St Ives sketchbook studies…

Exploring an idea for a painting starts with journaling. I write down my thoughts, my intentions, my feelings. For example a recent visit to St Ives in Cornwall which is a favourite place of ours I remember how it felt being there. This immense joy and contentment of being overwhelmed with sights and sounds. It was a feast for the senses with the sea breeze and seagulls flying by waiting to snap a Cornish pasty, sail boats and bouys bobbing across the harbour and the sun gave a full show illuminating everything. I felt alive and bursting with indescribable mini panic how I was going to paint all these!

The day culminated with an amazing sunset over the island and this is another sensational experience to behold. I truly cannot get the image out of my head and I remember how calming and comforting the feeling was. That soft burnt embers of the sun clutched through my senses and kept me warm like a gentle lullaby… Back in our apartment overlooking Porthminster beach I sat by this large window, Coco on my lap I made some notes and pondered how I could best express the experience. I created a small concertina as I was holding on to the feelings and thoughts of the day started mark making using inktense crayons, charcoal, graphite and sepia. No holding back but just letting the energy flow through in the excitement of it all. This felt good and if it does then it’s a good thing, keep doing it and make more gestural marks whilst remembering shapes, lines, curves, the expanse of the sea, sun shines through the surface of the water it creates these silvery-yellow gold shimmering energy bouncing back and fourth as the sail boats pass you by. Remembering how it felt. And i loved it!

St Ives concertina sketchbook studies