So what does a watercolourist do on her holidays?
I am one of the lucky ones , I have the privilege of doing a job that is also my pastime, so a holiday ( for me ) is not an opportunity to leave work behind. I do leave my commissions behind, and all the admin and obviously I can't pop to the post office with orders ready to post. I also like most working mums relish time with the kids (that is when they are not arguing or driving me insane!) So a holiday for me is a time for real 'me' painting time, a time to really see where we are and immerse myself in the landscape.As well as an opportunity to be inspired by other artists too ( a real bus man's holiday), visiting galleries and studios)
We recently got back from a week in Cornwall and so what else could I paint but the sea? Sitting on the beach my toes in the sand, kids surfing in the distance and all is well with the world. I have a limited holiday kit .....
1. My pencils and brushes, a scraper ( for mark making) and a pen
2. A folding water pot
3.A spray bottle to keep the paint nice and moist and usable
4. My paints
5. A sketch book or some paper, and masking tape to keep everything from blowing away
It feels strange working away from my studio , but strange in a good way .
The view I have to paint is all around me , it is liberating to just lose myself in a painting . It can also be frustrating when the wind blows the paper away or the sand gets everywhere....it is a whole new ball game painting in the open air. I always get a bit ratty 3/4 of the way through ( a critical stage when I think everything will go wrong.)but the suddenly, hopefully it can all come together .
A real memory of an afternoon spent well, and marks made on paper in response to the world around me....
...and on Wednesday we are heading off again to Majorca, so I have my paints packed and we shall see what happens x