Wednesday 7 July 2010

Mountaineering

It's good to get out of the car and head for the hills on foot with only a rucksac full of sketching materials. Especially when it's not raining.

I'ts good to get back to drawing and painting direct from the subject even if it is hanging precariously from the side of a hill:

Tarn Crag and Gibson Knott
Ink and wash in sketchpad, A5x2.
Great name that - "Gibson Knott"!

And looking up through the glen, or whatever they are called in England, past a small, almost dry waterfall called Sour Milk Gill, to the peak of Tarn Crag:

Sour Milk Gill and Tarn Crag
Ink and wash in sketchpad, A5x2.


Then some time spent idling away the afternoon beside a pure and clear burn, or gill:

Greenhead Gill
Ink and wash in sketchpad, A5x2.

What a heavenly country.

What a good holiday.

A busman's holiday.

6 comments:

Melinda said...

Thank you for sharing your camping trip and brave and wonderful sketches. I came by the other day and marveled at all of your work, but failed to comment then.

You've had quite the adventure!

I love the way you use your sketchbook to paint fully on both sheets, for a panoramic view. Very good work. It's fun, isn't it, to revisit the representational after pushing yourself so hard in the last year?

daviddrawsandpaints said...

Yeah, Melinda, it's a great relief atm NOT to be using my two brain cells!
I'm equally guilty of visiting at times and not commenting. I liked your blog on Fathers Day and I will leave a comment because I have got something to say. NO! I hear you exclaim...David with something to say! What is the world coming too :o)

Celeste Bergin said...

what a good holiday indeed--beautiful sketches, you caught the feeling of the place(s)

Casey Klahn said...

How are you, David? These sketchbook panoramas give me joy - as a retired mountaineer myself.

I've spent many, many happy moments on our own Mt. Rainier, and dream of returning with the pochade box for a different sort of climbing - your post inspires me for that.

daviddrawsandpaints said...

Thanks very much Celeste!
I'm still floating along on the crest of that particular holiday wave :o)

daviddrawsandpaints said...

Hi Casey,
Very good to hear from you!
There is nothing quite like it to be high up in the mountains, although these peaks and crags are perhaps a bit tame compared to some of those in Scotland.
I only took sketching equipment with me on this holiday, but you are right - taking a pochade box with paints would be an excellent thing to do.
Have a look at some of Celeste's work 'en plein air' and you really will be inspired!

I am very pleased you got some joy from these sketches :o)