Well weathered - a series in mixed media and collage

Well weathered 1 - 6   10.5x16.5cm collage and mixed media   ©2018LisaLeQuelenec

I can get up to all sorts of mischief whilst waiting for ink to dry ;o) I have been working into some drypoint and etching prints with pencils, paint and collage - looking at them afresh and thinking about time and errosion.

The original six are available here.

Well weathered I 10.5x16.5cm mixed media ©2018LisaLeQuelenec

Well weathered II 10.5x16.5cm mixed media ©2018LisaLeQuelenec

Well weathered III 10.5x16.5cm mixed media ©2018LisaLeQuelenec

Well weathered IV 10.5x16.5cm mixed media ©2018LisaLeQuelenec

Well weathered V 10.5x16.5cm mixed media ©2018LisaLeQuelenec

Well weathered VI 10.5x16.5cm mixed media ©2018LisaLeQuelenec

They are also available as prints, cards and notebooks on RedBubble here.

Well Weathered VI by LisaLeQuelenec as prints, cards and notebooks on RedBubble

July's moon and a big storm

July's Moon   acrylic on board 19x19cm   ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

Another moon inspired painting - trying to capture the beautiful hazy and subtle coloured rings that surrounded it. There is something very restful and calming about painting night scenes that I really enjoy.

This painting is available on Etsy at Seaside Studios UK.

Reproductions are also available in different formats both framed and unframed  here.



I previously wrote about July's moon being named a thunder moon by some people. We were certainly treated to a spectacular electrical storm that lasted many hours in the late afternoon and stretching into the night on Tuesday. The rain was very heavy as the sky lit up. I didn't venture out but watched for some time from inside. I imagine had I been on the cliff top I may have seen something akin to this as the torrential rain started to move in;

Sketchbook page  watercolour   ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

Across the Bay - a coastal etching

Across the Bay   etching 6x6cm   ©2017LisaLeQuelenec

I thought I would take a break from a canvas that I am working on to print a few more etchings from some plates that I had made a while back. I inked up the plate and began to wipe thinking of the current theme of a strong shaft of light that breaks up the line of the horizon. I think with a little more work the theme will extend well into printmaking. Being able to work across media and develop an idea or technique is something I am eager to explore. This is another varied edition, each print different in the inking.


This print is available on Etsy at Seaside Studios UK.

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.

Isle of Wight and Old Harry Rocks - etchings

Two etchings in sepia showing views from one end of the bay to the other. The Isle of Wight in the east and Old Harry Rocks to the west were once joined together in the days before the Ice Age. The effect of weather and sea has shaped what we can see today in an endlessly, to me, fascinating way. I love the shapes that are left and how they stand like guardians protecting the sweep of coastline. (In a very literal way with the light house on the Isle of Wight Needles.)

Across the Bay   etching 6x6cm ©2016Lisa Le Quelenec

Summer's Eve   etching 6x6cm ©2016Lisa Le Quelenec

Both etchings are available in my Etsy shop here.

Guiding lights

Guiding Lights acrylic on canvas 50x50cm   ©2014Lisa Le Quelenec

Finally I have finished this painting started in June. It's not quite as dark in real life but I might have a wait to get a better one as more wintery weather seems to have settled in and whilst it is very mild in temperature we are having very heavy rain showers with skies much like in the painting. It feels quite apt to be posting it now.

To see the beginning stages of this painting click here.

A storm in a WIP....

Guiding Light (unfinished)  acrylic on canvas 50x50cm   ©2014Lisa Le Quelenec

I didn't appreciate before just how long putting together a blog post takes. There has been painting going on during the past month just not much time to sit at the pooter to edit pictures and get a post together......must try harder.

This is the canvas that I have been battling with. I think I am almost there. I need to live with it a while to 'see' the adjustments that need to be made. I feel that it needs more colour. The reality is not so contrasty and more warmer and subtle in the tones but the camera hasn't picked that up. So the battle continues....

©2014Lisa Le Quelenec

I started by going through my colour notes sketchbook and choosing my palette. I wanted to keep the colour fairly subtle and not too dark. It was important to me that the colours leaned to the warm side, to give the feeling of the hot, humid, heavy feeling before a storm. This palette of ivory black, indanthrene, azure blue, buff titanium and parchment fitted the bill. I have added titanium and zinc white and a touch of pthalo turquoise to the mix.

©2014Lisa Le Quelenec

Blocking in and deciding the tonal patterns are my starting point. Everything is very rough and ready getting the bare bones down quickly. I stayed fairly close to the original watercolour which you can see in my previous post here .

©2014Lisa Le Quelenec

I was starting to work on the shafts of sunlight by dry brushing the paint and added the sail of the yacht in. The painting was trying to tell me that it needed something else. Something subtle but very necessary was missing.

©2014Lisa Le Quelenec

I did what I usually do when faced with such a dilemma. I turned to my sketchbooks. Flicking through I found a tiny sketch of the Isle of Wight and the Needles and decided that the small little detail was just what I needed. I had to keep it subtle though I didn't want anything fighting with the light which is the focal point of the painting.

My sketchbooks are beyond valuable to me and such an important part of the way that I work. Sometimes just for small details like this and the notes about light and atmosphere.

©2014Lisa Le Quelenec

I kept the tones very close so that the land is a mere suggestion. It also appeals to me that the there is a second 'guiding light' with the addition of the lighthouse but that it is outweighed by nature's guiding light.

©2014Lisa Le Quelenec

Reassessing the painting I concluded that the yacht was now too far over to the right of the composition and needed to move to the left a little. I also increased the scale. The sail is acting like an arrow to the sun streaming through the cloud.

Morning Glow

Morning Glow   20x20cm  acrylic on canvas board   ©2013Lisa Le Quelenec

Painting has been sloooooow the last week. Even though this painting is just a small one it has been a battle of wills trying to capture the soft hazy light. The warmth in this piece is my wishful thinking for a warmer spring than we have experienced so far this year. It can't be long now.... can it?

September storms

Gathering cloud - the Needles   13x10cm watercolour on paper   ©2012 Lisa Le Quelenec

I have been continuing my experiments with 'black' watercolour that I started last year. You can see the original posts  here  and  here .  Since Sunday we have been 'blessed' with really heavy rain storms occasionally shot through with blazing sunshine. The sky has been very changeable with dramatic rain clouds and yesterday when they had rained themselves out and the sun shone I escaped to the beach. There was a very strong wind - too strong for painting down there but I did have a good walk and took some photos that may be used as reference. The sea was very choppy with lots of big crashing waves sending spray flying. I love this weather!

Towards Swanage 24/09/12 photograph

Below are a couple of postcard sized experiments  - more to follow.....

Dark as night

 

Dark as Night   watercolour 16x16cm ©2012 Lisa Le Quelenec

A view towards the Isle of Wight and the Needles from the beach at Hengistbury Head. At times with the heavy rain storms that we have been having it feels like twilight and it's the middle of the day. I've been enjoying painting dark watercolours again. There is something in me that likes to get out the blacks, sepia and indigo in watercolour, maybe it's a rebellious streak after being told for so long that you shouldn't use black.

Last week we had a day of sunshine so I headed out to Hengistbury and as I walked along the wooden walkway I saw lots of sand lizards lined up at the edges sunning themselves. It's been a miserable summer for them without much opportunity for a sunbathe so it was nice to see them taking advantage of it.

This painting is available in my Etsy store.