Sennen and Porthmeor Beach

Went to Sennen Cove yesterday with the family and found a great place to do a painting with the lifeboat coming into the water.I wonder if they`ll pose for me. Today we all went to Porthmeor Beach. It was hot and busy although at this time of the year still relatively quite.Didn`t do any work as it was a family outing.

Brighton Beach oil.

Just went in to the studio after breakfast to paint the beach picture in oil. It`s very crude I know and as I go along Plein air Painting I hope to
refine my work as I see more. The love of paint in a childish expressive way is what I enjoy most.

last orders

And one last session at Pavillion Gardens before we all go hiome to Penzance tomorrow. Goodbye Brighton. Thanks for a great little break.Also go to http://colinruffell.blogspot.com and see Colin Ruffels work from the same place . Really nice!

Brighton Beach

Went to the Beach with my son Sam and did some painting. Great fun ,lots of passers by looking and all that. Great

Pavillion Cafe

And here is the pic I did of the Cafe.Colin has his version too on http://colinruffell.blogspot.com

Brighton Pavillion

Had a great morning painting in Pavillion Gardens with my mate Colin Ruffell.www.crabfish.com. The Pavillion Gardens is a favourite spot fot Tourists as it is a stunning Building with the most beautiful gardens. Lots of people peeking at the work and asking about us including the Head Gardener who I have met before and the owner of the Cafe who wanted more Artists to paint his Cafe. The head Gardener also said the same about his Gardens. What a wonderful response . Here is a pic of Colin hard at work .

1/2 hr sketch

Again a quick sketch. Looking foreward if the sun shines to spending more time here.

Brighton Pavilion

Weds. Went sketching at the Brioghton Pavillion. Loads of people there enjoying the spring sunshine and the community spirit.I`ve been using watercolours again. I havn`t used these for years .They are portable and fresh. The Pavillion is a great spot as every turn you make there is a picture

Brighton

Off to Brighton Sunday morning .Hopefully do some Plein air painting there .See you all next Sunday

Again the Harbour

I had to go to Truro to see my Consultant Neurologist. Theres been no cures for Devics MS and no closer to understanding why people get it. So after he prodded me a few times I rushed back to paint the Harbour as time was pressing. Had only had an hour today. Paintings like this is like asking a professional Footballer to play professional Cricket. You know how to handle a ball but it`s a totally different sport. Thats How I feel.

Penzance Harbour.

After going out once then coming home and scraping off my work I completed this little piece 16x16ins. I may have bitten off a bit to much as the Harbour is a tricky subject with so much information with the town and the harbour. so I tried to simplify it. I am going to try again as this to me is a bit Patrick Heron. Too abstract.

no 2

I`ve been out twice today to the same spot. I do feel very nervous about being so exposed in public and hope this passes. Plus the change of working method from internal to external source of reference. so I am all in the air.What I do love about Plein air painting especially in oil is the immediacy and spontaneity. If I can try working Plein air without being tied down to much it MIGHT work.

Oh Dear Oh Dear Oh Dear!

Been out Plein air Painting. Its taken me two days to get this out of my system and today I plucked up the courage. I`m working in oils and will give it a week or so before I decide to continue.

Villa Franche complete

All done!. Now, where was I?

blank canvas

Few things can be as attractive and mystifying as a blank canvas. The possibilities are endless .What to do ???? how to do it???? just start? or work from a picture .Who`s knows .Its like stepping out into the unknown and always but always the pre intentions of the mind are tripped up by the natural creative process in an effort to be authentic. Yes it`s a little wonky, just move it up a little, Emm! what to do??

As I have a show coming up in Wimbledon in October I thought I should try something a little different. So I am working on a view over Villa Franche which I took last year. I`ve been wanting to paint this for some time but is a far cry from the subdued Cornish colour. This is it at lunchtime. its not finished yet

Still Life Porthcurno

A long time ago when I started out painting I walked into a London Gallery in Cork St in London and had a big awakening. I would go up from Brighton once a week to learn about Art . I would go to all the best Galleries and I quickly learn`t a thing or two about where I wanted to go and what excited me most but this was a shock. Among the Terry Frosts the Matisses and Alberto Morroco`s the Mary Feddens and the Fred Cumming the Hockneys and the rest was a group of Art I steared clear of. The work was very commercial and slightly fussy even twee. How could I possibly like this but the truth dawned on me that I did . I liked the unpretentiousness of it.From this experience I realized that there bits of my personality I just have to own up too. Occasionally I will paint one of these pictures and here is one. A slightly fussy ,slightly twee picture that I just love and will not go over.

Porthcurno

This is the state of play at the end of this day. Its of Porthcurno and I have to wait for the paint to dry before I can finish it. I hope to put some flowers in the Jug that my wife Lorrainre picked from the cliffs at Lamorna,so Sea Pinks and Daisies and maybe a fisherman crabbing which I saw when I was there last. Thats not a promise as tomorrow is another day .

Scillonian11

Yesterday I was all done in so I painted another Scillonian. I sold one like this recently only bigger and thought I would like to do another with different characters. Sometimes when the creative juices dry up you just need to do something to get you going.

Gig Rowers ar Marrazion

And this is how I finished the day.

Gig Rowers

Mondays are always funny days where the task is all uphill getting my eyes `IN` and exploring the field. I started out wanting to paint a nice clean blocky image to follow my previous picture of Newlyn but soon realized that the `creative force` had other ideas. So this is how it ended up at Lunchtime

And now for something completely different

I painted this little beaut last year and is a family picture which means I won`t sell it.It`s of the view from our hotel window on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. I love Nice. Every morning we had croissaints and coffee and in the evenings we ate in the old town.

Lamorna Cove

Went to Lamorna Cove after Lunch. Lorraine and Sam went off around the coastal walk while I sat and listened to the waves .

Framing Day

Today was spent mostly finishing off frames for work going to Thompsons Gallery in Marylebone. I like to colour the frames myself with a blue-grey wash.Work is also going to the Market house Gallery in Marrazion for the first time.www.markethousegallery.co.uk.

Newlyn to St Michaels Mount

Well. Colin said to be careful so I ;;OH! Colins my mate who does really good pictures of London ;www.crabfish.com ,So I was careful. I`ll leave this now and move on.SPOT THE DIFFERENCE.

Newlyn to St Michaels Mount

While I am waiting for paint to dry and finishing of my Cheese and Pickle sarnie I thought I would publish this unfinished piece.Again limiting the pallete.

Limited Pallete

This is a new pic of an old pic which I went over because I thought it was drab. On second thoughts I rather like the limited pallette so I did it again. It sits in a blue grey frame and looks charming.

Newlyn

Newlyn seems to offer me all kinds of potential .I was there today snapping away above the rooftops.I`m thinking of doing something with roofs and the harbour below.I can see why Artists come here .The light is superb.

Picy 2

And here is Piccy 2

clear up

Spent the day cleaning up the studio .These are before pics. You`ll have to take my word it has been done. 4pm Now off for a swim .Then over to St Ives for Tea.Wot a life!!