Moleskine in Kerala - off to India for two weeks

Madurai

Fort Cochin

Madurai

Yes, I am off today for two weeks in South India, Kerala and Tamil Nadu to be precise. I am packing a large Moleskine watercolour sketchbook along with a very small selection of gouache paints and brushes, the ones I won earlier in the year from being "Artist of the Month" in Artists and Illustrators magazine. The colours I am taking are primary Red, Blue,Yellow, Green, Black, White, Turquoise and Magenta; from these I should be able to mix pretty much any colour I need. I have prepared each double-page with a thin wash of neutral acrylic each one slightly red, blue green etc which the gouache should sit on nicely. Preliminary drawing will be by pencil or black felt tip. This should enable me to get a painting done pretty quickly as I would imagine it will hot, humid and crowded with people everywhere. I am looking for wild, strong colour and let's face it, India must be the place for that! All I hope is that I manage to do what I want to do as I would like to do some studio paintings from these sketches when I return. So ciao for now!

Life Drawing - 9 October

A couple of drawings from Bill's Tuesday evening session at the Sussex County Arts Club of male model, Ollie. Pastel pencil on Canson Mi-Teintes paper.

Monday Afternoon Life Session - 8 October

Our model, Chiara, brought along some long strings of colourful beads and shells as a prop but as ever, a lot to try and paint in 50 minutes. I seem to be developing a way of painting the backgrounds in a swirly kind of abstract way which I am interested to see where it leads to....12" x 12" oil on board.

International Artist magazine October/November Issue

My painting "Cuckmere Meanders To Seaford Head" which was a finalist in the "Seascapes, Rivers and Lakes" Challenge competition is now published full page in the current issue (number 87) of International Artist magazine, available from branches of WH Smith in the UK. The painting itself is now with Llewellyn Alexander gallery near Waterloo, London. 18" x 36" oil on board.

Spring in St. James's Park

Trying to get away from being too "photographic" in my landscape painting, old habits die hard! Have kept it looser and softer in this new two-day painting as well as putting more colour into the shadow areas. 12" x 12" oil on board.