis, but here goes.....

I am setting up to do two series of paintings based around my home and loosely using the idea of the Stations of the Cross and Ecclesiasts 3:1 as a starting point.  I have absolutely no intention of creating  religious images - I plan to photograph, draw and paint from specific locations regularly each month for the next year - to see the changing season, shifting light and my own changing reactions to those specific points.

One of the series will be looking outward from the boundaries, open and wide; the other will be inward looking, intimate depictions of places only ever seen by one or two people.