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I had plans to paint the full moon, to be painting "en plein air" at different stages of dusk and to capture the moonlit landscape, however, the clouds had different ideas! I couldn't see the moon at all due to thick cloud coverage but luckily, I found inspiration elsewhere. The large arched windows in the studio caught my attention immediately and I started painting the ever-changing view at all times of day. The large tidal shifts meant that you could sometimes only see water and at other points a sand bar would appear. The weather and light effects were also constantly changing and within one day you could experience blazing sun followed by grey clouds and heavy rain followed by a rainbow. I had left my oil paints at home and was deliberately limiting myself to gouache and watercolour so I felt not only surrounded by water but also working in a watery way. Being on my own for six days and not in my usual family routine of school drop-offs and pick-ups, cooking dinner for everyone and bedtimes, also made me feel slightly adrift and "at sea" but in a good way. The days seemed much longer and I enjoyed being erratic and painting late into the evening after walking, swimming and drawing during the day. My family arrived for the last three days and also fell totally in love with the place. Time sped up then and we paddle-boarded, swam, walked and painted together in the studio. A highlight for me was paddle- boarding to the sand bar and making watercolours from the middle of the river bed. I have come away with a full sketchbook, a pile of gouaches and many photos as source material to develop back in my studio. Jake was the perfect host and was always around if I needed help with anything or to have a cup of tea and I really enjoyed the experience of portrait modelling for Draw Brighton. Thanks so much for this fantastic opportunity! website
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