Spent a day at Northern Print making some new monotypes. Now back at the studio to take stock of the Panchachuli painting.
The foreground ridges need work. In some places the marks are too soft. Need to convey the hardness of the rock!
Use some prussian blue to bring out the edges and shadows, aiming to loosen it up a bit whilst bringing out the angles and gullies.
Do some more work to the sky - storm definitely brewing now!
Getting a feeling of the wind on the ridge!
A good place to leave it.
Will be able to look at it afresh when I return from my trip to Rome and the Amalfi coast!
After a couple of days, I'm back in the studio and it's time to play with the mountains!
Work quite loosely with brushes, card and rags to create a sense of the massive structures.
I'm pleased that the paper (Somerset Satin) is standing up well to all the rubbing and scraping - a nice surface to work on
Now I've got the feel of the mountain and worked some more colour into the sky - time to have a cup of tea and take stock!
Need to develop the relationship between the sky and the mountain - working towards a feel of the weather.
Add some more paint and rub vigorously!
Now it's starting to look a bit moodier.
Will leave it for a day or two to settle.....
In the studio on Saturday to do some painting - it's been a while since I've worked with oils!
The scariest moment for an artist - a blank canvas!
Set about making the space more user friendly with some 'inspiration' - drawings and watercolours made in the mountains, photos, some related monotypes with interesting atmospheric qualities.
And to get me started, I pin up a reject monotype. I can play about with this - get the feel of the oils again, and in the process sidestep the 'blank canvas' challenge!
Palette ready!
Enjoying the feel of the paint, the smell of the oil and the turps. Prussian blue, cobalt blue, ultramarine - touches of madder and alizarin crimson, raw umber, yellow ochre - zinc white for luminosity, titanium white for emphasis.
Seems to be building to an intensity of blueness.
Decide to leave it to dry off for a couple of days before I work it some more.
Great to be using oils again, but have to keep reminding myself it's not going to behave the same way as the watercolours I've been using lately!
As Lakpa prepares for this year's Everest expedition, I got to thinking about our trip to the Khumbu in 2010. Our first acclimatisation stop was at the Sherpa village of Namche where the famous Bazaar is held every Saturday.
People travel on foot from miles around, carrying heavy loads of goods to sell at this weekly market - everything from chillies, spices and vegetables to kerosene, clothes and household goods.
We spent our spare day walking up to a viewpoint beyond the village where I planned to do some drawing. As we gained the higher ground an amazing panorama spread itself before us. Standing sentinel on the right, the distinctive form of Ama Dablam. Beyond in the distance the mass of cloud streaming from the summit of Lhotse with Everest unusually cloudless on the right. And all under the bluest skies. Magnificent!
Nothing to do but set to work! What a privilege to have this amazing landscape all to myself. Then, after an hour or so drawing, a nice cup of tea with Lakpa and Mingma, one of our porters - in the background the loos with the best views in the world - probably!
The watercolour!
Do some more work to the sky - storm definitely brewing now!
Set about making the space more user friendly with some 'inspiration' - drawings and watercolours made in the mountains, photos, some related monotypes with interesting atmospheric qualities.
Seems to be building to an intensity of blueness.
Nothing to do but set to work! What a privilege to have this amazing landscape all to myself. Then, after an hour or so drawing, a nice cup of tea with Lakpa and Mingma, one of our porters - in the background the loos with the best views in the world - probably!
The watercolour!
