Yesterday afternoon I went into the Studio to sort out some things and the sky above Dundee was looking really dramatic. It made me think of the challenge I have set the students at St Andrews Art Club. I have asked them to do pastel studies of the sky and promised I would be doing it too. This started out as a sky study then I couldn’t stop and continued painting trying to capture the fleeting light.
I did this tonal study on mid toned pastel paper. I found the negative shapes really interesting in this study. I kept the shapes quite simple so as to strengthen the design.
Last week during our lovely spell of sunny weather I did some outdoor painting. I did the study in ink one day. Inspired by that I got my pastels together to do some field work. It was great to be working outside. I watched a fox cross the field in front of me he was oblivious of me painting away.
Here is a study I did at the cottage in Southampton, Canada. This was the view from the patio. Lovely to look out over the lake and bask in the warm sun and to hear the Canadian geese overhead. There were birds like humming birds, woodpeckers and nuthatches moving about around us. This year I had an art show at the cottage. It was great to show my work in Canada. I have been travelling there to visit my brother and family over the past 30 years. I always find inspiration for my painting from my trips.