En plein air

I have just spent a week away with my family in South Devon. We didn't go far only around 50 miles from Mid Devon to South Devon to a small village Hope Cove. We planned a week of beach adventures, cream teas and for me some painting , We were blessed with some sunny weather and glorious views so I had no excuse

I could paint from right outside our holiday accommodation, so I got started. I haven't painted outside for a while so I had forgotten the difficulties. The paint kept drying really quickly on the paper and in the palette , so I kept having to use my spay bottle to keep things wet. It certainly isn't as comfortable as in my little studio,flies can land on the paper and things move around in the breeze. 

But I am not attempting to copy everything I see, just give an impression of my day, the feelings I have looking out to sea. Painting is about looking and feeling and being 'in the moment'. I will remember Hope Cove much better because I have painted it.

I take photos as they give me security if I don't finish I have a reference to hold on to 

but I don't often need them

This was a very simplified sketch of what I could see....

and there is never as much time to paint as I would like with kids to keep occupied .....swimming, cricket and fish and chips to get through...

But as well as enjoying the beach we managed to visit some inspiring galleries in Dartmouth, and see what other painters are doing. And so my final piece was inspired by the wildflowers, the sea and the sunshine. And again painted outside but this time imagined, a collection of ideas tried out on paper, and filed away to use another day perhaps...

That is what I did on my holidays....