During August I spent two days in a cute little Shepherd’s hut at Hadrian’s Wall Campsite, which is gorgeous by the way, the owners are very eco friendly and maintain a quiet site. It isn’t overcrowded, everything is beautifully thought out and there were lots of lovely touches within the hut we stayed in.
I’ve been trying to move away from photo realistic drawing and painting to putting in more of my own perception and feeling. My daughter and I walked from the campsite following Hadrian’s Wall to the Sycamore Gap, where we payed our respects to what is left of the original tree, and we’re delighted to see new shoots coming up from the stump. From there we dropped down for a welcome rest at The Sill Visitor Centre before taking a walk back along an old Roman road track to complete a circular walk to our campsite.
Feeling tired after our walk (about seven miles) I was delighted to discover that there was a tin of fresh coffee in the hut and settled down into the sunshine with my drink to make an acrylic sketch in my journal.
I had taken photos along the way, but decided to paint one image etched in my memory, which I remembered as beautiful purplish blue stones with a huge clump of harebells growing behind it. I set myself the challenge of painting from memory rather than using my photo for reference.
I was really surprised to find how different the colours were in my actual photo opposed to how I remembered them. However this was a good lesson about perception, colour saturation in photographs doesn’t necessarily capture the essence of what we perceive and feel of a scene. It’s a bit like writing down a description of somewhere using only fact opposed to building in layers of feeling. We are all drawn to certain colours, scenes and views – as we are certain words and language. Does it matter that my sketch wasn’t 100% accurate? Not at all. It captured how I felt in that moment.
When I think of some of my favourite painters such as Bonnard – the use of colour is vibrant – almost glowing, vivid and ethereal. To progress in my work I think I need to work from imagination, with sketches and photos for quick reference, but with an emphasis on trusting my instinct and feeling to capture the moment, to showcase how I perceive the world.
I recommend this challenge to anyone interested in stretching their skills in painting and in developing their own unique style. It also made me think of my brilliant friend Bridget Wilkinson who creates amazing art of the North East Coastline in a very distinctive way and colour palette.
Hope you enjoy the challenge!
Adventures from Base Camp 