Despite the sun it was a little chilly still (it was only the end of May after all) so I had the door to the studio closed. I was enjoying myself drawing away with Rodrigo’s ‘Concerto d’Aranjuez’ playing, when I heard this intemperate squawking. There on the post supporting the apple tree was a wren, hurling abuse. ‘At me?’ I thought, but no, under the adjacent arbor was a cat. Obviously there was the wren’s nest somewhere nearby, so I dutifully shooed the cat away and again settled peaceably down to drawing.
I had enjoyed a walk into Seaford a day or so before, and the return of the sun had me out taking photographs of flowers in mine and other gardens. In mine I have a small area of roses which are amazing for their scent and colour. But on my walk via roundabout route into Seaford, along one street on the way to the beach, was striking group of poppies.
Not in any garden just growing against a fence. Delightful spot of blue shining through
Back in the studio with the image up on the laptop I started to try to capture the colour. I had been working with the colour from the peonies I featured previously but had struggled to make anything work. This time the colour flowed off the pencils, nearly working through the page in my sketch book.
Caifornia dreamin’ with pink fullstop
I think that retuning to painting is a great deal harder than I thought. I have mental battles to fight to get into it again – in part thinking too much and not feeling enough about the imagery, or perhaps not letting the feelings rule, allowing emotion to flow through the process into the work. This week has been another small step along a path that is more difficult than I thought, to get back to using paint, making paintings.
drawing 1
I am happy with the results, and have started three more drawings on the walls of the studio. I must push on with them whilst it is all fresh in my mind, not overthink, ‘just do’ as someone once told me. After some hours in the studio yesterday I came out feeing younger than when I went in. That’s quite something isn’t it?
Drawing 2