Olive in the Mediterranean garden
It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Park but today I joined three other sketchers for our fortnightly group and sat on the ground in the Mediterranean garden to draw this olive trunk.
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Keeping my eyes open
‘Have you got a muffin in each eye’ is what my dad would say when someone couldn’t find or see something and although that is a quaint way of putting it a lot of folk act just as though its true. Keeping their eyes open is one of the things I try to teach my…
Spring sketch
Today I met with the fortnightly Hotham Park sketchers group. The sun looked lovely but as I sat in the shade drawing thisI got chilly in the wind. The Park looks wonderful but in need of a good shower as we have not had rain for a long time.
Gearing up for the 2017 Chichester Art Trail
The annual art trail is fast approaching and this year so I ambush mounting and framing some of the plein-aire pastel sketches I have done in Hotham Park. I like pastel for sketching although it is a bit messy. I always make sure to have a damp cloth in my bag to wipe my hands….
The Secret Garden
In a far corner of Hotham Park there is a delightful little secret (almost) garden which has been restored since I first visited it some years ago. This is what it looks like now.
New park work
Yesterday I started a new painting of a bare hazel tree which had lovely greens and yellows and complex twisting shapes. I decided to wing it and began to draw straight onto the natural linen canvas with an oil stick and thinners. This is the work after two sessions. using alkyd paints which dry overnight…
Sketch in the mist take 2
In the previous post of this sketch I threatened to have another go so tried to do more work in my studio. The good thing about a blog like this that one can share failure as well as success. Persoanally rate this a flop though I have learned a few things along the way. I…
Runners in the Mist
Some people have watched gorillas in the mist but whilst sketching in the Hotham Park bandstand I had a grandstand view of the Saturday runners in the mist. I’ll grant you this is not nearly as exciting as being a few feet away from a gorilla but I thought their effort was worth a snap…
Artistic ducks
Whilst sketching yesterday I was visited by two ducks who obviously knew good art when they saw it….well thats how I like to think. Actually they couldn’t see what I was doing as they were below me on the grass close to the bandstand where I sat. I guess its the time of year when…
Sketching in the mist.
Today I went to the Park early (ish) to sketch in the misty conditions. I used an A2 size Pastelmat with a dark slate surface. I bought three of these sheets some years ago to try but never got around to it. Truth is they were expensive and I didn’t want to mess them up…
ritasspot, a blog about Hotham Park by it's Artist in Residence 