Sunday 15 April 2018

summer sketchbook



I've recently finished my little sketchbook and my bigger one is almost done too!

This one starts back in November 2017 and goes until just a few days ago. The first sketches show lots of fresh spring snow. Now we've got the full glory of autumn colours and lots of autumn snow. In between was a hot, hot, dry summer and clear cloudless skies.

It's interesting to me how the light changes as the season progresses. Especially the sky colours. Or am I the only one who can see that?

You can see my sketchbook has been hiking with me a lot and I've done more landscape sketches this summer than ever before. This particular sketchbook is a bit heavy for taking hiking and I used to carry a much smaller one, but I like painting just that little bit bigger, so I'm prepared to tough out the extra weight. Probably does me good, anyway :-)

You may remember from some of my recent blog posts that I've been revisiting some of these sketches and turning them into 'real' paintings. You can find my landscape watercolours for sale here.

If you are interested in the sketching kit I take hiking with me, it hasn't changed much since last year. You can find out exactly what I carry in this previous blog post. This particular book is a Fabriano watercolor sketchbook.



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Tuesday 10 April 2018

milford sound

Milford Sound, New Zealand


Here is a true New Zealand icon - Milford Sound (Piopiotahi), with Mitre Peak standing proud on the left and The Lion guarding on the right.

I did a watercolour sketch of this classic view from next to the harbour earlier in the summer, and yesterday I repainted it on beautiful Fabriano paper. I've painted this view and many others in the mountains near the fiord many, many times, but I'm really pleased with this one.

Milford Sound and the surrounding Darran Mountains are a very special place for us and we visit many times each summer for sketching, climbing, hiking and adventuring. I've lost count of the number times we've visited over the last 20 years and the number of paintings I've done here. While for many it may seem strange to repaint the same scene again and again, for me there is such joy in the process, in variations on the same theme, in the challenge of capturing mood and light changes and in seeing the slow progress as you get closer to the image you have in your mind.

"Summer morning, Milford Sound"
Watercolour and ink on paper
Paper size 23 x 31cm
SOLD




Tuesday 3 April 2018

10 new watercolours available

"Clutha River with Autumn Poplars"


Very excited to announce that I've added a new set of watercolours to my shop today!


Here they are - some of my best moments from this summer, captured on paper. While my abstract landscapes capture the memories of the landscape around my home in colour, shape and symbols, my watercolours capture this same love in a far more realistic way. I'm super excited to share both types of art with you.


"Reflections, Dublin Bay, Lake Wanaka"


"Colac Bay, Southland"


"Shiny Cups 1"


"Shiny Cups 2"


"Mushroom"


"Mount Aspiring from Liverpool Ridge"


"Mount Aspiring from Glendhu Bay"


"On the banks of the Matukituki River" SOLD


"Mount Avalanche from Glacierburn" SOLD