Botanic gardens - and why I'm not a plein air artist

I went to the Botanic Gardens the other day, on a plein air painting outing. I made two mistakes. One, thinking that the Luas stop at Phisborough is very near the entrance. 20 minutes it was. And, Second, bringing my own packed lunch. Way too much to carry. It was hot, and then it rained. All very uncomfortable. It's never a problem when I'm sketching, but plein air painting is different, much more serious (it would seem to me), so I have to bring extra brushes, extra water, a small tarp to place under my bags (yes, plural). It just wasn't worth the effort. 

Also, being on the autistic spectrum, I suffer from sensory issues - mostly, I jump at sudden noises, I am sensitive to bright lights. Also, I find it hard to see the forest for the trees, literally. I'm in a beautiful place like the botanic gardens, and my eyes keep switching from one thing to the next. I notice the plants drooping by the pond, the turtles, the swans, the big tree to my right, the yellow lilies standing in the pond, the white lilies that have opened so beautifully, the lady who's painting a large watercolour to my right, someone I know across the pond, the clouds building up, the tourists who stop to look at what I'm doing (despite the fact that I've just literally opened my sketchbook!), etc etc. Maybe it's a form of sensory overload. But, really, it's that I want to capture it all. So, one nice painting at the end of the day? No. Can't do that. I keep doing quick sketches, one watercolour layer, then I pick up another sketchbook and use a pen. Then I go back to watercolour. I literally cannot settle. Previous years, it worked out, as I had lots of energy, and I produced lots of great sketches and vignettes, and I was on a high. This year, I just find it exhausting. I had to take to the bed after I got home. So, yes, it's taken me (nearly) 59 years, but now I know why I'm not a plein air artist. And it's also exactly why I love urban sketching so much. I can churn out as many quick vignettes as I want, using 5 different pens and markers. Nobody expects me to stand at an easel, in the same spot, all day. And I'm good at it. And I'm also good at studio painting. Because I have one image in front of me. I work from photos I take myself, and occasionally from photos Brendan has taken, but he's not a landscape photographer. He's a street photographer, who photographs people. Check him out on Instagram. He's good. I have a process that works for me (mostly learned from Uma Kelkar, and also from dozens of books I have accumulated over the years!). And I'm disciplined.

Anyways, here is what I did in the Botanic Gardens, all in my sketchbooks. Then the thunderstorms came, and I left.

Had to sketch the baby swans before I left!

Botanic Gardens Dublin

When I go to the Botanic gardens in Dublin, I head straight to the lily pond. I always find it peaceful and inspiring. I like to keep it loose, only adding a little bit of negative painting to hint at the shapes on and in the water. And you will see that I'm now in a lily pond and lily pad phase!

 

After a while, I moved to a spot near the big glasshouses. I was getting tired and my last one, of the sculpture under the tree, didn't work out so well.

I was so absorbed I didn't even realise someone was taking a picture of me!

Rush South Beach

Sky, sea, sand and seaweed. There isn't much going on in Rush. But the light over the sea at the beach was perfect. Lambay Island, Howth, and even the Sugar Loaf and the Dublin Mountains in the distance. I got obsessed with the seaweed.

And as is often the case in Ireland, the light kept changing. Perfect for capturing in quick watercolour. Even got some shadows towards the end!

Skerries - boats and more boats

Skerries - perfect location for painting fishing boats, in direct watercolour! Got completely absorbed! And managed to do a few pen and marker sketches too.

Ardgillan Castle

You will not see a castle in my sketches. Ardgillan Castle isn't the prettiest, in my mind, anyway. But the day I was there, the last day of our heat wave, there was mist in the morning, and the light over the golden fields was just so pretty!

As is often the case with me, my first sketch is my favourite. It's like when I get somewhere, there is this energy, it's exciting, and I have to capture the moment. Afterwards, I start seeing more, but my mind isn't as focused. Often sketchers or artists will talk about having to do a warmup sketch. For me, it's more like I need cool-down sketches to relax from the adrenaline high of sketching! Yes, I'm a sketch junkie!

Just sitting in a field and painting and sketching! And again and again! I love my A4 landscape sketchbook. This is a Seawhite of Brighton watercolour sketchbook - perfect balance for paint and pen!

After a matcha latte, I felt energised again, and did a couple more sketches!

This one, as you can see, I was hitting a low!

I like how the paint flowed in this one! The paper in this little square book is Stillman & Birn Alpha. Interesting effects!