Mary Poppins!

Where to walk on a very windy, cold first day of February?Buttermere circuit is a lovely easy gentile walk in dramatic mountain scenery with Fleetwith Pike towering steeply over the Lake or maybe it should be called a 'mere'. I have walked around Buttermere many times and have climbed all of it's surrounding hills with lots of happy memories. I once brought a group of artists to the Lake shore, the weather was a little showery to say the least, but with Umbrella's, packed lunch and all painting gear we set up camp on the northern shore and tried to produce something worth getting wet for! It really can be quite fantastic watching the weather approach in the Lake District, and sitting under a large golfing umbrella you can quite appreciate it and keep fairly dry. On this particular day we had been painting for about one hour when I heard a little scream, one of the golfing brollies had taken flight and was swirling into the air and heading down the lake, luckily with no artist attached, the wind suddenly dropped and so did the brolly into the centre of the Lake and sunk straight to the bottom. Now I did feel a little guilty about littering up the lake, but it was a ' National Trust' umbrella, so maybe that wasn't too bad!!

Cloud Inversion

Looked out of the window this morning onto a curtain of mist, but could just see a glimmer of sunshine trying to get through, so off I went down to the Lake with camera in hand. I wasn't disappointed the effects on the lake were magical, the joy of a digital camera you can snap to your hearts content. I stood for a while and watched trees slowly emerge into bright sunshine. Somehow I just feel more inspirational when the sun shines, I'm painting on a big canvas in Acrylics of a scene in Chamonix, I started it yesterday and think it could take me all week, unlike last weeks paintings.

Quite a week

Day Seven. Well I managed it 6 paintings in a week, hats off to our American artists, it really is quite a challenge to produce a painting a day, been motivated, picking a subject and painting to a certain standard. But I really did enjoy it, not knowing what I would produce at the end of the week or in what medium. Today's painting is one of my online step by step projects that I started doing last year, it's been really great seeing students work improve quite dramatically and gain more confidence with techniques and painting.The power of the Internet is a marvellous thing at times.

Is it, or isn't it that is the question!!

Day Five. I think Innominate Tarn is finished now, I really enjoyed painting this, there's nothing like painting when everything is going well, I do enjoying working on canvas and painted this upright on an easel I tend to stand instead of sitting, I like to feel that I'm stepping into the painting! Not sure what tomorrow will bring, the fells had a lovely covering of snow today, it would be great to get out in it!! One of the joys about living here in the Lakes is that you are never stuck for a mountain to climb, it's just making your mind up which one!! I've been busy this week with bookings for my Italy course in June and my online course is taking off, it's fantastic seeing how students really come on with each project.

Nearly but not quite!

Day Three. Well this is quite a challenge I've given myself!! I should have thought about daylight hours in the month of January! Blue skies today in the Lakes, I had a walk down to Friars Crag and boy was it cold and windy but it does look very dramatic with the snow on all the tops. Today's painting is of 'Great Gable from Innominate Tarn' painted in Acrylic on canvas and I haven't quite finished it, the foreground and tarn still needs playing with, I used a palette knife for most of the mountains and stones it's a change from painting with brushes all the time.

Bring me sunshine, everyday..........

Day Three. Well today I wanted to be inspired by snow capped mountains and I also wanted to paint or sketch on site, again off I went with Puffa jacket, sketch pad etc, I was unsure of what to paint, which can be be a bit worrying but once out I soon became inspired, Clough Head is about 4 miles from Keswick and is one of those mountains that looks fabulous with snow, it seems to make it appear bigger for some reason!!I stood in snow and hail showers waiting for a glimpse of light, and suddenly an opening in the clouds and that was it, 2 or 3 minutes!!! Again a watercolour on Arches 140lb paper and a limited palette of Winsor Blue, Ultramarine, Permanent Rose, Burnt Sienna and Indian Yellow. I left the foreground until last and nearly popped snow in but I'm pleased I didn't and kept it to as the day was. I have a friend who's surname is 'Clough' and always think this is his mountain!! You can often see Para-gliders taking flight from it's lower fell.

Rumbles of Thunder

Day two. Well I fancied painting outside today, I got all ready, watercolours, camera tripod ( I use this for an easel, it's very light weight and means I can work upright and hands free) puffa jacket, this keeps me nice and snug on those cold fells.But the Hail came, the tiny bit of sunshine that was there disappeared behind big grey clouds and to top it all rumbles of thunder!!! perfect outside watercolour conditions!!! So I dug out my sketch book and worked from an old colour sketch of a favourite view, it's from a part of Derwentwater that I love, I never tire from painting at this spot. I'm more pleased with today's painting again it's on Arches 140 not paper, I used a limited palette of Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna, Permanent Rose and a touch of Indian Yellow, I also checked my tonal range with my little tonal gadget, it's been a real eye opener using this and I feel has made a big difference to my watercolour paintings. I made my tonal gadget myself , I think I could copyright it!! It includes all 9 tones that you should use in a painting. So tomorrow, let's hope the sun shines on those snow clad fells and I can get out and capture them.