AND THEN THERE WAS JANE!

JANE has also now sent in some work, saying :-  "Elizabeth and I had a lovely day sketching. I took my coloured pencils with me because i could spread out on the table. Anyway here are the results."

Jane - Debenham's Cafe Reflections I

Jane - Debenham's Cafe Reflections II

Jane - Debenham's Cafe Reflections III

Jane - Debenham's Cafe Reflections IV

They look like a very good source of ideas Jane.  They have shape ideas, colour ideas, & perspective ideas (esp no. IV) .  It's difficult to know what you're going to do with them.  The reflections are so perfect that there's not even any distortion in the panes of glass, so it almost looks like we're looking through at the structure.
I think you've played very safe here, and gone for the plain observation drawings.  Nothing wrong with that, not at all.  However, it's quite nice to just start pushing at little ideas when you're on the spot, and not leave it all 'til you get back to the studio.  Live a bit more dangerously - I would have liked to have seen your THINKING.
Sorry Jane - as I'm not there on the day, I need to be a bit more direct at this stage, otherwise you'll just slip.

Now is the time to start working up some of this stuff, before you go and get any more info. drawings.  Even if you just work through some possibilities - not reaching a finished piece.  I want to see some courage and risk-taking.  Uncomfortable, but necessary.

I can't wait - I think you've got the material to some really exciting work.  Thanks, Jane.

ELIZABETH'S WORK - Wimbledon 5/4/16

And then there was one!   ELIZABETH has produced the following.......

"Another month gone by and I could not get any ideas on how to develop my sketches into paintings. I decided that I would do a little watercolours  to try and find out what excites me about watercolour and if  later I could use them in paintings  so I have a little book which I am doing paintings as I feel like it. I attached two for your comments. I don’t know if it will be useful but it is just something I wanted to do.

Jane and I once again enjoyed our time and some of the drawings are not very good but I enclose them all. I had an e-mail from Pat W and she would like to meet at the Festival Hall so Jane and I have chosen 3rd May.   We hope some of the others can come to discuss work and if possible draw."

Wimbledon 2

Alone

Wimbledon 2

Wimbledon 3

Wimbledon 4

w/c abstract 1

w/c abstract 2

Again Elizabeth, a great set of studies of people.  I especially like nos. 2 & 3, where you have used touches of colour, and a combination of line and tone drawing to create a richer visual language.  Lots of food for the eyes!  These all tell a story, which is what I mentioned last time.  The two drawings involving mothers and children are intimate and draw you in to the space between them, and then 'alone' makes us feel as if we're looking across at this solo figure in an empty space.  Very good - definitely telling that story.
What happens to these now?  Do you do paintings from them?  It's back to the old debate as to whether your 'in situ' stuff is the complete statement, in which case it needs to be done on separate sheets of paper, or do you then subsequently work from them?  Maybe they are complete in themselves - maybe that's why you couldn't think how to paint more from them?

Now, the watercolour abstracts.  I think it's extremely good to keep experimenting with you materials, and seeing what they can do for you.  However, I think all this points to a fundamental issue.  Your 'sketches' are not somehow lesser that subsequent 'paintings', and either stage does not need to have specific ways of handling them.

The language you use in your 'in situ' pieces (I'm not calling them sketches, because it can be used rather pejoratively) is SO honest and lovely, you don't need to suddenly change it to a more 'accepted' painting style when you work them up.

Work up you drawings to contain the same mix of language - line, tone, colour, pattern - just as you naturally do anyway.  Yes, some of the lovely watercolour effects you have achieved here can be used too, but IN COMBINATION WITH, AND IN CONVERSATION WITH all the other marks you make.

End of rant!!  Have a go.
Thank you Elizabeth, for being such a sensitive and brilliant watcher of people!