Do have a browse around at https://www.davidpilgrimart.co.uk and there are quite a few new paintings on there too. 

A couple of weeks ago we had a scorching weather weekend so I decided to take advantage and head for the Dorset coast for some painting around Studland Bay. A few years ago I visited Old Harry Rocks with David Bachmann, Tim King and Valerie Pirlot and we were all pretty awestruck by the sight of the gleaming white chalk stacks. They really are a majestic sight in the sunshine and there was plenty of that with the temperature nudging 32 degrees.

To ensure not getting burnt I was smothered in factor 50 and pretty well covered up, including one of those desert caps that has material on the back. I no doubt looked ridiculous but at least I wouldn't go home looking like a lobster. I also had my new custom umbrella rig which works well with the tripod/pochade setup and provides shade for the painting/mixing surface. It was still pretty brutal in the heat and I took loads of water to keep hydrated.

Over a day and a half I managed to get five paintings done. I thought the subject lent itself well to a wider format and had a go with a bigger board (12x24in).

I recently spent a few enjoyable days painting with friends down in Cornwall and we were based in the Padstow area which has lots to offer when it comes to inspiring coastline. The weather wasn't too bad with just the one 'in a cloud' day.

As always, Bedruthan Steps didn't disappoint and is always a challenge to paint





Polzeath has a lovely wide beach and lots of surfers which seeme to work nicely as a subject

The Algarve in Portugal is such a great place to paint. Inspiration is easily found amongst the dramatic cliffs and beaches and at this time of year the vegetation is quite lush with many wildflowers and more unusual looking cactus, yucca, palms and olive trees.

I loved the colours of the rocks and sand which had a unique warmth in the sunshine. Even in more overcast conditions there is much to offer. The painting below was done from the pier in Lagos and perched on the right is the Mayor's residence. I was lucky with the timing of the tide with this one.


Here's one below done just after the above, again from the pier in Lagos. I wanted to capture the warmth from the ochre/sienna stone in the cliffs which takes a bit of getting used in painting terms. The shifts in colours/tone were often very subtle, as was the aerial perspective.


The piece below was painted on a very dull/wet afternoon and I was lucky to find a spot that was vaguely sheltered under a tree. However, the rain intensified and eventually I struggled to see what was on the painting or palette. Still, glad to have captured something from the moment.

Recently I was kindly invited by David Bachmann for fantastic week of painting with friends on the Algarve in Portugal. It's fair to say I enjoyed every single minute and it was great to paint and socialise with friends and soak up the wonderful coastline. It was a real tonic to get out with the easel and paint in the sunshine (well, with the odd bit of rain here and there) after what had seemed a very long and drab UK winter!

Amongst the group were David Bachmann, Tim King, Karl Terry, John Stillman, Tony Dakin, Mo Teeuw, Haidee-Jo Summers, Valerie Pirlot, Andrew Roberts, Mike Richardson and Rob (I can't recall Rob's surname - cellist with the Seville orchestra). I thought it would be nice to share a few group/action shots.....it appears we were generally either painting or eating/socialising 😊


  








Paintings in the next post.

I'm looking forward to this year's annual exhibition with the Royal Institute of Oil Painters which opens to the public on Wednesday November 30th at the Mall Galleries in London. As usual, there are a host of interesting events lined up during the exhibition which runs until December 11th. I hope to make it to the paint evening on December 6th which is always good fun.

I'll have the following five paintings on display at the exhibition:

At the end of September I spent a fabulous few days painting with friends in Venice. Amongst the crew were David Bachmann, Herme Bachmann, Tim King and Wyllis Heaton (all the way from California!). It was such a good trip all round and I hope the paintings in some way reflect the impact that Venice had on me this time.

The weather was a startlingly sunny contrast to previous trips and we were blessed with almost constant sunshine. Venice really does sparkle in the sun and I've always wanted to experience it in those sorts of conditions. I decided to try and explore some different parts of the city that would be a bit off the beaten track and less flooded with crowds. We now have quite a good knowledge of where might be best to head for (and best to avoid) and that certainly helps when it comes to the paintings.

The subject for the painting below was a real find in Dorsoduro and the yellow house with that punchy green tree was too good to resist. It's nice to see Venice when there are trees with foliage as there aren't that many and they make interesting contrasts with the architecture.


The Ospedale is another subject that's been on my 'must paint' list and thankfully we were there when the light seemed pretty good. Tim and I stood side by side on the bridge painting this one and we worked at some pace to capture the fleeting light as the sun sunk at great speed. The marble facade has some unique tones and colours in the shadow sections (lighter in tone than I expected) which contrasted quite markedly with the warmth of the sunlit sections

Earlier in July I joined EAGMA members for a few enjoyable days painting up in Staithes. The weather wasn't very kind so painting opportunities were a bit hampered but we all made the most of things and it was good to see a part of the UK coast I've never explored before. Everyone made me feel very welcome and we stayed in an excellent Georgian apartment just a stone's throw from the harbour.

I tended to work small as the weather was so changeable. I often think the rapid switches from sun to heavy cloud/rain are some of the most difficult to deal with when working outdoors. It's comparable to painting a still life and having someone keep turning the lamp on and off....infuriating!!

Anyway, here's a few that made the trip home....

Almost got blown off the harbour wall by the incoming squall whilst painting this one below and lost a couple of brushes and my turps pot into the rocky depths below. I was perched on some giant boulders to get the elevated view of the 'sparkle' and nearly got blown off. Those distant clouds were actually heading straight towards me and I was rather taken by surprise at how quickly and violently it suddenly whipped up. At least the painting survived...just!


  




Below is the abseil route I had to take to get down to paint the boats and clutter at Port Mulgrave!

Port Isaac offered some shelter from the less favourable weather and the harbour area has a small number of boats which seemed to be positioned in exactly the same spots as where they were this time last year. These two boats were tilting nicely and I was rather taken with the wet puddles in the sand

I recently spent a very enjoyable week with friends painting along the Cornish coastline (Padstow region). Amongst the crew were David Bachmann, Mike Richardson, John Stillman and Karl Terry. We stayed in a nice place at Trevone Bay and whilst the weather was somewhat mixed there was still a feast of great subjects to get stuck into.

I was glad I had a chance to catch the evening light just a few short steps from where we were staying. The view had tempted me on a number of evenings but the weather & tide wouldn't play ball (figuring out what the weather's doing is one thing but the tide adds another layer of complexity!). I do enjoy these sorts of subjects when you have to work quickly and with an intense focus to try to capture the essence of a fleeting moment. Some tiny figures popped up on the rocks and I gently hinted at them to help with the sense of the 'bigness' of the subject, even though it's done on quite a small panel.


A similar sort of experience at Treyarnon Bay, ideal for a smaller format (6x8in) since the scene changed so rapidly!