Post 23 Out and about

I never thought I would be saying this but I was quite glad that we have had  some rain forecast in the next day or so. (hope it doesn't linger ?)
Being so preoccupied with the great outdoors in the last few weeks my studio time has been irregular . When I have been in there I've been finishing off a couple of large canvases, and  making some mono prints.

When things are going smoothly mono printing can be an excellent way of producing an image quickly. There is always the element of chance which makes the process exciting. I apply oil paint using various implements such as a pallet knife, brushes  etc anything that makes a potentially interesting mark is worth exploring. Different thicknesses of paint result in  different image quality so it's always fun working in this way and often offers some light relief from the sometimes arduous nature of painting.

Spot the difference

Second print gives a more faint imprint, not a mono print  really

The better weather has been hugely welcome and we have been making the most of it. It's obviously not been wall to wall sunshine and often quite chilly but more days have been pleasantly warm (when the sun came out) and when the showers did come they were light and pretty insignificant. Lucky !

Sky over BerryHill

Berry Hill, Northumberland

I haven't been able to do any drawing on location, rock climbing is pretty all consuming but the sheer amount of time spent outdoors and especially spent on belays gives a lot of time for observation.
When it comes to multi pitch climbing , it feels like a real privilege to be 60 or 90 meters plus up a crag or mountainside getting a birds eye view of your surroundings. It allows you to have a really unique view of the world and something I don't think I'll ever take for granted.

Langdale

I  find the big skies especially inspiring. Seeing cloud formations move and change, watching approaching rain showers and generally soaking up the overall shapes and colours in the landscapes is really visually interesting.

Blue bells at Traprain Law

Big Northumberland skies

Time is ticking on now and whilst we're still avidly forecast watching and hoping for a few more days out ,I have to get back in the studio and get in ship shape for the Crossing Borders Art Trail at the end of the month...not to mention the small matter of returning to my day job too !