Sketchbook Notes
The snow may have gone, for now, but the memories linger, thanks to a painting I did looking out of a window where I had no need to worry about freezing water or fingers. I used New Gamboge, Permanent Rose and Cobalt Blue in the sky and some Raw Umber in the buildings.
Snow in November – Thanks to Storm Arwen. You either love it or hate it, viewing it as either magical or a threat to life and limb. It’s certainly magical to paint, and in some ways simplifies the landscape into areas of cool blues and violets against areas of warm siennas and ochres with a few slithers of untouched paper.
Of course, the difficulty with watercolours is if the water hasn’t frozen, your fingers probably will, so if you are somewhere where you are unable to sit in a car, it might be a good idea to memorize a simple view or make a pencil sketch to work from when you reach home – alternatively you could just paint the view through the window.
Well, we all know April can be capricious, but having spent yesterday pottering in the garden, thinking how lovely it was in the sun, I really did not think we would get up this morning to a blanket of snow. April showers, I suppose.
It is just as well I made a quick sketch as soon as I was able, as it had mostly disappeared by lunchtime. Proof once more that you should never put off a sketch until another time. The chances are it will never be the same.
Although the snow has almost, but not quite, gone from this little corner of the world, I enjoyed painting Little Rissington the way it was a few days ago.
Usually, people are convinced that the first day of a new year will solve all the problems of the old one and a bright new future awaits them. I am fairly sure that not much is going to change just yet, but with hope on the horizon in the form of vaccines, I wish you all a safe and healthy New Year, and look forward to seeing your posts in 2021.
A lovely overnight snowfall greeted us yesterday morning, so we wasted no time in going for a walk around The neighbourhood before the beauty of it turned to slush and back to the mud of previous days. Evidence of a lot of flooding still in places. I took a photo of this on my phone and did this painting at home this morning.
You can never be sure how long the snow will last around here. It could stay a week or only a few hours. We may have more in the next few days or not for another twelve months. The secret is not to waste it while it is here.
Graham Findlay Watercolours 