98 – 99 – 100 !

Although I only had three people to find on the final day, I found it harder than coping with a cast of thousands. I spent quite a bit of time thinking of a composition which might work, but do you think anyone would arrange themselves into the positions I wanted? Of course not, so I had to improvise, which I should have known to begin with. Always go with what’s there – not with preconceived ideas.

Thank you to Marc Taro Holmes and Liz Steel for coming up with the idea in the first place. It’s been fun.

The same tulips as in the last post, but starting to spread out a little without being too floppy. The greens are mostly Lemon Yellow with Cerulean blue and a touch of Permanent Magenta in the darker areas. For the tulips I used Permanent Rose with some Cadmium Scarlet in places.

These shop-bought tulips are still tight and upright after being tightly bound and squeezed into a bucket with a number of other bunches. I’m looking forward to painting them again when they have flopped a bit and the leaves point every which way!

They have been warning more snow was on the way for ages, and yesterday it came true. The bird bath was covered and once the snow was scraped off the top the water beneath was solid. The bare stems of the fig tree behind are usually hidden by it’s summer foliage when I paint this corner of the garden.

I have painted this tree before but never at this time of year. Usually it’s Spring and Summer foliage hide much of the cottage behind it. The notice pinned on the left hand side of the trunk is a long list of things you are not allowed to do on the grass beneath. At one time, a simple ‘Keep off the grass’ would have been enough, but these days it seems everything has to be spelt out and itemized.

I saw this little plant sitting on a shelf away from others of it’s kind in the supermarket, looking as though it wished it was somewhere happier. So I brought it home. Not a lot of colour of course, but at least it is unlikely to wilt any time soon, so stands a chance of being painted more than once.

It’s proper name is Dracaena Trifasciata. Although I know it as ‘Mother-in-law’s tongue’ I didn’t know, until I looked it up, that it also goes by the name of ‘Saint George’s sword’ and ‘Viper’s Bowstring hemp’ Now I know why it was looking so miserable. I shouldn’t be surprised if it was suffering from an identity crisis.

I mostly mixed the greens from Lemon Yellow, Cobalt blue and Prussian blue, darkening them with either Permanent Alizarin crimson or Winsor Violet.

I was hoping to sketch during my daily walk today, but apart from concentrating on keeping my feet as I slithered on the mud, it also started to rain as thought it hadn’t had enough after doing so for most of the night. Instead I took a photo of a favourite view and retreated home to paint on a quarter sheet of watercolour paper.

After a day and a half of heavy non-stop rain, there is a lot of flooding in places although, at the moment, not too serious here, except some of the footpaths across the fields have become mud swamps in places.

I had intended to go for a longer walk than I did, largely because although it is so bright and sunny, I hadn’t realized how teeth-achingly cold it had become. I know it will probably get a lot colder, but it took me by surprise!

As it is highly likely we shall be in another national lockdown come the New Year, I am looking forward to sketching a lot more winter landscapes for quite some time.

Wherever you are, whatever restrictions you face, have a peaceful holiday, stay safe and let’s look forward to a healthier 2021.

These pies were store-bought, but we made our own mincemeat a while back and are gearing up to making our own mince pies as usual – and plenty of them. We mean to be very happy in 2021!