The Crowns at Botallack, charcoal sketch, A3, Vivien
It's a while since I posted anything here - sorry.
This is a recent one, done on a very windy day, hair blowing in my eyes and fighting to keep the sketchpad still. It's a mix of willow charcoal, compressed charcoal and charcoal pencil.
The sea was swirling around the rocks below, gulls wheeled past, that cliff goes a long way upwards above the old engine houses that blend into the cliff. The thought of miners walking down there in the teeth of a gale, the waves nearly reaching them, then going down dark narrow tunnels under the sea, lit only by the light of their candle, was in my mind as I worked. A hard life, with a very short lifespan. Charcoal seemed the right medium to express the place and its ambience.
You can see further sketches of the area here
4 comments:
This has got a real sense of the weather about it. Plus it has distance and scale - great sketch!
Charcoal gives a lovely haunting feel to this scene. The values give a sense of the isolation and age.
Everyone is in Cornwall! You should have said, we could have met up to sketch. I like charcoal, its a bit of a forgotten medium, suits the wild weather we sometimes get here.
Again we'd got the family there Sarah so I didn't think I'd get away enough to meet up :>(
I'm seriously thinking of coming down in September alone or with friends - NO family! so if it works out I'd love to meet up.
Great that you pick up on the weather and the haunting history of the place Katherine and Jeanette :>)
I'm planning on another charcoal as a pastel society I belong to has a show coming up and charcoal and coloured pencil are also accepted. I fancy putting in a big charcoal drawing.
Post a Comment