Finished this one off with a few touches here and there.

And then we all went to Padstow and Alana my daughter and I sat in a field and drew the Estuary looking over to Rock while my son Sam and Lorraine went for a 10 mile cycle ride. We had Pasties and ice cream and also listened to a brass band ..for about 10 mins till Alana chewed my ear off to go. . Wot a day.

We have been to a nice hotel in Porth which is near near Newquay for a nights break. They had an outdoor heated swimming pool which we swam in twice ,once in the evening and at 8 am before a full Cornish breakfast with Hogs pudding.Yum Yum!Lorraine went in the Sea which you can get to by the hotels own private path. Cor ! it was great...Here is the view from the window. We could only afford to stay one night but it was worth it.

Our extention is coming along just fine with the footings in . Were off to spend the night in a Hotel in Padstow and I`ll be doing some drawing.

And here is a very sneak preview of the end of the day workings..

As a bit of light relief from painting the grey tones of Cornwall I am playing with this little oil of Collioure in the South of France.To some this might seem a little populist but I love this type of painting. I`ve always loved the Scottish colourists and the Impressionists and of course my Grandfather George Hann painted this subject matter only with a palette knife.It`s still just naive in style so I think I can pass it.

Having left this for a day and putting some Holy Hocks in I am really pleased now. I think these are Holy Hocks? I saw them on the coastal path walking into Mousehole and thought they looked pretty..

And here's the painting...so far....it does worry me that these are so subdued in colour ,if you compare with a similar picture a few blogs back the colour just opens your eyes...

Again went to Mousehole with my pencil and camera. Observing and observing a bit more. I`ll give it a few more days .There are bits and pieces seeping in slowly. Here's my sketchpad .

I went to Mousehole today in the sweltering heat and drew. Just me and a sketch pad.Oh and a pasty a bit later.

Still working on these Grey pictures. Ive` changed to a cardboard surface instead of canvas to give me more detail. I`m just tinkering in the sweltering heat on a weekend really between barbecues and the beach .Tough life!!But seriously I am experimenting ..and also using a grey frame to put them in.

Made a start on a new one following on from the pale greys of the last painting.

My good friend and superb Artist Colin Ruffell commented that he liked my picture of Mousehole. But.... since then and having lived with it for a day I took out the grey sea on the left and painted it green and really overworked it..I hated the green needless to say. So I painted the grey sea back but Left some of the extra features like the people on the arm.I like it now and promise not to touch it again....really

I`ve had this one of Pals which is near Girona in Spain come back from Simon the photographer. I think I need shades to look at the Sunflowers

Daphne and Nicks Temporary accomodation at Mousehole. 60x67cm oil on canvas

Went to St Michaels Mount today with Lorraine .We walked over on the causeway and came back on the boat as the tide had come in. I feel a painting coming on...

Ive also started this of Padstow. .This is just a sneak preview and very unfinished.

We all went to Porthminster Beach today in St Ives and I took my Plein air painting gear. However Lorraine offered me a beer and I promptly fell into a deep sleep. Here they are with a friend having just walked over to St Ives and back on the incoming tide.

Ive stopped working on this. I should finish it off but having just done a similer one I am bored with it so I have put it to one side to attemt other things. As I am really enjoying working in oil at the moment I want to keep going and trying to do it all my way. Its hard I find to not follow the current trend and to do your own thing, from your own mind .Thats the only way you can be original.

This is my second day working on this impasto oil of Pals again.Its a little difficult to step back in my now enclosed little cave and its a bit cold as the doors have to be open for the builders to go through with there wheelbarrows and stuff but if I just keep on going it should be ok and not get to flustered by my new surroundings.

And of course they will be traipsing through my studio to get in and out so I have made a partition so I can have my space and most importantly control the light. I don`t mind the builders making noise I can put up with most things but the light needs to be controllable so I can see what I am painting .

Back home now from London and Brighton and have started a new painting today. Also our house is having an extra bedroom and bathroom put on the back. Here we are as a Family this morning except Sam my son who`s 15 and refused to be drawn away from his cornflakes.And above is how it looks at the end of the day.

Managed to complete this one and tomorrow I`m off to London to deliver work and see Family and friends in Brighton and Rye.

And here it is a little larger

Really pulled out all stops and worked furiously to get this image on to the canvas. Well pleased now and going for swim for some much needed exercise

I have gone slightly off track here and have started a new Sunflowers picture of Pals in Palafrugel. Its tricky. And oil which is slow work.