This week is Dorset Arts week http://www.dorsetartsweek.co.uk/ so after thinking I'd not make it, I now should have a bit of time to see what else is happening in the area. I'll pop on some thoughts later in the month after our visits.
In the meantime I've been having another bash at fast, brash watercolours. There's something about watercolours I both loathe and love. I love the traditional forms of painting in watercolour, such as this boat I produced in 1996. But although others like them, I loathed the lack of vibrancy in my work, and for nearly 10 years gave up on watercolour altogether. I've never understood why a child's first foray into art is often with watercolours. They are a very hard medium to master, not least as often wet on wet produces a mess and the finished colour is lighter when dry.
I've not just been painting this week. With my new camera I've been messing about with images from nature, again in a vibrant way. Below are three images of a Red Clover (Trifoluim pratense) I picked on a walk yesterday. Photographed against black gives the flower head a vibrancy I was looking for. The top photo was printed off as a 10 x 8 inch image then mounted into a 16 x 12 frame with a double mount, leaf green on black. And very nice it looks too on the lounge wall. Who'd have thought a common plant could look so exotic.
