Sometimes life doesn’t go to plan and these are the times I think we grow the most. In my last newsletter I was a few days into a long trip to Scotland. Once I arrived in Scotland my plan was to drive a small amount but mostly paint, read and look at the view from the side of a Loch…….and then I spotted a guide book on the NC500. This is a coastal route that takes you around the edge of the Highlands, up to John O Groats and then down to Aberdeen, in all just over 500 miles. What could possibly go wrong?!! The fact that the thought of it was terrifying was enough to make me decide it was something I had to do. The weather was a mixed affair from stormy weather warning gales to bright sunshine, but it was the perfect time of year to make the trip as the roads were relatively quiet and many of the tourists had gone home. With the weather still warm enough to sleep with the windows (and out of necessity later, the doors!) open this part of Scotland was one I had wanted to explore for a while.
Once my adventures were over I had a slow amble home stopping at the Derwent colour pencil museum in the Lake District, a must for any colour pencil enthusiast. More about my trip in the van life section below.
Once back it was full on with a workshop for the National Trust, a day at The Old Bank studios and a demo for Battle Art Group, all in colour pencil. Added to this I’ve delivered a few one-day courses in the Tunbridge Wells area in both watercolour and colour pencil. I will be doing more of these one-off days for Kent Adult Education in a variety of locations during the coming year. The next one is in Maidstone on 9th Dec and is available to book on the Kent Adult Education Website. Others will be added later so keep an eye on the website.
I’m now in the process of getting the van engine fixed with some improvements on technical issues in the hope it can get through its MOT before I get back on a cruise ship the first week of November.
November also is a time when 3 pieces of my work will be shown at the Gallery in Holt, Norfolk. This is a group show with the SGFA and will be on from 3rd to the 14th of November.
Van Life.
I had a number of issues with the van internally which I mentioned in my last newsletter. Some more wiring issues appeared thanks to my small rodent friends and my solar panel just needed to be bigger to deal with my fridge, but I wasn’t expecting the engine problems I encountered on top!! About a third of the way around the NC500 I had an engine warning light or 2 and a loss of power. A spot of googling and discussion with friends convinced me that it wasn’t terminal, and I could ignore until I could get back to home territory. Nothing quite like being 700 miles from home with engine trouble to add some stress. Added to this my phone died and had to be replaced at speed before I lost all my contacts and content. The final straw I thought was a diesel leak making sleeping with the back doors open the most effective way of avoiding the fumes. I wasn’t prepared for the smashed back light thanks to the strong winds and a farm gate. Thankfully apart from the storm most of the days were warm and dry and occasionally sunny.
On the plus side the scenery was amazing, the people were very friendly and there was a huge sense of achievement by completing the trip on my own. I also learnt more about the internal technical bits of running of my van and how to fix small problems, and some not so small ones!! Not so much painting achieved but a small price to pay for an incredible journey. I firmly believe that when life throws you a curveball you can deal with anything with the support of family and friends. I was asked recently how I cope with being away on my own, and do I get lonely occasionally, but the reality is that I am never alone as there is always someone at the end of a phone if I need help.
Back home and as mentioned some updating is going on. A far bigger solar panel has been installed and a new compression fridge which uses far less power.
I’m looking forward to trialing these out on my first short trip away soon.
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Art Life
I managed to keep a diary sketchbook while I was away, making the most of the beautiful scenery and colours. I had fun with the Schminke granulating paints on some textured paper for some loose sketches. It was interesting to see that once away in nature my work became far looser and more about the process of painting than the result. But rest assured I won’t be switching to a landscape painter any time soon! I like to take my handmade books away with me to work on as I can pick them up and do a little on them for short periods of time. I can also work on any page that takes my fancy at that time. I started a new little book with beach finds inspired by some of the amazingly beautiful beaches I visited. I like to pick up small items from nature to draw and paint but I return these once I’ve finished with them.
I’m now in the process of coming up with some ideas for the next SGFA exhibition in the New Year. Submission ends in the first week in January, so I need to get my skates on!! Being away working on a cruise for the whole of November is going to put me under a time pressure which is not always a bad thing and I suspect I will be taking my pencils with me.
Teaching and Travel in November, December and January…..
I will be travelling with SAGA again to the Caribbean on the 7th of November for a month. The longer cruises are always fun with a lot of painting done by both me and the guests.
December will be a relatively quiet month. On the 9th of December I will be running a Botanical Colour pencil workshop in Maidstone, details of this and other courses for KCC will be on the website as they are released.
January sees me return to West Dean for a Detail in Nature Watercolour workshop. 12th to 14th January. This weekend course gives us plenty of time to complete a small composition and I will be supplying a variety of interesting subjects to paint and draw.
The rest of the month I will be back aboard a ship headed to slightly warmer climates.
Thank you for reading once again. A reminder that I am available to teach private groups, art groups and individuals both online and in person so contact me via my website if that’s something you would like more information on.
Have a lovely Christmas everyone and look out for my next newsletter planned for January. xx
Just awesome work....