Today the weather is finally bearable.  We have had some incredibly hot days and nights. I am not sure if this is the end of it or whether there is more to come.

Fortunately I have been busy painting. Oils, watercolour and gouache.  On Thursday I followed the live oil painting session.  It was as usual very fast and my final result was pretty bad.  However on Saturday I redid it on a small oil panel and was not too displeased with the result.

 This was done on a 5 x 7 inch panel. (Lucky I am not showing the original mess!).

Following my oil painting with Mike last Friday at Osborne House, I decided to go up there again this Friday and have another go.  I managed to find somewhere in the shade and spent nearly 2 hours painting.  Although the result was not really a resounding success, I was very pleased that I had managed to get outside and do another oil painting, rather than wait about three years!

I took a bit of artistic licence with the trees. The ground at Osborne is absolutely parched, it's only the shadows which are showing any sort of  colour.  When I left the spot where I had been painting, I was completely bowled over by the intense heat.  Didn't bother to stop for coffee, just came home.  Had also made some adjustments to my plein air set up, and they were much better.  However, as I am trying to paint in just watermiscible oil paints, I did order a few more when I got home.  This followed an order that I had put in for sketchbooks - my plan to have a no, or limited, spend on painting doesn't seem to be working!

I only went swimming a couple of times this week, but at least I did it!

In the heat it has again been difficult taking Henry out for his walks and we seem to be going earlier and earlier.  Let's hope that very soon we will be able to get back to our normal schedule.

Perry has been trying to work on the boat, even in this heat.  He has managed to fix the outboard engine.  Although there were a couple of problems with fixing it, it is now in working order, so hopefully, very soon we will be able to go out and anchor somewhere, and get to shore in the dinghy.

I think that's it for now, as we have to take Henry out for his evening walk.
 

 Unbelievable, it is still really hot.  Although we have had couple of cooler mornings, the rest of the time feels as if the oven has been turned up to regulo 10!  I have been swimming three times this week, but Monday wasn't so good.  Arms and legs uncoordinated.

I have also been painting everyday.  Mornings a quick watercolour plein air, then watercolour sketch and a gouache sketch.  However, I had a call from Mike on Thursday suggesting painting at Osborne House on Friday.  I did an oil study, had trouble with paints, easel etc. but I did manage a painting.  Good fun.  Back home manage to sort out the easel problem,  had a double look at the paint situation.  Trying to use water miscible oil paints, but had to use a gel on a couple of the colours to make them water miscible.  It was really gooey and was not that easy to use. Today I had a go at making the painting a bit more acceptable.  I won't post a picture as it's still not that acceptable.  However, I haven't done an outdoor painting in oil in, I don't know how long, and I had forgotten all the ups and downs!  Must keep practising.

Bought a few art bits and pieces, although not much in number, certainly much in cost!

Watercolour live on Thursday evening.  The subject was quite dark, and ended up using watercolour in quite a heavy way - not really to my liking.

Saturday was gouache live. Painting heather fields of Scotland.  Turned out better than I thought it would.  Funny old stuff gouache, changes colour overnight when it dries!

Hopefully I will manage to do a picture next week that is worth putting on the blog, but so far my stuff has been particularly rubbishy! Work harder! 

 Another very very hot week.  Difficult to get round to doing anything while it is so hot.  It has again been very difficult for Henry.  We are taking him for a walk first thing in the morning, and last thing in the evening, but I think, just like us, he's a bit fatigued with the heat.

However, I have been carrying on with my art stuff.  Going out every morning to paint in watercolour, although I have been going earlier and earlier.  In the day I have been doing an oil pastel sketch, a watercolour sketch, a gouache sketch and one of my "little paintings".  If I can, I do a drawing as well, but that's not always possible.  Put all together, it really doesn't add up to much in time spent on art!

Having spent a few days on the oil pastels, I have decided I probably don't like them enough to keep on with them.  So they have all become relegated to shelf two of my "art room".  Difficult decision, but there is no point carrying on with them when I have so many other media to work with. The result has been that my gouache has actually got  better!  

It has been too hot to do oil during the day, so I haven't progressed with that. However, on Thursday it was oil live evening.  I did participate, although the picture was incredibly flat when I had finished.  I didn't follow the workshop blindly, if I had I think it might have been even flatter.  I started to work on it a little this morning, and there has been the start of improvement.  I will do some more tomorrow.

Weather is going to start to get a bit cooler in a couple of days, so hopefully we'll all get out of this heat slump, and get on to doing a bit more art.