An expressive summer
I have a new project underway with an expressive theme after being inspired on a recent course at The Lund in North Yorkshire with well known artist Debbie Loane. Scroll down to see some of the work I created on this four-day summer school.
The images above and below are seascapes with brooding skies, moody seas and imposing headlands. I'm keeping the palette quite limited so I can work in a range of greys over golds and oranges. I'm honing and improving a process that I began years ago to find a way to depict this subject afresh using my layered monotype process.
The sea always poses a bit of a problem as the ripples are a complex pattern that's difficult to capture. I've found a new technique to give a more natural "wet" look which I'm quite pleased with! Experimenting and finding a new way to do something that fits perfectly with the subject is what I love to do. I'm not happy if it becomes laborious or contrived.
Alongside these seascapes, I'm doing some small landscapes that follow on directly from my efforts on the Expressive Landscape course. We drove up to the top of White Horse Bank and looked down across the valley - a huge panoramic vista which was a little overwhelming. Scroll down to see some of the drawings I made on site. The one directly below is a plan for a new composition thinking through the perspective of the fields as they diminish towards the horizon.
I've used the trace monotype method to depict these little fields - I may add more layers of colour to give them a bit more variety. This is quite different from my usual textured patchwork fields.
This one also connects to my family holiday in the Peak District. It will have a rocky outcrop and heather in the foreground. Here I am with that view in the background!
These last few images all come from my time on the Expressive Landscape course at The Lund. It was the most refreshing few days and I loved every minute of it. I stayed in their beautiful cottage and sauntered over to the studio each morning. It was lovely to be on the receiving end of instructions and have a break from my own artistic practice! In the large studio I sat next to another lovely artist called Lindsay Tyson.
I hope to share my new work with you next month when they will hopefully be complete. (I should make faster progress with my boys back at school and university!) Do let me know in the comments below if you connect with any of these places or images or if you've found inspiration this summer.
Sign up below if you want to receive notifications about my new work and blog posts.