Porthleven PAP

13/05/13 no.4

More PAP, more wind, PAP wind, wind PAP. It's driving me crazy and yet, here I am, still painting - what's all that about? It's so windy I can't do a straight horizon and the dazzling colourful play of light across the waves is proving well beyond me. Maybe tomorrow it won't be so blowy, maybe ...

Porthleven PAP

More Porthleven PAP - yes, there is more!

13/05/13 no.2. It's so damn windy and cold. Hindsight and just a static visual representation diminish the effect, but believe me, it was howling. Regardless, I'm here to paint so I trudge along the coast path to somewhere called Loe Bar - a sand bar that forms a lake. I've heard it's picturesque, but after a mile long walk I'm disappointed and heading back along the path set up on the cliff tops to paint some gorse blossom. I've still got the lightweight easel so I try and weigh it down with bags and stuff. This works, but only for so long and eventually the wind wins and flings the whole thing over - or it would have done if not for the fact that I stop it with my paint brush loaded with bright pink paint - you can see the effects in a little pink comet whizzing through the air on the right of the picture.

I'm not sure what I was looking for with this painting and I'm not sure I found it, but moving on ...

13/05/13 no.3. There's a bit more sun when I get back so I drive on down the coast to Kynance Cove, by which time .... the sun has gone back in. It's still blowing a gale so I have to try and find a nook behind some rocks to make a fist of any painting. I'm rewarded with a small window of blue sky that lasts just long enough for a small square, which I quite like.

Porthleven PAP

Still working my way through the PAP trip last month. In order. Here's the next one and arguably the best (painting - not blog. No way the best blog - look at those meagre notes, I've got no idea what's going on. Suffice to say the weather was very different just a few short weeks ago.)

13/05/13 - No.1 - Early start - 6.00 alarm
Still cloudy, but painting by 7.30
A bit of sun!! - could be best day of the week, but damn it's windy.

Porthleven PAP

Porthleven PAP 3

Later the same day…

More mud. It's a bigger picture and I've got this unfinished thing going on on the right which I don't know if it's working or not. On the plus side it makes the whole picture vaguely do-able in the time I've got. Also, I get the church in.

I've got sufficient layers to combat the cold, I've got my cap to stop the rain from getting on my glasses, now, if only I could hold back the tide …

Verdict: hmmm, needs some work (both the painting and the holding back the tide).

Porthleven PAP

PAPping in Porthleven

 

 

The Bath Prize Plein Air Painting Prize - a week B&B for 2 in Porthleven with studio facilities: Fantastic!

 

The reality doesn't quite live up to expectation as Yolanda couldn't come and the weather for the week is looking pretty rubbish. That said, it's still a week in Cornwall with free lodging and let's quit with the whinging [steady, let's not totally break with tradition] and get on with it:

 

12/05/13 pt1 - I set the alarm for 5.30 planning an early start - what was I thinking? It's a god awful time and there isn't any sun so I go back to sleep. I do find myself standing painting by the harbour at 7.30 which is still pretty impressive. It's all a bit different - grey skies (well not that), bobbing boats and constantly moving water and .... dammit, I've misjudged the temperature. It's fine to start, but then the wind picks up and it's bitter. [Think about the cooked breakfast, think about the cooked breakfast.] I think about the cooked breakfast and I just about make it to the end. Throughout it all I'm worried it's going pear shaped, but in the end it doesn't turn out so bad.

 

I make it back for the well earned (!?) cooked breakfast (although it turns out you can have it any time before 2 in the afternoon, which is more accomodating that your usual b&b). Sausage (am I still allowed sausage?), bacon (I'm sure there was something about bacon), fried egg (let's not start on that) and toast - every day for a week? - what the hell.