Shoreline - After the storm

My calm waters post 

 was based on some shoreline photos 

taken on a calm, sunny day,

These photos were taken 

at the same location 

but as a storm moved out.

Although the sun is beginning to appear 

low lying, moody clouds hung over the water.

The turbulence caused by some strong winds

 muddied the water and deepened the tones.

After the Storm - pastel

The temptation of Colour and Light

Pastel study - Spring Pansies

Although I've been working on a series

 of seaside and beach scenes

the first of the season's spring plants 

are appearing in the stores. 

These vibrant colours were too tempting to resist.

While looking for the right light 

to position my pot of flowers, 

the sunlight streaming onto a pot of ivy 

sitting in the window sill
also caught my attention.

Pastel Study - Ivy

Calm Waters and preparatory sketches

Calm Waters

This week my dogs had their annual visit to the vet.....

not very exciting you say...

until one of them managed to bite the vet.

She (the vet) got flowers and a sorry note...

Me...well....I'm still recovering.

Below are a few pastel studies in preparation for the final piece.

Spring Weather

Capturing unpredictable spring weather.

Above a fog bank moves onshore

and then spring rain over the marsh.

Both sketches employ watercolour and watercolour crayons.

Where do ideas start? - part 03

The last example

in my series

studying wave action 

on a favourite beach.

Where do ideas start? part 02

The idea for this beach scene 

began with the torn paper collage experiment

 in my previous post.

Where do ideas start? part 01

I have often used this approach 

to encourage me to think more freely 

about a subject.

When painting flowers.e.g. iris, roses..

 the torn edges echo the petal shapes 

so you could begin by playing with colour variations 

of blues/purples or rosy shades.

Soft variations of gray might  work for snow  scenes.