Sketchbook Notes
I was feeling a bit low today. Probably something to do with the low light levels after all the sunshine we have been enjoying over the past week. However, finding a bright Orange and pairing it with a blue and white jug (and an apple), and applying watercolours did wonders to lift my spirits.
Now that April is here and we have a holiday weekend, it is inevitably time to start getting serious about the garden. Seedlings are already in the grow house or on window ledges, but now it is time for lawn mowers and large tools. All very well, but these are stuck at the back of the shed, and the floor space is taken up by the garden seat, table and chairs which have been wintering under cover, and have provided a useful perch for watering cans and the like. I think it is going to take most of the weekend to unearth all the tools we need to begin another year of adventure in the garden.
The final phase of the daffodil ‘thing’ I have had this week! Although the flowers are still thriving, it is probably time to look at something else. They were a beautiful present which couldn’t help but brighten up the day – a lot of days actually. They always seem to be a cheerful flower and bring a much needed burst of colour into the world at this time of year.
The Daffodils are starting to open up now and showing more of their colour, and are just as good to paint. I love the different greens along their length from the very yellow-green at the bottom through the blue sheen along the stems and so dark in the shadows between stems and under overhanging petals, and back to yellow green again as the buds begin to open. Mostly I used lemon yellow and French ultramarine with just a touch of permanent sap green in places. I always want to paint them as much as possible every year as I know they wont last for ever.
Today, three pears remain uneaten, although if those we had last night with chopped pecan nuts and maple syrup were anything to go by, I don’t expect them to be around much longer. Apparently, Pears ripen from the inside outwards, so there is no point in prodding them while still on the tree. You have to lift them off gently just before they drop. When you come to sketch them, you have to try really hard not to make them look too much like old-fashioned light bulbs!
After many years of trying, our little Pear tree has produced fruit which has reached full size. It’s a race to paint them before they are eaten, but I hope I may manage a few more.
One of the joys of Autumn/Fall are the colours unique to the season.
I enjoy seasonal painting whether it is Snowdrops or Daffodils in Spring, the rich colours of a Summer garden or the fruits and berries of Autumn. ( I also like Winter landscapes and snow). The point is, every season has something to look forward to, and it is the anticipation during the rest of the year which makes it so special. For example, would Pumpkins excite us as much if they were as abundant throughout the year as they are in October?
Nothing says ‘Autumn’ quite as much as pumpkins, even the little munchkins! Whether out in the garden or inside on a table, they always bring a splash of welcome colour into our lives as the days become shorter and greyer.
Growing silently and unmolested by any unwanted intruders in the vegetable garden, this is the largest, so far, of a row of North Holland Blood Red onions. I always like to paint any produce like this whether it is from the garden or brought home from the shops. I particularly liked the range of colors from dark red, through Burnt Sienna, white and greens on the stem. It also has very white roots.
Wow, it’s been longer than I thought since I last posted. No real reason for the delay, just been busy with classes restarting, craft fairs starting and fitting in some gardening between lots of rain. I took advantage of a brief sunny interlude to paint this in the hope that there will be many sunny days to come throughout the months ahead. If we keep believing that, it’s bound to happen, right?
Graham Findlay Watercolours 