The break is over

After the Winter break from Lynmouth, I am back there this week.  It makes sense to have a rest from it over winter time.  There are fewer visitors for one thing, but also the weather plays a part.  Lynmouth is in a gorge, definitely a no go for driving if it happens to be icy.

This week there were lots of visitors, it’s half term here, so it was manic with parents and children.  Even so, a lot of people stopped to chat to me.  Some just pass the time of day and others ask about my paintings.  They also ask about techniques.  Think in all, I seem to do what could be described as a Walk In Tutorial, they go away happy with some painting insights they weren’t aware of, hopefully encouraged to pick up a sketchbook and pen, then do a 10 minute sketch each day. Meanwhile during the day I continue with the painting on the easel.  

Back in the studio, I have several paintings that are considered a Work-in-Progress, a bit frustrating having to wait for them to dry.  Worth the wait though.  When I look at them after a few weeks, I can see where I need to work on them.  Another method I use is to store them for drying upside down. That way, if I happen to glance at them, I’m not getting used to constantly seeing the scene I’ve painted.  When I get around to them again, I turn them back the right way up and That’s when I see them A Fresh.

This is now waiting to dry and I’ll get back to it in a few weeks …Click the image for the video

Title:  “Seeing is Believing on Exmoor”

It didn’t record!

Whoops….I thought I was all set to record this painting from the beginning, but turned out it didn’t happen…...grrrr.  Never mind, these things happen.   So you join this on the second part of the painting process.

I’ll need to paint the sides of the canvas, but will have to wait until the painting dries a bit, then I can handle it from the easel.

Anyway, here’s “Stag on the Moor”  Oil on canvas measuring 8”x10” inches.   Click the image……

Waiting for paint to dry

I’m always waiting for paint to dry, that’s a downside to Oil painting, although also a good thing -  It means I can put the painting to one side for a couple of weeks (or more), sort of forgetting about it. When I then retrieve it from the shelf, I see it afresh and can often tell immediately if it is viable for further work.  Usually they are and so it is like starting again, but the basics are down.

I currently have several paintings in the studio at that stage, but this week I took one such part-worked painting with me to the Exmoor National Park Centre in Lynmouth, where I completed it.

 ~ Pleased with the result ~ 

 *note:   I'll admit that my monitor brings this painting up far brighter than it is in person

If you click the image above, hopefully it will take you to a short video clip showing the painting on the easel in Lynmouth when I had decided that the painting was DONE.

Update and complete

As I said in my previous Post, I would update you with this paintings progress.  Glad to say it has now been completed and I'm pleased with this version (yes, there will be other versions in the future, but the weather will be different).

Hopefully I've conveyed "Distance" and the feel of a day after the rains (the puddles tell the viewer what the weather has been).

and here's a couple of close-ups:

the Texture is the weave of the canvas, but this doesn't actually show up as obviously in real life, it must be how the camera has captured it

 

Now to concentrate on another artwork, I keep busy with paintings-in-progress and lovin' it.

Finally this one is considered done...

 ....I think

Apart from a bit of drying time, for those completed tweaks, this painting will eventually be online.

I really enjoy doing these landscapes - all based on the views from nearby Exmoor and also, not so far from us, Dartmoor.  They are both a wealth of information and inspiration for painters.  

here's a very short little clip from my Tiktok showing this painting

- as always click the image:

Waiting for paint to day

When you're an Oil painter, waiting for paint to dry is the norm.  I found that a bit frustrating years ago, as I wanted to get on and complete a piece of art, but nowadays I go with the flow as they say.  In fact, in many ways, it works in my favour by giving me time away from the painting, I then look at it again some weeks later and 'see it with fresh eyes', this enables me to know if anything needs more work.  

This is exactly what happened with this one...

"Break in the Clouds" had been set aside for some weeks, so when I put it back on the easel again, I could see where to add extra detail/s.  The danger is you can keep going, changing this, changing that, and get nowhere - in the end you have to say 'That's it done".... as with this one.  It has the atmosphere I was after.  

'Where is this scene'  I hear you ask.  It isn't far from home and sums up so many views across Exmoor.  When we go for a drive to Lynton and the Valley of Rocks, I catch glimpses of painting opportunities and have tried to capture some of them in memory but also some quick photos from the car.... as here  ⤵︎ 

Admittedly they aren't particularly great photos ... but they're certainly enough to jog my memory and even, as with the last picture, the clouds give me ideas for paintings.

As an artist, I'm very inspired by other artists.  Oh the list is endless.  Artists copy other Artists, it's a given and I love watching artists work, in person and also through Youtube.  Some of you may remember that I have taken various 1 or up to 5 day Workshops...mainly those have been in Watercolour.  They have served me well and I've taken away (even a very small part) some gem or idea that has gone into my work. 

The same goes for Youtube and various artists including Stuart Davies (I've mentioned him before on this blog).  His Channel is full of inspiration, although he works his landscapes the same every time.  Not a bad thing, it has to be said, and one thing he points out is getting artists to 'relax and not worry about applying paint to canvas' - just go for it and not avoid going back over an old painting.  The old Masters used to do that a lot.  X-Ray's of their works have shown they painted over and changed their artwork several times.  Lets face it, they made mistakes or weren't happy with their art, like the rest of us.

I had a 12x12 inch canvas painting which wasn't working, so I gessoed over it.  And there it sat waiting for 'Something'.  Then the other day I had that "eureka moment" - or at least a moment of "Oh just get on with it".  That was enough for me to put lots of lovely juicy paint on my freshly cleaned palette (nothing like a clean palette to start me off) and within 30 minutes I had painted this one ↴

~ ann ~

  

Another canvas painting completed

I'm calling this one 

'Valley on Exmoor'

(measures approx 24" x 16")