Landscape drawings in my sketchbook

I've been working outdoors drawing the Cyprus landscape http://indigoblah.blogspot.com

Painting outdoors in the garden

Fruit Trees

Oil on canvas

I've been dodging rain for a few days and finally completed this painting outdoors in the bottom garden.  It features citrus trees, grapevine and bougainvillea, which have interesting contrasts of foliage.

By the way, I've recently started posting work-in-progress images on Twitter.  If you're interested to see go to http://twitter.com/bsart .... or look at my Tweets list in the right-hand margin.

I've been trying out my new light-weight plein air easel set-up.  So far so good.  Off to the mountains for my next project.

Plein air drawing #187

Today I waited until there was a big fat shadow under the palm tree before making this drawing in the bottom garden.  The grapevine growing up the wall, grapefruit trees and bougainvillea made an interesting grouping.  For the first time for months it was fairly comfortable to work outdoors.  Even so I wore my straw stetson;  it's very disreputable and full of gaping holes ... but hey, it works!

Plein air drawing #186

Today I'm drawing looking down onto part of the bottom garden from the terrace.  The viewpoint shows up some nice patterns as the darkly peppled paths work with the trees.

Plein air drawing ~185

This is the first of a series of garden drawings that I'll make in my sketchbook in preparation for a painting.  I have no idea of the view I'll ultimately choose.  It's such a pleasure to just draw and see what happens.  It's still quite hot here;  38C degrees today.  So I waited until around 4.30pm by which time the sun had moved and there was some welcome shade under the big pine tree.

Plein air drawing #184

Down the Valley to the Sea

Fortunately the temperature here in Cyprus has come down a little this week, so that I can work more easily outdoors (en plein air).  This view, looking down the valley onto the sea, was made in my A4 sketchbook.  I first tinted the paper with a wash of black acrylic paint to provide a nice mid-tone, on which to work charcoal and white conte crayon.

Painted emotions & atmosphere.

When our boys were small we often spent our summer holiday at Mousehole in Cornwall.  History is repeating itself, now one of our son's has taken his family back there again.  


After a very busy day, the boys made one last sandcastle before bedtime, on the little harbour beach just as the sun was setting.  I was emailed a photo and lapped up the happy memory.  The painterly possibilities seemed good too, as I'm currently studying expressionism and atmosphere.

I've tried to show that time of day when the light is just going, and colours and space begin to merge.  The appearance of the figures is non-specific, as is their activity.

 This painting is about remembered emotions:
Out one day, when one of my boys was tiny, I bought him a helium-filled balloon.  He was in-love with this balloon and held on to the string all the way through town and back home on the bus.  For safety's sake I offered to tie it to his wrist, but he was quite sure he would hold on tight.  OK you've guessed.  We got all the way back to the gate of our house ..... and the string slipped through his fingers.  He was so upset ... and so was I.  Strange the things you remember.

Sketch book: Expressions 4.

Pastel

 Pastel

Pastel

Ink pen & watercolour.

Ink pen & watercolour.

Ink pen, watercolour & acrylic.