Last autumn I packed up the car as a portable studio and headed down to the Jurassic Coast, literally in search of new horizons. Invited by my artist friend and mentor Hugo Grenville, we set off to West Bay, on a day when the weather looked less than reliable.
It’s hard to describe the excitement and panic that can befall you when faced with a blank canvas and a threat of heavy rain – people looking over your shoulder, and a niggling feeling, that maybe, you haven’t quite put enough money in the parking metre to see this session through.
If channelled well though, it can provide a visceral response to painting, forcing a spontaneity that you rarely find back in the comfort of the studio. As the light changed from sunshine to rain, a decision had to be made about the mood of the painting. There was a split-second moment when the cliffs turned golden against a threateningly rainy sky. That was my cue to remember a moment in time, to anchor the mood of the painting.
Weather called an end to the day, so I continued to work on the painting back in the studio, trying to evoke that immediacy and do justice to the mood of the elements that day.
In addition to this seascape, the memory of that Dorset trip has kept me busy this winter, working up a series of paintings below, called ‘Dorset Trees’. A series that attempts to pay tribute to this historical gem in the south west of the UK.
If you are interested in purchasing any of the paintings mentioned in this blog, please message me through the ‘contact’ page.