Painting Pembrokeshire | North – South Wales | Part 3

Painting Pembrokeshire | North – South Wales | Part 3

Painting Pembrokeshire is on my radar but I need to wait for the weather to agree with my plans. I can’t believe it’s taken me two years to put all these paintings together.  With my largest welsh exhibition on the horizon things are getting exciting now.

 

 

A visit to Harlech:

A Broken easel today, which occurred half way through painting. Alicia has accompanied me to relax, sit and read on the beach and read.  Instead she ends up kindly offering to hold my canvas whilst I battle with a broken easel. I’m still not sure I am fully forgiven for the paint she is unable to wash from her jacket.

 

 

Pembrokeshire – Attempt No.1:

Trip one, was planned to be a whole week in Pembrokeshire.
It ended on day two when I woke up at 5am with a tent on my face.

 

Plan B – Anglesey, again, because inspiration is around every stone wall!

With my tent sent back. I grabbed an old small tent for this trip. No matter how strong the winds might get I will not blow away now!  Last year ( See Part 1). I started the trip in Anglesey and, as is often the case I saw more inspiration than I had time to paint, so plan B was – Head to Anglesey with my old sketches and also try to paint some of them. I had also heard about the last day of the Regatta for the Porth Diana Boat club 100yr anniversary. (recommended to me by a good friend Catherine Barber, who coincidently has a great small creative business as an indie dyer See @barberblacksheep ).  I warmed up with a small painting of the boats waiting in the Bay Area. As I continued painting the wind picked up . An artist (Mark) wondered over to say hi, and that the Regatta had been cancelled due to high winds.

 

 

Gallery visits for those rainy days:

 

Oriel Ynys Mon , combines History and current arts. Located in Rhosmeirch, almost the middle of Anglesey. They do an impressive job of showcasing Welsh Artists.  With 2 large exhibition rooms, some smaller spaces as well as the History room there is always plenty to see and be inspired by.
The Royal Cambrian Academy is a wonderful gallery located in Conwy.  Conwy itself is an impressive town with castle walls that you can walk along taking you around most of the old town/castle, with an archers view over the city. Members of the Society regularly put on exciting exhibitions and Wales always themes strongly which is nice.

 

 

Painting Pembrokeshire Take 2!

It’s Tuesday.  After a great weekend surrounded by creative people at the ‘Good Life experience’ I get home and unpack. Check the weather, which is good,  better than good! A whole week of clear skies is forecast so I unpack, pack up again and I’m off to St Davids the very next morning.

 

Day 1.

I stop in Fishguard on my way, for more scouting.

After a good drive I arrive at Porthclais and set up camp.  Take a walk along the coast by the campsite to look for some inspiration close by for early, or late evening painting(it’s nice not to have to travel back and forth too much. It’s a great location.

I start my first painting that evening as the sun sets turning the cliffs a deep orange.  Next morning I set the alarm early and head up to paint the morning light on the nearby cliffs. Some folk walk by and comment on how lovely my office is this morning. I couldn’t agree more!

 

 

Day 2:

Today the Climate strike is on in St Davids. The school kids are very justly skipping school to help raise awareness.  I’ve already been painting at sunrise so I hang around to support them then I’m off to a great cafe called ‘The Meadow‘ for some breakfast. I can recommend a visit here!  St Davids might possibly be my favourite welsh City, probably because it’s the smallest – Britains smallest in fact. There’s a selection of private galleries, a Marine Life Centre, 1 pub, and numerous cafes. If you are in to adventure there is TYF and Dragon Adventure who will take you Kayaking or coasteering for the day.

 

After breakfast I head to Marloes Sands. I’ve been walking there before and there’s really only one beach like Marloes, its so dramatic! A curved beach about 1.5 km long with a number or rocks resisting erosion around the coast leaving soldier like formations of Volcanic rock Groups scattered all over.   Apparently if you Climb over the rocks at the western end to Albion Sands at low tide, you can see all that’s left of a wrecked ship sticking out of the sand; its prop shaft.

 

Anyway,  it’s dramatic and impressive so I’m thinking Dramatic lighting and colour to accentuate this . I decide on Sunset(or just before) and sit and wait.  Eventually a moment arrives and its perfect. The setting sun just shines through some of the eroded and rock and that’s my cue to start painting! The sun is moving fast, no time for an easel so I paint on the floor.

 

Last Day painting Pembrokeshire

The Weather is forecast to change and Last night was crazy windy.  Up early to finish the Porthclais painting, then spent a relaxing day in St Davids because  I didn’t want to start a new canvas but knew I had to paint Marloes Sands in the evening before heading home.

 

 

To see all the finished paintings please visit the gallery where they can be viewed and are for sale. If you enjoy reading these blogs you can opt in for the ‘Easel Editorial’ which goes out in the last week of each month. It’s all about inspiring creativity, meeting fascinating people and of course, art in general.