Virtual Vacation on Lockdown

Normally at this time of year I'd be planning a holiday. But with Covid19 lockdown that's sadly not possible.  So instead I'm taking a virtual trip to one of my favorite seaside locations with a bit of imagination and paint.

I'm using up an old sketchbook (waste not, want not 😊) for preparation doodles. 

Mousehole in Cornwall holds so many memories for me and the family. I could fill a whole sketchbook with drawings of it's buildings and harbour features. But I'll concentrate on just a few. At this time I'm trying to simplify the way I work.

I worked a rough composition sketch of part of the harbour.  This painting will be about the fondness I feel for the place and memories, not physical or naturalistic accuracy.  

A blank canvas can be a intimidating thing to some artists. I find painting quickly with a big brush is an exciting way to kill the  white and create a background.  It's just a start and most of it will be painted over eventually.

I'm using acrylic paint on yupo paper for this painting.  It's smooth and doesn't buckle, no matter how many layers of paint get added.

Referring to my sketchbook preparatory doodle, I drew buildings and features. I like to draw with pastel, chalk or charcoal at this stage, so if I change my mind about something I can simply rub it off.

When reasonably comfortable, I went over lines with black paint. Buildings are wonky, inaccurate in any natural sense. Marks are loose and imprecise, which is just the way I want them.

Now it's time to start having fun with colour.  

Unable to get to the studio because of leg injury.  A few boat doodles in sketchbook best I can do in preparation for when painting resumes.

At last I got back up to the studio for a short while and made a little progress on the buildings in this painting.

Using white soft pastel I sketched in where positions of some boats and surf boards might go.  Then roughly went over the outlines with black paint. 

The painting is now finished, complete with a name for the boat in the foreground.

I thought it fitting to include the name of this vessel because of the brave story surrounding her and crew:

PZ107 Renovelle. Was a 54.4 ft long 1st class lugger built in Mousehole in the year 1902.  Operating at Newlyn around 1932 and later.  Her crew included Edwin Madron and son (who was drowned at sea), Grandson James 'Jimmy' Bassett Madron later drowned on the Penlee lifeboat.  The Renovelle was one of the Newlyn fishing boats in naval service during the 1939-45 World War 2.

Paintings and art prints for sale can be seen on my website www.beeskelton.com or in my shop.