Return of the Native

At last I have a new machine and super-fast broadband.  Yes, fibre has come to sleepy Beckley.  It is wonderful to load Facebook almost instantly but  now I can see it properly I have been staggered by what is on it.  You could spend all day wandering through the labyrinth.

And so to the inevitable backlog.  Some of my painting pals must be wondering if I was with them on the Norfolk trip in September - yes folks it was me, the Old Git out on the mud with you!

We had a great time over those five days and I fell in love with the NW Norfolk coast.  Even the mud was interesting.  Seven Brits and 2 Americans, plus John Dobbs who came up to paint on the 19th.

Some of our valuable time was spent visiting Sandringham where we each spent a fortune only to be underwhelmed by the show of Seago paintings.  Nothing wrong with Mr Seago of course but we know how good his works in the Royal Collection are and we felt a little short-changed by the quantity on show and many were not his best.  Still any Seago exhibition is always instructive and it was a pleasant way to spend a dull afternoon.

Messrs Dobbs, Dakin, Terry, Bachmann and Connelly at Morston

David Pilgrim and Karl Terry working on the mud

My first efforts were on Wednesday 17 September, at Burnham - where we were staying - and then at Brancaster.

Slack Tide, Burnham Overy Staithe 8x10

Blue and white Boat, Brancaster 10x8

The next day we started at Burnham again.  In fact we just walked out of our kitchen at the Old Almhouses and started:

Early Morning, Burnham Overy 12x10

Then off to Brancaster again.  My first one was a 'wiper' and I wasn't too sure about this view either but it seems to have paid off.

Green Boat, Brancaster 8x15

Actually I liked this so much I enlarged it in the studio:

Green Boat, Brancaster 12x20

The 19th was dull and misty so we painted mud at Morston.  There was plenty of it as we were in the neaps while we were there and the low tides were really low:

Low Tide Morston 10x14

Our trip to Blakeney on the 19th was interesting but I was unhappy with my choice of subject.  Somewhere in the week I also painted more at Burnham.  All these are from very near our accommodation.

Low Tide Burnham 8x10

Five Boats, Burnham 8x10

Looking Back At Burnham Overy 8x15

Mike Richardson made a splendid job of the famous Crab Hut at Brancaster but my effort was pretty scrappy.  I would love to paint it again in decent weather.

The Crab Hut - After Rain  10x14

On the final morning, after everyone else had left, David Pilgrim and I installed ourselves in the picture window of the second floor bedroom at Burnham and did 'plein air' from indoors.  We were cheating of course but we had had enough of fighting the weather and we could sit with a hot coffee to hand and paint at our ease.  We both did 2 versions of the scene looking out NW over the flats. David's second one was a tour de force of quick, bold work and I am sure it is going to find its way into a show if it hasn't already.  I was quite pleased with both of mine but could have worked much bigger, as David did.

From The Window1, Burnham 10x14

From The Window2 10x14

Must go there again!