More circles

A thought - is it about protecting my energy, setting my boundaries? I have had something pulling on my energy lately. It's taken me a long time to realise, than it came to me after I had painted these little beauties and I was writing in my studio book.  A series of protective circles.

Various papers (cold press, Etchr, Seawhite of Brighton, etc.). The ones I like best have Glacier Green in them. And Haze Indigo, I think.

Each is about the size of closed fist. My hands are small. Can I make them larger?

Just dropping watercolour into water

In reverse order of execution. Done on different papers, some really smooth and thin, some more textured.

Some days, I know that I can't paint "a painting".  There can be many reasons, too busy, too tired. Or just energy sucked out of me. But I want to turn up anyway. That's who I am. I always turn up for myself. And I'm always glad I do, particularly when I would rather take to the bed and distract myself with doom-scrolling or dark thoughts. So, on those days, I might just scribble. On this occasion, I painted big water shapes on the page and dropped watercolour in, no thinking, no judging. So happy I did.

What the paintings look like when they're framed

I got a couple of my paintings framed recently. I like how they look in their frames.

 

How the land breathes

I was on a roll. Same view, same colours. The feeling of the land breathing. Water, air, land. Waves, wind and rocks. Storms and land formation. A time before time. Interestingly, I like it better as a mirror image. What was that movie with the blond actress who was married to the guy from Coldplay, where time goes backwards. Literally put that in Google. It had to think for a second. Gwyneth Paltrow, Sliding Doors.

Breathing landscape

I hadn't painted in over a month. I was travelling, and sketching and exploring patterns. But still, the not painting was becoming a thing. So, I did what I always do when that happens. I took a full sheet of watercolour paper, and divided it in 6 with masking tape. And I had fun. Can you guess which are my two favourites?

 

Plunging, Holding

Exploring the water and rocks about 50 meters down the road from the previous paintings. The big slabs of rocks plunge into the water, and it feels like they're holding the water in an embrace. I haven't fully identified what my feelings are with this one, or what the energy is. This version is on cartridge paper, A2. The paper is a lot thinner than I expected. Not ideal with my vigorous way of painting and drawing. I did tear the paper. And I have painted something similar, but in a very different way, a few months ago. So this might take a while before I can figure this one out.

Soft pastels to the rescue - Birth-Day

There is more energy now. I used some soft pastels to repeat the shapes that I see pushing through this landscape. And a little bit of extra splashing. I have Suzanne Vega's song stuck in my head.

The Weaver

She's protecting us, with her weaving, building strong defenses. All these words are coming to me, bit by bit. Reminding me that tectonics, textiles and architect are all connected via their Proto-Indo-European root. Strong roots are important, no matter where you are.

Another painting inspired by the Beara Bowl.

Here is what the first layer looked like

Softly softly

I've been painting rocks, stones and mountains for the last few months. But now, of course, I feel the pull of water vapour, clouds, waves. I think I will forever feel that tug between the elements. It will take a little while to adjust. I did little thumbnails (little for me, half a quarter sheet each) on cold press paper first. It was wishy washy, any movement in pigments disappearing in the long drying time. This was a wet day in November in Ireland. Nothing dries. Then I moved to Fabriano Unica print paper, and the pigments were happy, they danced on the sheet, and they made me happy too! I didn't have any reference image or sketch. Just let the water guide me.

Stone - close-up

From a close-up photo of a stone with lichen and what I believe are veins of quartz. I think it's those white veins that make the mountains shine in the sun. Done with neoart and watercolour on top.

Adding scribbles

I felt this one wasn't quite finished. Added some squiggles and lines in oil pastels. Not there yet, but I will need time to think about it.

Land

I enjoyed painting this one. It's been a while since I haven't added anything to a watercolour.  Done on Hahnemuhle Cornwall paper, about 48x48cm. Lots of granulating pigment.

Echo

Working from a small ink thumbnail, I'm exploring similar shapes and effects in watercolour, using my colour swatches from the last few weeks.. It's all about the feeling of being by the shore near Allihies, although the initial thumbnail was done from a specific location. Now, I'm moving away from the visual to the emotional. The thumbnail carried the feeling of community,  women resonating as we were painting together, the precious friendships that help me through my life. This painting echoes that, as well as the sound of the wind and the waves against the rocks.

And, for a change, a had painted a very light first layer and let it dry completely before embarking on the second layer.

Mixed darks

I had fun with darks in ink on a small scale, but now I want to create colourful darks in watercolour to paint something that reminds me of the feeling of community and fun and friendship, but slightly larger. I made one attempt with ink on watercolour and I am not sharing that with anyone. I know, I know, I normally share everything, the good, the bad and the ugly. But not that one. So I am now exploring darks in watercolour. I am mixing the same colours I have been playing with, Quin Magenta, Quin Gold, Phthalo Blue. Also Haze Indigo (granulating). And a good dollop of Neutral Tint (Holbein watercolours) to push the dark.  Some of these darks are a bit too purple or too blue. ButI really like the mixes that contain all the colours, particularly with the hint of Quin Gold and some extra water. It reminds me of the colour of the rocks on the Copper Mines Trail that goes up from Allihies. Particularly when the rocks are wet with rain.