trees by a brook stage one

10 x 14 inches coloured pencils on cartridge paper.  A beginning, it is interesting when working away that we often fail to stand back and look with a fresh eye at our work! In my haste to get the fields done I can now see how yellow the colour is.  I am planning on continuing with this and will make those changes! I love pastoral scenes, yes it is true even though I tend to paint mostly seascapes but this is the kind of soft meadow lands that I grew up with and remain a firm favourite of mine when I focus on my drawings. I hope to find my colouring pencils again to continue with this scene as since the decorating is in mid flow I can still not find a thing in my art room as it has become a storage area! Thank you for visiting my blog!

Moorland

This is more of a sky drawing than a tree drawing but I am including it as I feel that those tiny trees to the right of the picture do make a difference even in a small way. A large drawing almost 16 x 20 inches, graphite on heavy white cartridge paper. I do love those wide open spaces be it a beach or a moorland. A breath of fresh air no complications just simplicity. It is said that when you have a lot on your mind it is good to go to those wide open beaches or moors and let your mind go free. I think we are made aware of how unimportant we are in the bigger scheme of things, that we have our part to play yet we are not the main player but provide support to the way the world unfolds. At least that is how it all appears when we are in those beautiful landscape areas. Once again I am enjoying the simplicity of drawing, after battling with oil paintings  in my studio this week!

Highland loch

This is quite a large drawing of a highland loch I am still enjoying the simplicity of drawing without the concerns of color. This is one of my favourite locations up on the west coast a quiet loch I arrived late in the afternoon and did a rough drawing which I later completed in my studio. There are some trees on the land area near to the shore and I think these do make a big difference to the mountain location. Drawn on cartridge paper using soft grades of graphite pencils. Happy drawing to you all!

River Dee

'River Dee' graphite on fine cartridge paper. 14 x 9 inches.

One of my favorite trips is driving through Deeside which is a lovely part of Aberdeenshire here in the highlands of Scotland. It is a lush area full of trees, castles and mountains viewed gently in the distance. This area still manages to retain a kind of wildness though the city of Aberdeen is not so far away. The river Dee winds its way for miles twisting and turning and almost all of the time there are trees nestled on it's banks. During the long winter months and even during wet summers there are misty days on this river which lend themselves very well to atmospheric drawings and paintings. The drawing you see here was done on such a day, I was staying in the area overnight and even though the rain seemed to want to hang around there were a few hours when only a gentle mist would float above the river lending itself to a really lovely scene for an artist to draw or paint!  I have decided to mount up (matt) my favourite drawings and look after them well as they remind me of special days out in the highlands in the peace and tranquility, walking in the mists and drawing from my car window as would more often happen during these damp times!

Glencoe

A graphite drawing on cartridge paper that depicts trees in the landscape. 

 Glencoe is a wild kind of place, you just can't forget the tragic history here however much you try to on a still fine day when the sun is shining brightly.  Old windswept raggedy trees go well in the wild places I enjoy drawing I often find it has a simple charm in that you don't have to worry about color, just the lines and the values. The pace of drawing slows you right down so you can enjoy the moment and not feel you have to create something too precious or fussy. It is knowing when to stop that can be the hard thing, you don't want to keep going for too long or lines will become harsh and dark areas will become lifeless. This drawing is about 14 x 8 inches approx, it may be bigger. I like the traditional style of drawing that to me links the past with the present a bit like an old watercolor or oil painting does, it transports you yet you are still here living in the present. While the river shape and the size of trees may have been different in the Victorian times I think the feel of the place would have been the same.

Happy drawing to you all!

Evening landscape

'Evening landscape' study in oils on linen 12 x 16 inches. 

This simple study in oils of trees in the landscape was slowly built up using thin glazes of paint. I used opaque colors in the sky and in the water and transparent colors for the trees and land areas.  This is one to do again as the result was rather orange! not easy to get the colors right, I am happy with the sky as it has a successful evening feel to it and a light area but I am not happy with the colors in the rest of the painting. I like the composition of the trees and the area of water that reflects the sky above. The painting took a long time to complete so it is a bit disappointing that it needs to be done again!  However evening paintings are always a challenge! so it is back to the drawing board again!
Happy painting to you all!

Winter trees

Winter trees oil on linen 35 x 45 cm.

When I decided to paint trees this year I wanted to paint the areas that are well known to me and quite close to home. This view is about three miles from my home in a very rural location, mostly farm land with fine small pine forests.  I like the way the field is a bit enclosed yet it also open to the big sky above. I would say this was both a technical kind of painting in how I wanted to balance the cool grey sky with the warm detailed areas in the painting and a painting about how I felt on those walks I use to take often with my border collie Spot many years ago, the weather seemed to be very cloudy most mornings yet with the promise of warmth to arrive around noon. While I sometimes pass this area in my car I now tend to walk in the woods close to my home.  I am pleased with the row of conifers to the right of the painting and the sky too. I used many layers of glazes to build up detail and a luminous quality in the foreground.
Happy painting to you all!