Recently, I have been looking at my sketches made on location during my winter art residency on Tresco.  These sketches were created with watercolours on thick watercolour paper, either on the beach or on the kitchen table of the cottage I was staying in.

I especially value these images because they are a special reminder of my immediate and spontaneous response to the views and experience.  They connect me back to those footprints made on the beautiful beaches where I was the only person in sight. When I am in my studio working on larger pieces based on this time they connect me directly to my feelings and emotions.  

Then it occurred to me that you might like to have an example of these sketches too. 

I have decided to make some of these available to my subscribers.


The beauty of these sketches is that they show my thought process as ideas bubble to the surface and are explored.  

There is a strong tradition of artists’ sketchbooks being highly prized for the insights they give. Personally, I like many of Turner’s sketches more than his larger ‘finished’ works.

When was your last EUREKA moment
Sometimes limitations can lead to abundance.
During my recent weeklong art residency on Tresco in the Isles of Scilly I had two eureka moments! And restrictions led to new ways of doing things.
Both the flight to and from Tresco were affected by foggy weather conditions.  Meaning that I had an unexpected day in Penzance at the start and an extra day in Tresco at the end.
I am fond of Penzance with its quirky streets, interesting architecture and history. I loved going the Penlee House Gallery and walking as the sun went down to Mariazion beach to view the Mount. I was hoping the full moon would pop up but it was too cloudy to see.  But I still managed to take some interesting night photographs as reference material.
There were just three of us on the delayed flight to Tresco that morning and one was the pilot.
 
I made good use of the extra day in Tresco enjoying an extra day painting on a beach without another soul in sight.
This was my second stay on Tresco and it has been even more beneficial second time around.  I know my way around and felt a real attachment to the beautiful white beaches and coast.  On the first day the was sun out all day long and I rushed to Apple Tree Bay with my paints to make the most of the weather.
Later, I watched as the sun dissolved into the ocean.  This is something I rarely get to see.  It felt transcendental and profound.
This year I availed myself of the bike hire which meant that I could zoom over to favourite locations so much faster and easier.  The cycle paths and tracks are brilliant.
Another favourite place is the Abbey Gardens; the Valhalla collection there contains some 30 figureheads rescued from ship wrecks.
My work for the later end of 2023 tended towards abstraction.  I had expected to carry on with this whilst on Tresco. But, the island brought me back to revelling in the use of representational elements.
I am starting to realise that perhaps my true path (for now at least) will be these two distinct yet interrelated oeuvres co-existing.  One informing and nurturing the other.  I am conscious that people may expect you to be one thing or the other, abstract or representational.  But, if my path is both then I will follow where my intuition leads.
The helicopter flight prohibits my usual en plein air kit of oil paints and solvents. This year I chose to dust off my watercolour set and take them together with watercolour paper.  I hadn’t used these paints since 2008.
The watercolours have been a refreshing tonic. Especially, as my recent abstracts involved the technical and physical challenges of working with wooden structures, cement and sand.
I LOVE the freedom and the immediacy of the watercolour medium.  It nurtures a sensitivity of handling and touch which is refreshing.
During my stay I had my two eureka moments.  I don’t think we get these moments of inspiration without the hours of hard work and dedication.  Often they appear while one’s attention is slightly elsewhere.
For example,  skimming through a magazine and a photo captures your eye.  Or a walk along a deserted beach suddenly provides the solution to a creative block or question.
One such question, I had in my mind from last years Tresco expedition, was how to incorporate figures from the Valhalla without it looking forced or illustrative.  I have several shelved attempts in my studio.
The answer came from a Tresco magazine. Eureka, a photo provided the solution; now it is obvious how to handle this.
Another question was how to utilise texture in a meaningful way. I love intuitive mark marking but I get to a point where I question the validity of this approach without something more going on. 
I am not keen on art which is solely about the picturesque.  I like my art to have depth and I strive to include feeling, emotion and a real connection in my art.
A walk through a boat yard on St Mary’s provided another eureka moment when the possibilities of fusing seemingly random textural marks and representational motifs exploded in my mind.
Of course, coming back down to earth and interpreting and developing these fleeting moments of revelation onto a blank canvas is always a challenge.  It feels like my head and spirit is in the heavens and my capabilities are firmly rooted in the earth. The reality of paint on canvas not matching one’s ethereal ideal can be a jolt to the psyche.  This is where faith and commitment to one's art comes in to sustain the art practice. And thankfully there are wonderful moments of vision where advances ARE made.
In my studio, I have a mountain of ideas and images from Tresco that I want to explore and reveal to myself.
Following my re acquaintance with watercolour, I am mixing water and oil based mediums to great effect. Something I haven’t done before.
I feel a strong connection to the Isles of Scilly, the sea and place.   It is part of who I am.
Back in Dorset, I miss walking along the beach everyday on Tresco. Frequent walks alone along the beach at Studland are vital to my wellbeing. 
I am going to continue to use my watercolour paints and explore the possibilities of this most fluid of mediums.
I am an artist and I am enjoying my life.  Every now and then my heart soars and I am moved to tears.  These are the things I wish to share with you.
In my next email I plan to show some of the exciting new works coming along…
In the meantime, do let me know about your own eureka moments?  I would love to hear about them.