Saundersfoot Beach

Yesterday we went off to Saundersfoot. Not the best of forecasts but there could be a window of opportunity. Anyway when we got there it was raining and it was also blowing a gale literally. there was a 30 knot wind gusting over the town. Note I am not wearing my cap! We had a walk and I found a couple of spots I could shelter from the wind and after half an hour the rain stopped although it was still pretty gloomy.
I set up under the promenade wall and got going. Aex and Jac had a good run down to Coppet Hall and back. Just after I finished the rain came again so it was good timing.

There is the finished painting. I didn't do anything to it after I got it home other than remove a couple of flies and some sand Jac had flicked at it!

This weekend

This weekend we are looking after a couple of grandchildren while their parents have some time to regain their sanity.  They are really not that bad its just as you get older children become slightly more alien (yes I spelt it right). Although today is an exception the weather is looking pretty bleak ahead so nto a geat deal of prospects for getting out to paint although Monday morning might be a possibility. The watercolour above is out of a sketchbook. Its one I did in the Fjords. It had to be quick as we were sailing passed at the time.

Alex is a bit of a fan of "Dickensian" which is fine but she has started to call me "Mr Bumble"! Anyway I forgive her. She dealt with a call the other day and turned down a commission for wedding portraits. I have done a couple recently but its not what I want to do.

Gwendraeth at Kidwelly Quay

I checked the forecast today and thought with a bit of luck I might get a morning's painting in. It was frosty first thing and rain forecast this afternoon but with a little luck eh? We went down to Kidwelly Quay where the Gwendraeth exits into the Burry Inlet. I chose a view up river for mainly the pragmatic reason I was sheltered from the wind by the Quay wall.  Working quickly with large brushes I got on okay. There was a flock of lapwings on the far bank which I included in the painting. I had a good chat with a few interested onlookers.

Anyway no real problems and by the look of the coming storm this weekend the last time painting outside for me in January.

A bend on the river Towy

A bend on the river Towy. A nice cheerful painting on a not so great day. You can follow the process of the building of this painting so no real need to explain. You can see I changed my mind on the tree on the left. It grew from bushes to an oak to break up the horizontal lines and pull it all together but apart from that not much changed.

Brecon and Monmouth canal

We have been away for a week but before we went I did the above painting of the Brecon and Monmouth Canal. I started loosely with a brush full of turps and light grey (ultramarine, burnt umber and white) to mark out some sort of boundaries. Note I have already decided on the darkest values.

Then it was a matter of building up the painting and refining the boundaries adding detail.

We had a nice time away walking nine or ten miles a day. I didn't do any painting but noted a few subjects I may return to.  We had one harsh moment. The camper van door swung shut while we were outside. The deadlock jumped and locked the door. Jac was stuck inside but was no use ! Fortunately we had a spare key. Unfortunately it was in my pocket hanging up inside. Anyway after 5 minutes we figured how to get in without causing any damage.

On the way home a tipper lorry decided to throw a rock off its load on the motorway. It bounced and hit our front valance cracking it. Could have been a lot worse.

Gower Sunrise

Here is the finished painting of Gower Sunrise. It was a beautiful morning with a warm glow on the beach as the sun poked above the horizon, which I hope I have managed to capture.

It was like Christmas today. Well Christmas 2014. I finally received my present from Alex a great hand knitted jumper. It may have taken over 2 years to knit but it was worth it.!!

The other day we were watching "Dickensian" on TV. "Venus" a character from "Our Mutual Friend" was explaining the difference between men and women.
He said,"Women are made to talk."
I turned to Alex to say something but before I could open my mouth I got the look. I shut my mouth and looked back to the television. Probably a wise decision.

Gower Sunrise first stages

It's been a while since I could get into my studio with furniture and paintings piled in there as we had the builder in. I have been out a couple of times this year but I have now got my studio clear and started on a couple of studio works. For this painting I grabbed a largish brush (10 flat) and dived straight in to the work. I had a good idea of how I wanted it to look and how to get there. Its not a good idea to experiment or think about this half way through an oil  painting. You can end up with mud.

I worked  my way down avoiding any mix of yellow and blue for obvious reasons (green is not great for a sunrise sky). I kept with my one brush but keeping it absolutely clean for colour changes. I will post the finished work tomorrow.

Alex has been out to the January sales and came back very proud of a new collection of cushions for the lounge. To be fair the old ones were pretty tatty.  She then went out to see her mom. I finished painting and went in to the lounge and immediately fell about laughing, Jac had gathered all the new cushions and made himself comfortable on top of them, like a bird in a nest. He was obviously very pleased with the purchase. I quickly replaced them all before Alex got home!