Plein air painting at Old Hunstanton / sketching in Bristol botanic garden

The beach at Old Hunstanton, evening light

Tuesday evening was fine, sunny and perfect for the West Norfolk Artists Association sketching session.  As I haven't had the chance to paint 'en plein air' for a while I decided this was a great opportunity.  It is amazing what can be achieved in a short space of time - the tide was on its way in so speed was essential!



Painting at speed - the tide was on its way in...

It was a shame that more members didn't venture out to join us... there were two photographers, a printmaker who went sketching along by the cliffs, Helena who painted with water soluble crayons and myself.  Art can be such a solitary activity and I love the chance to work alongside others.

Old Hunstanton Beach, water mixable oils, 10"x8" (1 hour study)  

Last weekend I visited my daughter who lives in Bristol.  She has become increasingly interested in photography and we decided to seek out the botanic garden.  It is up near Clifton Downs and very compact, it didn't even have a café!  We spent a happy few hours however with many lovely flowers in full bloom and some exotic species in the glasshouses to marvel over.  I worked in an A5 sketchbook with just a Pentel mechanical pencil that has a 0.9mm lead in it.  The pages however did already have a gesso and hint of colour already washed across, a surface I find very satisfying for simple line work.

Variety of simple studies in pencil



Simple line drawings of sculptural plants

I think I might visit the Cambridge Botanical Gardens again soon - and they do have a café - there is something very humbling about studying the wealth of plant life and definitely an uplifting 'feel good' factor...

The regular classes I teach have finished and there is a lovely long break now until they resume in September.  Although there are essential tasks to be done, planning the next term and submitting my tax return for example, I plan to get creative and experiment like mad.  I love mixed media so now is a great time to play with all my favourites and see what happens.  I want to continue working from life as much as possible as well.  Exciting days ahead... drop in again soon and hopefully there will be more work to show you.