Day two of oils - loving the clouds...

Loving the clouds over North Uist this evening - and I've had a go at portraying them with my paintbrush. Still trying to draw with the brush instead of doing an under-drawing in charcoal. I actually intended to do a drawing first but forgot and only remembered when a good deal of the surface was covered in paint. Doh! Too excited at mixing the thick goopy oils. Found a way of keeping the palette fresh too. In my great-auntie Amy's collection (see yesterday's post) there is a beautiful wooden palette, which at the moment I feel a little intimidated by, it looks like it's for people who are really properly doing the painting. I'll use it eventually, but for now I have a plastic box with a lid that keeps the air out overnight. Usefully learned on a course I attended at the St Ives School of Painting (the Dynamic Oils course, which I'd do again if I could, utterly fabulous) and I'd been on the look out for such a box for ages when I spotted the one I have and stowed it, one day meaning to utilise the skills I'd spent days learning. So, now I'm getting chance to remember the inspiration, hold my brush properly (not like a pencil) and have a go. It's going to be a busy summer methinks!

Oil sketch of North Uist from Lochbay, Isle of Skye - 23 June