Little sea treasures

Sea treasures   3 15x21cm (approx.) watercolour on paper   ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

A few more little treasures just added to the Etsy shop Seaside Studios UK. - warmer colours for a change....

Starfish   15x21cm watercolour on paper   ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

I love painting the details on starfish and playing with the colour and tone.

Simmering summer heat

Shimmering Heat   20x20cm acrylic on canvas board   ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

We have been having a mini heatwave here in the UK. It's been gorgeous and I've been making the most of it from sun up till sundown. I hope your summer is as much fun.

A memory of yesterday's storm in my sketchbook...

Storm building - sketch from memory   11x11cm watercolour   ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

Yesterday I was a real treat! Whilst I sat on the sand in brilliant sunshine I watched a storm building over Studland, break and then move quickly out to sea. I think it must have made quite a downpour as the dark of the sky became as dark as the land and you couldn't see where one ended and the other began at one point. Tiny little flecks of white sails stood in contrast, lit up from the sun that was bright on my side of the bay, chasing the storm. The strong light reflecting the white sand at the bottom of the water made areas of the sea a gorgeous milky turquoise - a beautiful contrast to the brooding purplish/indigo of the sky.

All told it couldn't have lasted more then ten minutes or so and was such a thrill to watch, even my little prince watched enthralled. As soon as I could I had to try to record the memory in my sketchbook.

Soft Summer's Light and colour inspiration

Soft Summer's Light   acrylic on board 20x20cm   ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

A while back whilst reading blog post by Sherrie York I chuckled to myself. She was in the middle of one of her exquisite linocuts and had realised that she had mixed the exact colour of ink to match the shirt that she was wearing. This is certainly something that has happened to me more than a few times.

The post reminded me of a time many moons ago at college when a tutor asked me why I had picked a certain colour combination for a repeat pattern design. It was quite a combination - dusky pink, chestnut brown, and bright vibrant turquoise and orange! I replied that I didn't have a clue, there was no reason I just happened to mix them. It was only when I got back home to my student digs and went to the kitchen that I saw the combination in all its retro lino, ceramic tiles and Formica glory staring back at me! I guess the décor was so familiar that I had stopped seeing it. My environment subconsciously influencing my palette is something that I have noticed happening a lot over the years.

This painting is another example - I only realised when I had finished it. I had consciously been looking at these particular shells for inspiration and referring to these pages in my colour notebook.

Colour notes ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

Shells ©2016LisaLeQuelenec

Then I realised that I had also been deciding between these  Farrow & Ball  colours for a decorating project....

Farrow & Ball Dix Blue no.82, Green Blue no.84 and Tersea's Green no.236

...it has been a difficult decision as I love them all.... there may be more than one DIY project in the pipeline. ....ssshhhhhhh don't tell His Nibbs... ;o)


You can read Sherrie York's post here.