CORNWALL REVISITED

Two weeks later I had to  return to Cornwall so grabbed the opportunity to  paint when I could.
I did two studies of the  harbour at Portscatho near Falmouth.  It was a wonderful breezy day with  sharp clear light. The sea in  so many blues and full of energy in the sunlight.

The second speedy oil-sketch above, attempt to  catch something of the scene


... and below a view from my friend's veranda on the estuary of the River Fowey, looking across towards a china clay loading factory where huge ships arrive to take the clay. There  is a ship docked there,  the green prow can just be seen on the RH side past the trees, and dull red above the waterline. The tide was out but also my supply of white paint so I could't render the foreground as well as I'd have liked.

All Cannings, Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire

This  was  a small commission for someone who had lived in All Cannings. Looking towards the Village in the  Vale of  Pewsey, Wiltshire . This is  a spectacular and beautiful part of the county, wheat farming land, where crop circles often appear,  and the hills stretch for some miles. I should paint more of that area.    20" x 10"Oil on gesso board

"Boat under blue Tarpaulin"

A recent trip to Cornwall, helping a friend with  glass-work installation but I managed to grab time off to paint as well.

Whilst painting this boat, I popped back  into their  house,( yards away, on the waters edge) for a quick chat and coffee, but when I came out 15mins later the tide had gone out,  passed the boat, so missed painting the lovely water reflectins here but I just caught a bit to the RH of the boat.   

Lesson of the day: The tide waits for no-one!

10" x 12"  Oil on board.

The next morning I had a lift on a small motor dinghy, to  the town of Fowey (pronounced 'Foy') across the river. It was a dull, cold drizzly start - very people were about,  feeling conspicuous, very overburdened with  easels and paint gear I eventually found somewhere quiet to  paint, on the quay for a boat tour to  Mevagissey, The town perched precariously above a cliff of complex layers of rock strata, with  ancient rusting hanging ladders, but beautiful moving water,  I settled to paint, probably for a good hour till the tide went out ...........  at the time feeling the cold, hungry, lack of sunlight, etc the painting seemed  drab and a total disaster -  but now it somehow looks OK.

A few yards behind me was a shelter and seats overlooking the view of the river meeting the sea,, a memorial gift from American Forces who'd been there in  WWII. Apparently the  harbour was full of landing barges, preparing for the great invasion, the  'D' Day Landing. "You could  cross the wide river by climbing over the closely packed barges" so the notice read. Then one morning they were suddenly all gone -'D' Day had arrived".

12" x 10" oil on board

Another view of the the  blue tarpaulin boat from my friends Veranda, Tide was out again, but a spray of white Blackthorn blossom and lots of early Spring growth catching sunlight on the wooded slopes behind. 

Oil on canvas 16" x 20"

Touches of the cooler seasons - Autumn and Winter

(Needing  to catch up here). This is an Autumn painting from last November. I nearly got blown away in the process.    6" x 8" oil on gesso board.

And I nearly got frostbite doing this one below, early in the New Year when we had  freezing tempreatures for  a couple of weeks. The trees still need more branches and some  stalks of  foliage would help - will do that when my fingers warm up, hopefully  by midsummer:).

20" x 10" Oil on gesso board

Trees at Shearwater Lake

the Lake Shearwater near Longleat Estate. I lost the light and had to quit,  so some bright fresh leaves needing to be added hanging in the middle from the RH tree. I particularly liked the tangled root stretching toward me. I ought to  get round to adding those leaves still ....

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Sketch book below, planning the composition, and making notes  for  a drawing lesson I was giving the following day.

Chalk Stack at Broadstairs

This column of chalk has great character; at Botany Bay, one of the most  Eastern edge of Britain, recently visited but long way from where I live.  I'd love to do  a painted series of it to track light changes through the day. 'Chalk Stack' instead of 'Haystack'  (re: Monet :). Perhaps a projecct for the future ( if enlarged you can probalby see some sea-sand grains on the paint surface)

Below, a very speedy  10-15 minute sketch done after the first

Windows in the Martyr's Chapel, Barnabas Fund, Pewsey.

St Stephen  Window

 The new Chapel

Passion Window

results of a plein air teaching day at Great Chalfield. I was able to start a painting as others painted.

Kupumzika kwa amani Nelson Mandela

CORN STOOKS (Stacks?)

Hooray! Just heard this painting won the "Purchase Prize" in the  Oexmann Painting Competition /Exhibition which is a biennial event, held at Devizes Museum.   The exhibition will be hung in the Museum Gallery and  runs from 28th October....
(it is encouraging to get one's work officially noticed from time to time._

Corn Stooks

This painting below that was done first, over two consecutive days. In fact I laboured a bit over this, all those random stacks, getting them roughly in the right position, (missing out some as well) - painting in the dense Copper Beech was a bonus, I love those trees but it's not easy to find  a good position to paint them as being rather ornamental they are usually on private land. I had to put the Pylon in, these march everywhere across the landscape in Wiltshire.
The farm owner lady came by to say hello, and complimented me, saying she thought it looked 'Beautiful'. I didn't want to tell her of my doubts on that.  Then feeling slightly buoyed up by her positive words, as I was about to pack up but  I though I ought do a fast one of a stack, so got stuck in painting the one above very freely and fluidly, and it was soon done.
I wish It was always that quick and easy. 

Corn stooks, copper beech under pylons

Below - Another painting with characteristic pylon - entered in the same exhibition 2 years ago. It was painted at the end of February, there was a morning frost, but as the weak sun penetrated the thinning cloud, the light was beautifully delicate, and  it felt like a hint of Spring, after a long unusually cold winter..

Princes Bridge & St Mary Radcliffe spire, Bristol Dock

 The paintnigs below were made specifically and entered for the Bristol Art Prize 2013
The light was often so interesting, but changeable I therefore decided to do two frame together and show them as a Diptych. 

      

  I quickly blocked in the basics sitting at the harbour  ......
.... and nearly got blown into the water, and all the equipment too  during the second sitting the following day,

These received a "Highly Commended" tag, but sadly that doesn't come with a useful ££Prize.
However congratulations to the winners, there were some worthy paintings.

Bristol Dock,

Bristol Dock, with Princes Bridge in the distance, my designated place in the Bristol Art Prize 2013 competition. This is quite large for a plein air painting - 34" x 18" (86cmx46cm). I spent three good sessions there
There a re still bits to improve though it has just been uploaded, submitted to the competition . Competitions are a weird process. Still, worth a try....

Cloud Study from Redhorn Hill

A STORM CLOUD OVER WILTSHIRE

This  180deg scenic view is comprised of five photographs stitched together - taken from the escarpment of Salisbury plain, from Redhorn Hill above Urchfont. It was  a slow moving scene,  so I tried to paint it but at the same timeI realized my puny 14" x 10" painting  board would not capture the grandure. I'd only just managed to get a little of the scene downbefore being  driven to shelter by  a stormy downpour. .
The result is I've bought more 3mm ply and have cut much longer format boards for future works i.e 30" x 10", Hoping I can capture something worthwhile on them   .......

Visit the larger version here on Flickr

Straw bales over Little Cheverall

Catching the late summer sun ....

 an evening or two later.

Clouds above Everleigh military base

Returning from Hungerford last Monday bank holiday, there were great cumulus clouds slowly billowing above. Recognizing a place where I'd painted before at Everleigh, I stopped and did these two.

Probably too much grass and not enough cloud

Plein Air Painting days at Great Chalfield

I am planning a series of plein air paintng days with and aim to help people  who would like to try painting directly in the landscape.
It is a very challenging way of working, out in the elements,  but the results can be so rewarding bringing fresh surprises and paintings with a sense of fresh vigour, studies of landscape which one could hardly dream up in the studio. The resulting work also is great material for developing larger paintings in the studio.
At the moment the plan is to organize the days to record the changing seasons in the outlying farm estate surrounding the National trust property at Great Chalfield. 

Wheat Stacks (Stooks)

 Quick study of sheaves, stacked in groups of eight.

10" x 12" (oil on Panel)

 

 

More Evening skies at Cheverell

As with last post, both of these were painted very speedily on the same evening.

(Oil on gesso ply  6" x 8" approx)

Evening Sky over Great Cheverell and Littleton panell

Both of these were painted very speedily on the same evening.

After the first drama I turned 90deg to my right to do the second as light faded

(Oil on gesso ply  6" x 8" approx)

AVON GORGE

Spent  a good couple of hours with Tom Hughes painting the Gorge from near Clifton Suspension Bridge.
The second work from that vantage point. The light had been good but  went a bit flat in the late afternoon.

Newgale Sands, Pembrokshire

A sunny blustery day.

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Ink drawing and Watercolour.  Partially painted with a Chinese calligraphy brush 

16" x 8" (Sold)

I'm running a day  'plein air painting' course "Painting Ancient oaks"  at Great Chalfield Manor on 22nd July, to paint mainly trees. (places are still available  - Hope the weather is  as good as today!)  
Details can also be found on my painting website www.andrewptaylor.co.uk

Two studies of the Thames : Waterloo Bridge to Blackfriars Bridge

Done last 2011, the Shard not yet finished. Both times it was extremely windy, wind gusting up the river and very hard work. These feel like they need  a lot more practise.    (Top 14" x 10"  -    Lower 12" x 10" Oil on panel)

'Evening sky with Mayflower and Rapeseed'

 'Evening with Mayflower and Rapeseed' field atop Lavington Hill, edging Salisbury Plain. There could be a lot more white may blossom on that bush but the light went suddenly, perhaps I'll still add some more.        Oil on card (10.5" x 8")

JANUARY SNOW Cows, and willow trees

The painting below had a tricky beginning. I'd forgotten my double-dipper so had to paint with pure white spirit and no oil medium - the cold and fine snow seemed to affect the texture of the paint so it felt quite dry despite liberally using the wet spirits. 

 Cows at the watertank in snow, and Willow Trees

The following day, going back to do a little more to the above, the cows proved a problem. They came right up to the  two-strand electric fence, gazing curiously at me and bellowing frequently. A bull with a ring in his nose and steaming nostrils joined them and when he bellowed he had a destinct tenor tembre to his, whereas the cows and full blown bass voices. Odd that!

Looking towards Little Cheverell

All this was unerving and I couldn't really concentrate standing two feet from the fence, with 20 ton of cattle steaming so close to my elbow, so I did the painting above, moving off about 20 ft (observing the  1ft per 1ton, safety rule:) and standing with my back to them  - still unerving and checking  behind me every now and then!! This time mislaid my rigger, an essential  brush, for lines and detail, so the painting hasn't reached  a successful conclusion.

Then I was facinated, watching a small flock of starlings flying back and forth, like they weren't sure where best to settle. It looked a primal landscape, more like from a Bruegel painting, hardly like England.