Take a look into the inspiration and scenery that sparked this new series (check out the collection here). You may have read the story of how I found myself here in a previous blog post. We spent the day in the Larapuna / Bay of Fires area during my Tasmanian Art Retreat with Artable Studios. It was one of our final excursions and we spent the whole day exploring the beautiful beaches of Binalong Bay.

I had the pleasure of sharing the joys of painting en plein air (outdoors) with my students and we couldn't have been in a more remarkable place on a more beautiful day. The blazing sun only enhanced the natural beauty, the water sparkling and crystal clear. The pops of orange of the lichen hugging the granite boulders. The whitest of sand.

In a new location I like to always start off simply, grabbing a pen or pencil and my sketchbook. The scribbles you see here are excerpts from my sketchbooks. I really enjoyed exploring these rolling boulders tumbling into the sea. They are so iconic of this beach.

 

I then move into working with colour, usually a mix of watercolour and crayon. I love the immediacy of working outdoors. You can capture a real sense of vitality. The same essence can't be achieved in the studio.

 

 

I also like to grab my camera and take a few snaps, especially of views or perspectives difficult to capture en plein air.For example, the image above, I swam out with my camera to capture this one from the water.

My goal is always to find little snippets of a place, not so much to capture the grandiose-ness / wholeness of a place. I wanted each piece to feel like a little secret from me to the viewer, a cheeky nod to the magic we have both experienced.

I hope you've enjoyed this digital sketchbook, view the final 8 piece collection here.