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Root vegetables in watercolor

My mojo has left me since October/November last year with absolutely just no desire to put pen to paper or a brush to the canvas. The intention was there, many a time, but the execution didn’t happen. It was that typical staring at a blank page, at a blank canvas and realizing that even the mind was blank. So what does that say about ignoring inspiration or mood and just get on with it, regarding art as a job that needs to be done. I don’t have the answer. I can only say that if it were my job and I worked for a boss, I would’ve probably been fired.

Rutabagas, turnips and beetroot.

sketches in watercolor and pen in Arches watercolorbook HP, 18x26cm

rutabagas et navet

I even went to see a Picasso exhibit, trying to find the desire to paint, but to no avail. No desire. No wanting it. I had a faint glimpse of my old desire today when I picked up a rutabaga(swede) for dinner tonight. I looked at it and thought by myself that it was a vegetable I haven’t sketched yet and I wondered why… a trigger as simple as that. Not that I am now suddenly overcome with desire to splash the paints, not at all. On the contrary. I wonder what o do tomorrow. But I am grateful for at least having a sketch done today, before January runs out. Tomorrow’s day will have to see to itself.

à bientôt

Ronell

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La Dordogne and a walnut grove: catching autumn colours 4.

The Dordogne is such a beautiful river and with the walnut groves just beside it makes for magnificent scenery, especially in October with its multitude of colour.

I am still doing landscapes “the new way”;, although I am beginning to think it isn’t the real me. My sketches are much more loose and more spontaneous, albeit not always pretty and correct. But it is me. The landscape sketches I am doing lately feels more like small paintings done in sketchbooks. They are much more detailed and take much longer than my usual way of sketching. I am still enjoying it though. Maybe I will find that golden median between sketching like this and my usual style..

..la Dordogne in October

watercolour and pencil in A4 sketchbook

la dordogne0001..walnut grove..

watercolour and pencil in A4 sketchbook

Walnut grove..à la prochaine..

Ronelle

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Urban sketches in Beaulieu.

Below are two sketches I did from the car. I don’t often sketch from inside the car…somehow I am uncomfortable and the window is in my way. But I suppose everything just need to be done regularly and it will become habit. In bad weather it definitely is an advantage to sketch from inside the car.

..parked cars in Beaulieu sur Dordogne..

pencil and watercolor in Daler & rowney sketchbook, A5

hotel beaulieu voitures

..hotel in Beaulieu sur dordogne..

pencil and watercolour in Sketchbook, A4

hotel beaulieu

à la prochaine

Ronelle

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A vinyeard and a valley..catching autumn colours 3.

I am having so much fun with these landscape sketches. Making a lot of mistakes, but every now and then, there is a successful stroke or a colour or a line and then I can burst with excitement. Most of these sketches are greens. Our hills are very green and at the moment, all shades of greens and yellows. the moire I sketch, the moire I experiment with green and the more confident I become in mixing greens. where I have always mixed my greens on the paper, I have now switched to mixing puddles of greens on my palette…as I say…I am just having fun!

..Puy d’Arnac..

watercolour and pencil in sketchbook A4

Puy d'Arnac..vineyard in Nonard..

watercolour and pencil in sketchbook A4

vignobles nonard 2à la prochaine

Ronelle

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Landscape sketches, catching autum colours 2.

I am working hard on landscapes in watercolour. And October is just getting more and more beautiful by the day. I am almost hyperventilating, fearing that I won’t be able to gt enough sketches and paintings done before autumn moves into winter.

Les vaches

watercolor and pencil in watercolour sketchbook21X29.7cm

les cacheswood ferns

watercolor and pencil in watercolour sketchbook21X29.7cm

autumn wood fernsUntil next time

Ronelle

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Landscape sketches..catching October colour.

I am in the mood to do landscape paintings in watercolour, which is a challenge for me, because I paint corners of landscapes, not full, wide scapes. so I set off this week with a collection of sketchbooks in different sizes and pages and a whole arm full of mediums and I  went sketching. I just sketched. Again and again. Some little sketches are awful, others not too bad. I do find it difficult, so I still have a lot of sketching landscapes to do. So. Voiilà. A few of my landscape sketches. In a next post I will show some more and embroider with more détail on my experiences.

les fardines

landscape study 1

I did this sketch at the bottom, after I decided that I didn’t like the one I did above. Then I liked this one even less. but by this time I was fairly tired, so I think the mood and energy to do a decent little sketch, left me.

landscape study 2

At home, I just scribbled a few things around me, while we were at the barbecue. they wer done in graphite and a little charcoal here abd tghere.

Graphite, charcoal sketches 2 Graphite, charcoal sketches à bientôt

Ronelle