Afraid I'm having a bit of a hiatus in inspiration at the moment!
It so makes me miss - and appreciate all the more - those times when you can 'see' a painting in just about every scene or every photo that you look at! At the moment, every time I look for inspiration, I just see scenes or images that I don't feel I have anything to add to, or they just don't stir my imagination in any way at all. For those that do, I'm usually overwhelmed by them and don't feel I have the ability to paint them!
The painting below was a result of this frustration combined with the momentum of this blog. I've posted something every week, almost without fail for over four years now (there was a total of four weeks in 2016 when I didn't post something!).
I just can't let a little lack of inspiration, motivation and enthusiasm break such a run!
We took a bracing walk at the weekend, starting from the top of Devil's Dyke, which is just a few miles outside of Brighton. It's a popular spot for it's expansive views and great walks, and the skies are often peppered with gliders and hand-gliders that are able to circle for hours on the updrafts.
This view is looking out from Devil's Dyke, over the small village of Poynings and the flatlands of The Weald towards the distant horizon.
From the top of Devil's Dyke looking over Poynings
There are elements of this that turned out okay, maybe the sky - but overall it does leave me feeling a little cold. It did feel good to using a decent sized mop brush again - this is a quarter imperial sheet - but I did also feel a little bit nervous and tentative, perhaps a little brush rusty!
It's not the first time that I've tried to tackle this kind of expansive scene:
View of the Weald from Firle Beacon in the the South Downs
This was a half sheet painting that I did a year or two ago. It would be nice to think that tackling a similar view a few years on would show a greater sense of development!
There's no denying that over the past few weeks, I've done less painting than I have during any period in the past few years, and I can't help but feel that my abilities are waning along with my enthusiasm and motivation.
Admittedly, I've recently had to throw my focus into some other projects (such as some DIY /home improvement projects) which I've actually been happy to do as a break from the painting. As these diversions are gradually coming to an end, I'm hoping that II'll be able to re-focus on my painting and rediscover some of my watercolour joie di vivre!
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