A New Series of drawing/paintings

I seem to have been away from both blog and coursework for an eternity- but have tapped into a completely logical yet strange source of inspiration. This started when I bought a book on contemporary drawing- not listed in the course reading list- which I found by chance in an art shop in Truro as I was struggling with one of the research units (still not written it up). The second catalyst was when a friend asked me to erect their horocope- I've practised astrology for 30+ years but have slowed down over the last few years until now.

While I was drawing the chart- which is akin to constructing a mandala- a meditative experience- I started to think about all the stuff I'd read recently about contemporary drawing, and what it could relate to. And I thought- if I take the aspect net (the pattern made by angles between planets in a chart) and superimpose it on an abstract painting made personal by what I know about the person involved- what would happen?

I realise I'm talking a lot esoteric, a bit abstract and a bit scientific here, and possibly surreal as well. Bear with me...

Anyway, I did a painting for my friend and superimposed the aspect net on it, using different weight lines to differentiate the strenght of the aspect influences. And d'you know- it worked. The differing line widths had my trial onlookers peering closer to unravel the full picture. And you do have the feeling of having to look closer to discover- of having to get to the bottom of the matter. I personally feel like that when confronted with one of Naum Gabo's Constructionist works- which is why I currently think that this falls under Constructivism, using pre-determined data sets to produce an outcome.

So I was on a roll now, I got a load of other birth data together and ran with it. Sometimes I used metallic lines, sometimes significant colour choices. (Either of which don't aways photograph particularly well) In addition, I used data from specific times and places to generate patterns of events which were significant in my life. then: as I am currently going through a bit of upheaval personally, I generated data for what was going on in the here and now. Some of this got mutated by my descision to utilise comparative data where an artificial set of "midpoints" (akin to an average) is produced and a completely different aspect net shows up.

At this point it seeems right to say that I love where this idea is going. I am using symbolic systems which I have worked with for many years to produce coherent visual images, and can deal with issues of self-discovery, redemption and healing, all of which have eluded me in my former essays into the abstract. I feel as though I have finally tapped into something which is true to my "voice", and the ideas keep flowing. Having produced 10 works and 2 working drawings in 10 days I am exhausted, but my compulsion to continue is there.

Whether I can find a gallery to represent me remains to be seen, but I have had some useful pointers tonight from contemporary West Cornwall artists having shared a little of what I am currently embedded in. The current art market is difficult and with potential customers tightening their belts, the niche market needs to be more carefully sought. Presentation is also key and tonight I tapped up contacts on any ideas on good framers who understand the needs of the artist and- more importantly- the gallery. (P.S. got two solid ones- never forget to chat to the peeps in a drop-in class...)

However the hour is late and I'm going to leave you now, I will have the Spiral Dance series online asap at http://www.awmcguire.webs.com/ in it's own gallery i.e. "Spiral Dance".

Thanks to anyone who read this to the end...
Liz x

Struggles with figures: Life drawing part 3

Having spent all day locked in the studio trying to catch up on some still life work and with rain and gales rattling the windows, I almost talked myself out of going to life class this week, but eventually reminded myself that at the very least I was going to fill a sketchbook (at the rate I'm now working on larger sheets, that may take some time).

I found it very difficult to settle this time, and my first couple of attempts definitely lacked a certain anything.

My first attempt took several attempts to get the mass of the right leg vaguely accurate, and I couldn't get to grips with the overall proportions. I also found the model's long hair really interrupted the lines of the neck and shoulders and made it far more difficult to get these correct.

The second attempt was a little better although I haven't really got the sense of her sitting on the block- she appears to be levitating slightly. I decided to change to larger paper for the next pose.

This was a lot better although I still fell into my usual trap of not getting the feet placed correctly. On the plus side, I managed not to fall off the page while fitting the model to the picture plane.

I was rather relieved to make a good fist of this fourth pose, although I now see as I write that the half hidden leg suggests a rather fatter shape than it should be. By this time I had also realised that the model's bone structure was showing clearly and that I should capitalise on this to describe the form of the body.

Everthing went downhill again with this one, though, while there are several parts which look pretty good they are all too disjointed or out of proportion to add up to a whole.

This second standing pose was also off, and I concentrated on getting the twist of the torso right.

The reclining pose which followed was one I should have liked to have a longer time for. I opted to work in white conte and charcoal to emphasise the tonal shapes on the foreshortened torso. I felt it was coming together quite well when I ran out of time!

I came similarly unstuck on the next pose, where I found it very difficult to get the bunched muscles in the bent knee, and spent too long trying to rectify this that the rest of the drawing suffered from inattention.

Consequently the hips are too wide, the arms too thin, the head misshapen- I could go on but I'm sure the reader can see the faults for themselves!

Finally, I rather liked this study of her back, but wished I had managed to fit it on the page as it is a really good pose which could be worked up into a painting.

Overall it was a rather frustrating night, although I was not the only one struggling to get into the flow. I felt that I could have got much more from it had I not been bogged down by trying to get the overall picture- and as a result I think I will concentrate on particular sections of the body next week if I find something particularly appealing or interesting, rather than always trying to draw the entire pose.

Life- but not as we know it... Life Drawing part 2

Having just recovered from a nasty bout of flu it was touch and go whether I was going to make life class this week, but I dragged my wooly head down there eventually. Still planning on using my sketchbook primarily, this week I chose to use a "sketching horse"- a plank bench with a support to hold the working surface up in front of you. (Note to self- next time take a cushion; they are not kind to buttocks!)

Our model this week was of a completely different build to the last, being more curvaceous, less muscled, and shorter in height, and it was interesting to apply the rules of proportion I'd (briefly) swotted up on.

Having got caught out as we started abruptly I seized what I thought was a sanguine pencil for the first study, only to find it was an Inktense red crayon, which although the point wore down quite quickly I thought in the end worked quite well. If anything the head is a little small though.

For the second pose I opted to use graphite- it turned out I hadn't brought a sanguine pencil- I didn't have too much problem with the outline but struggled to place the shadow along the spine correctly, something I was already attempting to rectify when the tutor pointed it out.

The third pose, standing, I remembered to draw a light guide for the divisions so my effort didn't have short legs. I had to keep looking at the compressed forearm muscles on the right arm, but as far as drawing what I saw, I couldn't see that I had made an error although they appear oversized in the drawing. I spent so long trying to fix this that I only briefly placed the head at the very end. I also made my usual error of not lenghtening the foreground leg enough although I was pleased that I had remembered to check the line of balance through the vertical.

On the fourth pose I changed to conte stick. This time there were no comments as my tutor passed by, so I guess I was on the right lines, although I'm not sure if I had drawn in the right foot at that point- I feel the foreshortening is a bit off. The face was a bit rushed too, but caught the angle of the tilted head.

We now had a reclining pose, and faced at first with the model's back view I had to think how best to start. I underestimated the lenght horizontally but did remember to let the leg go off the edge of the page instead of trying to fit it into the available space- I'm trying for accuracy at the moment: Picasso-esque distortions can come later! I used contour lines to build up some shading and model form, and overall was rather pleased with the end result.

We broke for a cuppa, during which I decided to have a go on some large sheets with charcoal, so I set myself up with a board and sugar paper ready for the off. Still perched on the "horse" I didn't really have room to support the larger board in portrait mode, so made the decision to crop and draw the upper torso only. I tried to use a more tonal approach once I had established the main shapes, so as to model the form although the electric lighting does make it difficult at night to see shadow as there are several overhead light sources. I've not been in this studio during the day to see the effect of the big north lights in the roof.

I stayed with charcoal for the next study, trying to use only tone, but added some white conte on the highlights to define the upper edges. The head turned out too small, and I rather misplaced the position of the chair back as it pushed into her back higher up from where I have drawn it. And yes, it was that small; the model did make a joking complaint about it when she got up.

Steve suddenly decided to spring a five minute pose on us so I quickly changed back to sketchbook and graphite and focussed on getting the lines down as accurately as possible. I found myself almost drawing without looking at the page, as I had all my concentration on the model and felt rather than saw the marks I was making. The further leg had a larger space visible underneath but I feel it is quite a successful drawing.

For the final pose that evening, I chose to use white conte and the red crayon I had used initially- I'm not entirely sure where this idea came from and I questioned my wisdom about five minutes in, when it was rather late to change. However in the final analysis it didn't turn out too badly; I felt I had caught the line of the back which had first leapt out at me, although once again the head is on the small side, and the near hand is not entirely correct.

It was useful to have done some pieces on a larger scale this week, while I remind myself that I need a good selelction in the sketchbook to submit later on, large paper is far more user friendly when making the big gestural marks that charcoal begs for. Once again I enjoyed the class and had the opportunity to speak to other people, and the highest praise was offered by the model herself who thought I had done some good drawings (we were in the foyer where I was spraying fixative) and said I should stick with it. So... more next week I guess...

Lost in Negative Space

Note- this exercise is severely out of sequence in the assignment; despite being a trained horticulturalist my ability to kill pot plants is legendary, so having found the perfect specimen I really needed to seize the moment.
On another note, my main camera has died and the photos here are taken on my back-up compact camera, apologies for the inferior quality.

Amid the instructions for this exercise was this rider: "you may need to add enough lines to make the image readable to the viewer". Well, I know a challenge when I see one so was determined to find a plant which would not require extra "readability". I finally settled on a schefflera, as it has plenty of gaps through the foliage and a complex and challenging shape where the leaves interlace. My initial outline was done in pencil and gone over with drawing pen. I drew in the back of the table to anchor the image to the frame.

Having achieved a reasonable image on my first attempt, I was itching to colour it in. I traced off a couple of outlines onto marker paper to play with. On the first of these, I began to fill in the negative spaces in black ink, starting with the internal shapes. When I ran out of these I realised that the way they were disposed across the page made for an interesting dynamic shape, so I opted not to fill in the remaining background. (Or maybe I've just been drawing too many shells; the shape is suggestive of the central spiral in a whelk)

Next I fetched out the markers and quckly chose a series of pastel shades to scrawl across the area of the plant, before shading the background in a darker tone.

By this time I was throughly enjoying chasing down the many design possibilities in the drawing, and began thinking in terms of printmaking; the silhouette would be equally adaptable as either linocut or silkscreen. I opted to draw a monochrome version cropped through with a trapezoid shape for the background; I was also exploring the lengths to which I could crop or abstract the image before it lost its readability.

I had slightly adapted the shape in this one to improve the line- I had removed the supporting bamboo stick and drew in the base of the stem to give a clean finish to the bottom.

A couple of days later, having had time to think up new approaches, I decided to abstract two sections onto a circle, layering them and applying tone to identify them. I drew my circle onto tracing paper and began with the top section, moving the frame around until I was happy with the intersection around the rim.
For the second layer, I moved the paper over the lower set of leaves and aligned it so that the stem section lined up with what was already drawn, as I didn't want a second stem showing. I changed to a brown drawing pen to be able to identify which lines belonged to which layer, even so it rapidly became a confusing mass of lines, and I had little choice but to colour it in to make visual sense again.

To avoid having outlines on the final version, I traced the design through to a flesh tinted card with an embossing tool, using enough pressure to give a clear outline which could be seen in raking light, before colouring it in.

Sadly the spare camera's software didn't like the colours I used, and the picture doesn't really show how well it worked. If I wasn't a total klutz with image software, I'd happily scan and mask it for flat areas of colour and the ability to try out lots of colourways in a shorter time span. However, I think a week is enough time spent on this exercise for now, and it's time to get back on track and find out where I put my half-finished stipple drawing...

Proportional Misrepresentation: Life Drawing part 1

Having finally got round to becoming a member of St Ives School of Painting, I really had no excuse to avoid life class any longer, and attended my first one last night. Arriving early, I had plenty of time to fiddle with easel, chair and trolley to find the best working position for the A3 sketchbook I had brought with me for a first go, as well as chatting to one or two of the other people there. I had packed a varied selection of media to use and opted to start with sanguine conte.

As the tutor rightly pointed out, I drew the shoulders too wide, and the arms too short in relation to each other. Actually I was relieved to have produced a humanoid shape, however inaccurate, as I consider myself to be particularly weak in drawing people and had fallen back on the line and negative shape exercises I have been working with on the still life assignments.

I changed to charcoal and attempted to model the form in tone, not easy as the fluorescent overhead lighting limited the amount of shadow/light contrast.

Although I caught the slope of the shoulders correctly, the width of the further collarbone is too great, and the upper arm too narrow. I had problems also with the foreshortened hand resting on the knee, and in hindsight I think the size of the head may be on the small side.

The next pose, standing this time, went from bad to worse. I concentrated too much on trying to catch the twist of the body and made the legs far too short. Once again the tutor came to my rescue and showed me that the head-to-navel should be equal to the navel-to-feet measurement.



I attempted to correct the lenght of the legs (the original foot position can be seen) but the size of the head is too big- it only divides by five and a half times into the body.

For the fourth pose I opted to use a 6B pencil, and the reclining shape proved much easier to get to grips with, although I had to carefully consider the size of the nearest foot.

Overall I thought this was far more successful, although possibly the lower buttock is a little too rounded where it meets the podium surface.

We stopped for a tea break which gave me the opportunity to see some of what other people had been doing. One lady, an art teacher preparing for a project on movement relating to the Degas exhibition, had been working in neocolor, and the medium showed a really nice texture in her studies. The man next to me (I recognised him as an artist working in town) had inks set out, and I asked him what he was making marks with; they proved to be long thin willow sticks trimmed to either a point or nib, with which he was exploring the amount of control and unpredictability in the marks made.



After our break, the next pose was particularly challenging from where I was sat, and I found myself failing to observe the relative positions of feet and chair. I also omitted the right hand, as I ran out of time while attempting to correct the feet.

When faced with another standing pose, I attempted to construct a box and grid to ensure the shape fitted, however I still went wrong on the top half/bottom half split. I'm not sure whether my eye was thrown by looking up at the model, as she was on a surface a foot above the floor and I was seated. I've made a note to myself to try at least a couple of poses next week while standing at the easel.

For the final pose, I had turned the page and was preparing to start when a loose sheet of black paper fell out of my book, so I changed to white conte and concentrated on a tonal study (in negative). This I felt was the most successful of all my attempts this evening, and was a good motivation to return next week.

I enjoyed the class much more than I had expected. Most of the poses were 10 minutes, except for the reclining one which was held for 15 minutes, so it really forced me to concentrate on getting the likeness down (although without the panic which ensues when given only 5 or less minutes). The class tutor circulates frequently and offers helpful comments where needed; I had had the opportunity to tell him of my reasons for attending and that it was my first ever experience of drawing the nude. I'm rather looking forward to next week, although I need to make some reference notes about anatomical proportion and try to bear these in mind while I draw.

 On this first visit, I deliberately chose only to use my sketchbook while I adjusted to being outside my comfort zone in a completely new envirionment. Next time I will be working for at least some of the time on larger paper, and I may take a wider selection of media with me to experiment with, such as pastel pencils and oil crayon.

Sven Berlin, his Dark Monarch, and the Tower

I have just finished reading the recently republished "Dark Monarch" by Sven Berlin, expecting to discover a behind the scenes look at the art colony of St Ives, filled with tidbits of gossip about their antics.

In point of fact the book really has very little about the activities of the group other than as a means to advance and string together the narrative, which is a loosely autobiographical account using alternate names for places and people. St Ives becomes "Cuckoo Town" presumably because of the number of infidelities described.

At the opening, Sven, only recently returned to the town, is coming to terms with the breakup of his marriage. It progresses through a poignant and ultimately tragic love affair to a final betrayal of Sven's personal sense of freedom and integrity. Told exclusively from Sven's viewpoint, some events are occaionally subsumed by his violent bouts of temper: in writing surfacing as occasionally libellous vitriol. It is difficult to decide how much these mood swings were caused by his self-confessed use of barbiturates, or whether an underlying psychological condition had been triggered during his breakdown following war service.

While his demons are personified in the folkloric Dark Monarch of the title, another recurrent theme in the book is that of his "Tower", a building he rented as a studio and workshop. I believe the symbolic relevance of the Tower, taken in context with other events in the book, gives an enhanced understanding of Sven's ambivalent attitudes to his life, friendships, and sense of both place and security.

Having first obtained the Tower in a shared arrangement with some acquaintances, he is then forced to fight over possession of the upper floor, which is to him the most important area of the building. Subsequently having obtained sole use of a space one could suppose he would settle into, instead he seems to have a constant stream of visitors, party-goers and lodgers - one having escaped from the mental hospital - and one is left with the impression that the Tower never truly became the hermitage and refuge that he looked for at the outset. He distances himself geographically from the town in the book by placing the tower on a (ficticious) tidal island.

Today the Tower still stands, by the slipway to Porthgwidden Beach adjacent to the public toilets which were built on the space Sven formerly used for working on his sculptures, and which represent one of the final great betrayals at the close of the book. It is a nondescript edifice, easily overlooked, barely seen from the road until one is level with the toilet block. The window facing the road is now blind; boarded over. The door is painted the ubiquitous blue of St Ives. Intriguingly the east window was ajar and a curtain of contemporary design was half-drawn, suggesting current occupation.

I had gone in search of it because the most recent photo found on the internet was taken in 2009. There has been some building development in the area, and I couldn't honestly remember seeing the building despite frequent walks in that area of town. It has a mystique by virtue of being overshadowed and camouflaged by the toilet block, and, in its uncompromising utilitarian location, has a certain pathos in the very fact of its continuing existence.

On leaving St Ives, Sven moved to Hampshire, where later he wrote the "Dark Monarch", and which was to bring all his demons crashing down on him. The resulting libel suits ruined him financially and the book was withdrawn only days after publication. Now, the manuscript has been republished, following permission from interested parties, and enable us to see a self-critique every bit as incisive as his comments on others.

For me, his prophetic vision of what St Ives would become at the hands of bureaucracy and commercialism (even then most of the town was owned by a handful of families) set the seal on Sven Berlin's ability to clearly see the truth beyond the petty manouverings of those around him, and sadly, all too many of his predictions have borne fruit.

Dark Monarch, Sven Berlin 1962 (2nd ed.,Published 2009 by Finishing Publications)
ISBN: 978-0-904477-320

A Welsh Sketchbook - Day Ten

Day Ten- Worms Head, Rossili and Oxwich

In the morning we decided to visit Worm's Head, and walked out to it experiencing the same hide and seek with fog which we'd had in Brecon. The tide was in so crossing was (fortunately) not an option, and it looked like a fair old scramble, so we retraced our steps (I found a flattened fledgling looking like a baby dragon on the road).

Here be Dragons...

Eventually we found a path down to Rhossili beach, a fascinating strand of surf layering up like lace,  windblown sand covering the most mundane flotsam and turning it into mysterious sculpture and loads of half buried razor clam shells- when a wave nearly caught us the number of rising bubbles betrayed the population below. The clouds ebbed and flowed over the hillside behind and I managed enough reference shots to be able to develop a painting later on (still on the to-do list as I write).

 We walked out to the remains of a buried wreck and filled our pockets with tellins and razor shells then climbed halfway back up to sit and have lunch on a convenient bench. Later we explored eastwards to Oxwich, discovering, on a rising tide, many shells, pebbles and fragile sea urchins which were dutifully collected for still life work later, and both getting wet feet as the waves rose.

 We moved inland and parked by an old estate mill, walking up a private drive to find the castle, opposite a beautiful Regency mansion now in need of repair. I had some wonderful photos of the trees along the avenue, and the lake in the valley, despite having to clear drizzle from the lens every few minutes. We halted our walk when we reached an old Victorian stable block with a 1920s garage addition, and returned to explore the mill and adjacent fishpond before returning to Port Eynon. As dusk fell I went out alone to collect smaller pieces of driftwood on the beach- I had it in mind to collect a 7 foot long piece I'd spotted earlier- but the failing light and the rain on slippery rocks made me review my decision. The driftwood proved useful in an exercise for still life in line- here is the result.

 I did however find yet another dead seabird among the rocks (and took a photo). We spent a relaxed night- after being greeted effusively as old friends by a German family who had followed us from St David's- chatting to guests and a visiting YHA warden who hails from Shropshire, full of tall tales about her walking, cycling and bog-snorkelling adventures.

Needless to say the sun finally came out properly as we prepared to leave, and there was only time for a couple of photos. We stopped at Caerleon for a conker hunt (supplies for our local conker tournament), only to find that the school had felled the tree we knew, eventually we found another near the Roman amphitheatre but had to scrump on private land for our harvest. Fortunately this year we found a route back to the motorway which did not take in the less scenic aspects of Newport (that spoof song- the banned one- is still going round in my head), so saved 40 minutes of arguing over map-reading skills!

We're already planning our next Welsh adventure in May next year, although it will be based probably more around Cwm Duad and St David's: the former being in easy striking distance of places we haven't been, the latter being my current muse...I may have to pack the paints and easel...

A Welsh Sketchbook - Day Nine

Day Nine- Weobley Castle and Port Eynon

Our last two days were to be spent on the Gower, an area we did not know, and I have to say we both struggled to see its attraction as the weather got worse and we took more than one wrong turning. Eventually we stumbled on Weobley Castle, a strange polyglot of a fortified house, and stopped to explore. It was interesting, and mostly out of the wind and rain which was a bonus, and in the room set up as an exhibition I found another dead bird on the windowsill (this was to become a theme in the closing days of our holiday). As I returned to the car two escaped sheep followed me, so I managed to draw them before they scuttled up the drive in search of freedom.

We were staying in Port Eynon (or Einon depending which map- Welsh or English- you have), and arrived to find it bleak, closed, and the only activity being a funeral attended by what appeared to be most of the farming community- judging by the number of four-wheel drives arriving. Even the pub was shut until some obscure mid-afternoon hour (which I'm guessing was the wake). Having two or three hours to kill we were relieved that the sun made an appearance long enough to picnic on the beach, which was mostly composed on the leeward side of shells, with some interesting pebbles which were holed with bubbles and seemed to be a form of pahoehoe (Lava with bubbles of gas- the word is Hawaiian). The fantastical geology proved to be the cinch for me however as the shapes and cracks in the rocks were heightened by some form of dark lichen or algae growing in the cracks.

And this is what it became later in the studio at home...

The beach was really rather nice, it was a shame about the town, in the words of Chris Rea it really was an "out-of-season holiday town in the rain". The nearest shop proved to be a garage some 4 miles and two villages away. Luckily the hostel here is a converted lifeboat house quite a way from the town (and the parking) so after lugging our baggage over the distance we were quite happy to relax and take stock. It also helped that the guests and resident warden were an interesting cross section who were all prepared to join in with conversation, so we tapped their local knowledge, planned the morrow, and listened to the rain beating on the windows....

A Welsh Sketchbook - Day Eight

Day

Eight- St

Davids, Oriel-y-Parc and Caerfai

Mike wanted to circumnavigate Carn Llywd which looms over the hostel, so in the morning we set off for the cliff path in search of what appeared to be a burial chamber on the cliff edge. It was a collapsed kist chamber, so I drew while Mike took photos.

 Having eventually found our path around the hill we had lunch before heading into St David's for much needed supplies, and to find the artist-in-residence at the Oriel-y-Parc visitor centre. I was distracted when looking into the gallery area to see a Ben Nicholson on the wall- further investigation yielded a slew of St Ives artists: Heron, Lanyon, Wells etc as the theme for the year was "The Sound of the Sea", and it was also a rather vicarious thrill to be able to get my nose VERY close up to a Turner seascape to study the brushwork. There were several Graham Sutherland pieces on display: Pembrokeshire having been his muse, and in the foyer the BBC programme where Rolf Harris paints a version of "Road to Porth Clais" was playing, so I settled down to watch it. Eventually I finally made it into the residency studio, where Rhian Davis was contemplating a generous blob of yellow on her brush and was immediately amused to see she has the same sort of paint colour reference charts that I make up, which got the conversation going quite nicely!
Rhian is a marine biologist, and started painting a year ago, using her late father's materials. Her work is colourful, semi-abstract and features marine environments, and I took to her bold use of colour straight off. She was welcoming and friendly, and our conversation led to discussing subject, motivation, self-discipline and experiment.
The combined experiences of Oriel-y-Parc resulted in my getting very fired up creatively. It is definitely the most informative visitor centre I have ever been in and I thoroughly recommend it if you are in St Davids. I dragged Mike off to nearby Caerfai beach, which has bands of green and Barbie-pink striped sandstone in the cliffs, and while he rockpooled I got busy drawing.

 After some time working on different areas of rocks and cliffs, I got up to join him, only to find the remains of a dead magpie tangled in weed, which I really had to draw for posterity- I have a special affinity with magpies.

As dinner cooked, I sat outside the kitchen door and drew the mass of Carn Llidi rising behind us.

 Lastly, that night I drew the shapes of the fields below the hostel, very simply, using the side of a brush pen. Possibly it was the only time I really used my chosen medium to its full considered extent, rather than just grabbing a particular pen to make marks with.

A Welsh Sketchbook - Day Seven

Day Seven- Aberieddy, Porthgain and Trefin

The sun had deserted us now and although I had hoped to do some colour work at Abereiddy's Blue Lagoon in the morning the colours proved to be elusive, thankfully I have photos from last year. I sketched the ruins above the quarry lagoon and did a colour pencil study of the rocks at the mouth, and attempted to capture the shapes and colours of the rear rock face in oil pastel.

Returning to the car for elevenses (which should have been lunch) I did two quite different styled line drawings of the different cottages around the cove. I remembered taking a photo of the fields above the second study last year, showing the colour and contours in the lines of hay.

 We moved on to Porthgain, a gem of a place crammed with history, geology, a really good art gallery and the most iconic harbour, all of which inspired the most work out of me last year, but having got stuck on a painting I needed to do some further drawings to work out how to progress. I made several studies from different viewpoints before we decided to lunch at the pub, a Tardis filled with historic photographs.

Two views of the harbour from the top of the cliff, and the basis of my "stuck" painting

My "stuck" painting- it will have a boat in the large empty expanse of harbour but I can't decide whether it should be more realistic or abstract in form...

Finally a lower viewpoint from halfway down the steps, I liked the contra forms of the two piers from this angle, with the slipway just visible in the background, and jammed up the narrow footpath while I drew.

After lunch we walked out to the day marker and my eye was caught by the tumbling adjacent cliffs with their angular slate shapes.

 On the way back I looked over to the ruins of the stone works on the harbour, so I drew them as the definition was lost in previous photos due to the angle of the sun- a happy event which led me to develop an idea in oil pastels which may eventually surface in oils. The shapes of the buildings remind me of the ruined masadas I have seen on the fringes of the Sahara and Arabia.

and the studio version...

Our third destination was Trefin, another surprise discovery last year, with rippled rock formations and a seal and cormorant having a full-on barney in the bay, and we had timed this visit for low tide to explore the beach further.

 I made a study of the rocks before going off to potter over the exposed rock platform, at which point the camera took over as I discovered lots of abstract ideas on the shoreline. In the evening I drew the hostel from a different angle, using a letterbox format across two pages, and later discovered two artists among the guests, the mother (Sheila Bradburn)  having been both a book illustrator and fashion illustrator, and her daughter an established artist now studying for her degree part-time. We compared sketchbooks and styles and the conversation went on late into the night.