Newsletter No.10
Travels and painting...combining the 2.
This one will be short and sweet as the last 2 months have been mostly taken up with teaching and travelling. During September and October, I was teaching on SAGA’s Spirit of Adventure to America and Canada approx. 60 guests a day to paint a variety of subjects in watercolour. New York, Boston and Canada have been on my go to list for years, so I was delighted to spend some time in these fabulous places. I quite literally visited the whole of New York in a day on a hop on, hop off bus! We had a huge exhibition of work on the last day, and I met and taught some fabulous guests. On my return I did a bit of a circular route running workshops in Oxfordshire, Kent and Essex. I’ve given myself a few days now to catch my breath and pull out my slightly dusty botanical paints and pencils.
Van Life
Being on a ship for a month is a long time and it was really lovely to come back to my little home on wheels. The weather has been mild, and luckily I missed most of the rain in Sept and October. My MOT is due this week and I am bracing myself as I know there are few engine warning lights to sort before it will pass! Having said that my awesome van has taken me up and down the country quite happily with no issues. I’m due a habitation check shortly, and this check is just as important as the MOT. It makes sure that my gas, wiring, solar power and batteries are all safe and working properly. I’ve had a couple of issues lately with a temperamental gas ring, not ideal when I need a cuppa fast in the morning! With my art desk set up it’s the perfect space to work from and I only have to reach out to put the kettle on!
Art Life
Combining travelling with my art practice can be tricky. It’s difficult to find time to paint my normal subjects on the ship due to the amount of teaching, escorting tours on port days, and socializing with guests that I do. But I do manage to keep a sketchbook diary which is important to keep up my drawing skills and sometimes this is completed when I get home. Travelling so much means that I have to be disciplined with my time, and I’ve found that the solution is to clear a few days and book myself into a campsite so that I can focus purely on drawing and painting. (oh, and on getting my newsletter out! )
I am currently working towards putting the finishing touches to some paintings to submit to both the SFGA and the SBA exhibitions next year. It’s a bit of a race against time but I’m keeping everything crossed that I get a couple of pieces accepted. I’ve run quite a few workshops recently at various locations and for various art groups in both watercolour and colour pencil which I love doing, inspiring me with new ideas. I also find that traveling to new locations opens my eyes to new subjects, colours and composition ideas. For the time being I have decided to stick to creating smaller pieces as this works better with my available space in the van.
I’m continuing to play around with the granulating paints and have shared some of my findings with classes I have taught recently. They can create some lovely textures on bark and stones.
Teaching and travel in November, Dec and beyond…
This time of year can be pretty quiet on the workshop front as Xmas plans take over from normal life but you can find me in these locations before and after Xmas:
There will be a few more single days with Kent Adult Education in November and a planned 3-week taster in both Sevenoaks and Tonbridge for January. These are courses for those who are new to the subject. The Adult Education website has been updated so look for Studio courses and then location. More courses will be gradually added during the next month or two. There are also a couple of online courses planned at the end of November through Kent Adult Education.
The Beginners Colour Pencil course later this month at West Dean is now full and my next course at West Dean will be a watercolour texture and detail in nature course in January painting a variety of winter subjects.
I will be on the Spirit of Discovery from 5th Dec for 2 weeks travelling to the Canaries. I am also delighted to have been invited to join the South American and Caribbean SAGA cruise for the second half at the end of January. I just need to google now how to paint a sloth!!
Thankyou once again for joining me here to get a small glimpse into my crazy nomadic life and remember, nowhere is too far to travel if you want me to run a workshop for your art group or society.
Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and a great year ahead in 2025.