Renaissance

Peeters the Elder, from my book

Renaissance:

1. the period of European history at the close of the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern world
2. a rebirth or revival
3. a renewal of interest or creativity in an area

A longtime favourite painting, Seascape with Sailors sheltering from a rainstorm by Peeters the Elder, has inspired a reconsideration of a Dorset painting abandoned in progress.

My scribbled sketchbook notes:

Cliff on the left in earth tones with highlights in green sea tones. High contrast to light sky next to it that glow down to the sea - slowly becoming darker/opaque to foreground.

Portland needs the lightened sap green mix I've been working with [earlier today on the Greenwich Park paintings]. Already has strong yellow iron oxide (fore) to turquoise (back) underpainting. Add another horizontal for Chisel Beach with Weymouth main horizontal behind. Probably just zinc white glaze purple underpainted sky. Reflect violet of sky in Portland cliff but darken with raw umber.

Take Portland ALL THE WAY UP. Cliff becomes completely a right side frame, with sea painting in square to left.

Portland Isle underpainting

This is how I think as I work, but I rarely write it down. Something I hope will change with the new studio. In fact the very reason I wrote this is because I was sitting in the red chair looking across the room at my half-started canvases while browsing through Turmoil and Tranquility. I was able to sit, think, and look at both sets of images (and also my Turner postcards scattered all over the wall opposite the chair). In the old studio I didn't have the space for this and when I was reading or thinking I would go into another room. Having the distance from the canvases and the place and space to think in the studio itself will revive my neglected sketchbook practices.