Visit to Penbryn, 7th-9th May

Sound drawings
Sunny, windy day on Sunday. Sat on beach with my back to the cliffs. Few people on beach, a family with a green and yellow plastic kite but mostly empty and peaceful.
Closed my eyes and tried to draw only from the sounds of the sea but it was hard.

It was hard to distinguish between the sounds I could hear and the sensation of being warmed by the sun or chilled by the breeze. I didn't look at the sea once. I think the top one is most interesting because it gives a new perspective on the beach: the orangey-yellow is not the sand but is me, feeling warm. The green is the sudden chilly breeze. Not using my eyes meant that it was really hard to lose the sense of "me"ness in the pictures as physical sensation is all. A bit like Lanyon's sense of self in his glider paintings? In the third drawing I only concentrated on sound, and it's turned out looking like the sea! The black is the initial surge and crash, and the pencil squiggles represent the trickling after-sounds.
Lanyonesque sketches
Did some figurative drawings, trying to capture the vigour and energy of Lanyon's Porthleven sketches:

Spring flowers on cliffs, sky, bay looking over to Aberporth.
And now for Lanyon...

Can't find my favourite Porthleven sketches online. However, I think my drawings are starting to feel freer, more fluid. Wish I'd caught Lanyon's Tate exhibition in January.
Painting on the beach
Carried all my paints, jars, big paper, brushes, rags etc down to the beach, illegally parked in turning point. Rolled out paper, weighted with pebbles. Used sea water and shells, pebbles to paint with. Just painted instinctively, not thinking of anything in particular. Wind blew clouds of sand over paint so I just mixed it in, along with any flecks of seaweed, bits of twigs. Started to rain, so project was curtailed and wet acrylic, sandy pictures got a second soaking! Ran with wet pictures, jars, brushes, etc etc back to car! Interesting exercise but results iffy!

They look a lot better on this blog than in reality! Even, dare I say, with similarities to Lanyon's painting, "Headwind":

Painting from film footage of "Windy Day" sculpture

Back in the calm of my caravan, painted whilst listening to the sound of my paper/felt sculpture being buffeted by the wind.

And this is the result:

I call it "Vortex". Have grown to quite like this one. It does seem to sum up my experience on the beach on Sunday. Sunny, happy, being buffeted by the wind, enjoying the spring skies...
I think all those sketches in the morning, and the attempt to paint in situ, and flying and filming the paper/felt sculptures, have been preparation for this piece, so even though it was painted indoors, it still soaks up the "essence of place". Maybe.