Continuing my rough, walking sketches, quick notes on my early morning walks in a small A5 sketchbook. As I say to my workshop groups, it’s not about making a finished drawing, it’s just visual note taking and very good for hand/eye/brain co-ordination. They take about 10 minutes or less.
MON :
A dark cloud over to the West.
There was an echo in the sky and land shapes
Later I spent the day at the Church for my Sketchbook-in-a-Day practise. TUES:
Cold and windy. I like the bramble bushes on the shoreline The water was black this morning.
The sun came out as I walked. The gulls look beautiful lit from underneath. Sometimes their wings cast a shadow over their bodies. The squiggly drawing was a poor squashed frog on the road, further up were two flattened tiny grass snakes. What a shame. Its a quiet road so these little creatures were very unlucky.
WED:
A late walk on a stormy afternoon, a magnificent rainbow appeared to the west. I think it’s rather futile to try to paint rainbows and sunsets. Nothing can come near the real thing..but it was worth a note.
THURS:
A very quick note of rooks in the willows on the shore before going out for the day.
FRI:
A very busy day with my sketching workshop at Easton Walled Gardens. My wonderful, hardy and willing group all braved the cold, did an amazing number of excellent sketches, all completely different. We had hot homemade soup to warm us up and I was so delighted by the amount and quality of the work produced. We are planning an exhibition of the work next year.
I only managed one very quick note of one of the gardeners working by the compost heaps.
SAT:
I had an excellent day in London printmaking. I now have lots of rooks! More of that later. I waited for the train at Huntingdon. Early mist was drifting across the lines.
….and a quick note of St Pauls. Walking from the tube you see the dome at the end of a long narrow side street. It looked magnificent in the cold sunny Saturday morning. It’s quiet in the early mornings at weekends in this great city and, for me, this is a particularly favourite part. Steeped in history and drama, Ludgate Hill, Cheapside, Limeburner Lane, Fleet St, Bridewell and Blackfriars. It’s a wonderful place.
This coming week, hopefully some colour notes and more printmaking.
I know that view of St Paul's very well – it's magnificent isn't it? Like the modern buildings are framing the center piece, adding to the overall drama. Architecture can be so clever sometimes.