Thursday 15 October 2009

Wells

Greetings!
I post from Wells, Somerset.
Not having none of the internets floating around the pub we are staying in to hijack I am forced to write from a Starbucks.

Thought I'd share a couple of photos I and Roz have taken of the place, it is very beautiful. I like all the medieval buildings there are around, although I am not hugely into religious buildings the ones here are very impressive.
I have also been working on some paintings but thanks to not being able to find some acrylics I am using oils.. I like the oils when in a studio but a little more frustrating when sitting in a bog. Even so I have been using the slow drying time to work on several things at once. The idea being I can return to the same spot several times to finish a drawing/painting and see how that changes over time. Nothing spectacular so far but I think I will use the drawings in future paintings.


Wells Cathedral, medieval sculptures on the outside. The sculptures are really beautiful, it's quite amazing to see so many figures on the outside of the building which are so old. I have a deep interest in the medieval so the strange poses and faces of these figures are fascinating to me.


Ye olde gateway, leads to the main entrance to the cathedral (this pic and one above courtesy of Roz McKenzie!)


The forests around here are really fantastic, very inspiring. Having been in Edinburgh for so long I forgot just how much I enjoy walking through mud and branches and leaves in the cold. The autumn is undoubtedly the most beautiful time in the 'wild' for me.


A view of the cathedral at night, kind of reminded me of Caspar David Friedrich's paintings. Although not what I would normally paint I appreciated the view all the same.


The forest is about 2 minutes walk from where we are staying. I took this photo at around 6pm when the sun was going down. I have been enjoying sitting in the woods with paints and drawing in situ. The different moods and light on the trees have been inspiring. I plan to make a load of paintings from sketches when I get back to Edinburgh as well as finishes works made in the forest. Very exciting!
www.andrew-smith-artist.co.uk/