Autumn on the clifftops

Written by david kemp. Posted in The Blog

have been working outside,over the last few months,
painting the landscape around my workshop.

Colours between the autumnal equinox & the winter solstice
seem to be more subtle & saturated than any other time of the year, here in West Cornwall.

All of these watercolours were painted out on “location”
on the windswept moors & cliff tops. Wind ,rain & fast changing weather meant that I had to respond very quickly,using a large sable brush,working  in a “wet on wet” technique.

Some attempts were continued, later in doors in  the dry,
using a smaller more detailed brush

I hope that using these very contrasting techniques,
the rapid & intuitive “plein air” brushwork, & the finer detailed work,
have combined to create an impression of the colour, energy ,
movement ,space  & rapid change in this wild autumn landscape ?

Some details  from these paintings

Closer up, even the finer details  can be ambiguous?

Underneath, loose  amorphous areas of  coloured washes ,
are  over painted with  smaller brushmarks to describe details .

The calligrahic marks of  both the wet & dry  brush-work,
combine to create a range of scale, & texture & interpretations.