I've been teaching Art for ten years this year. In all that time i've helped quite a few people become better painters and Crafts people (in my humble opinion :-)). There is one thing I haven't done for most of that time. Paint.
A painter who doesn't paint what are you talking about you may ask!
Now don't get me wrong i've painted every day but usually i'm either correcting a student's painting or demonstrating a technique. So 18 months ago I decided it was time to paint for myself as well.
But what to paint?
I have to say it didn't take me long to choose what subject matter to paint. After all I live on the outskirts of the Gower Penninsula: The first designated Area of Outstanding natural Beauty in the UK. I've spent years treking around the Gower and admiring it's beauty so it wasn't a hard choice.
I started by going out around my favourite areas of the Gower making sketches and colour washes as well as taking photographs. When I got back to my art studio (or should that be small desk in the spare bedroom. Doesn't sound as grand of course.) I would then use all those pieces to create a large Watercolour or Acrylic Painting. Some people don't like the idea of an artist painting a landscape indoors. I enjoy painting outside but larger paintings are harder to paint on the side of a cliff in the middle of a breezy gale. One hand holding the canvas to the easel; a foot pressed against the easel to hold it to the ground and my backside sat on the paint tubes (not open ones that would be daft)to stop them rolling away. Trust me i've tried it.
Photograph: Pennard Pill © J.Shepherd
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