Weather Diary

For this project I really liked the idea of having a simple theme that we can keep coming back to as the month goes on. A lot of the time in my painting I like to have a single focus that serves as both a subject idea but also as an anchor. 

Often, as I’m sure you’ve experienced, it’s easy to get distracted and go off on a tangent when you’re working. You may begin quite well and know what you’re doing but as a painting progresses you can lose your way. This is when it’s handy to have a single and simple idea to return to and get yourself back on track. 

Also it’s not that appealing to be going outside at the moment, sitting or standing painting for any length of time so these studio projects we’ve been doing recently show that even though we’re not going out as much, we can still get a lot done. Subjects are there to be had and sometimes all it needs is a little focus. Hence the idea of a weather diary where you always have a starting point and a theme. The unsettled nature of the weather at this time of year in particular makes this a timely project. There’s generally going to be enough variation day to day to keep you on your toes. It’s also a subject that’s not about solid things or objects. Quite deliberately I want you to think about the more ephemeral nature of the landscape. 

In the video you can see me doing some slightly dodgy sketching (in my defence it’s not always easy to paint and talk at the same time! ) but I was trying to think about specific aspects of the view out my studio window such as the strong colour of the sky or how the flag was moving in the wind. Concentrating on these individual aspects of the landscape provides a focus in your work that narrows down what you are doing and helps to avoid just making a picture of the scene. In fact I’d like you to actively avoid making recognisable images. Really focus on the less tangible aspects, like the movement of the wind or strong colours. 

Working on an extended series of quick pieces in your sketchbook like this you have the freedom to explore many different ways of working. As I said, try to approach each piece as a challenge. It doesn’t need to be full of ground breaking stuff but just see what can you do differently each time you begin a sketch? 

Experiment with different mediums. I had a quick go at drawing and a bit of collage but how about using print from textured materials. You could start by collaging found materials collected on a walk, objects that represent the weather like fallen leaves. You could incorporate elements from our written notes project. Describe what you see and then work over the words with paint. This works in a similar way to beginning with sticking random torn papers on the page by getting rid of the blank page and providing a starting point. 

Maybe you could take a photo, print it out and then tear that up to begin the page. 

I’m really looking forward to seeing what you come up with and discussing it with you. So have a great month and I’ll see you all in the group!