We are in the midst of lockdown in Wales, the schools are shut and the good news is that the covid numbers are falling. They need to fall a lot further because when the schools and the university students come back they will shoot up again. I had in a mind a longer blog post, but I find that after I have got up, done my yoga/ankle exercises and painted in the morning light, that I am too tired for much else. That post will have to wait a little longer.
So I have decided to show you my most recent work. I have been painting Tenby, which I can only visit in my imagination.Tenby is a harbour town and resort in southwest Wales. It’s known for its 13th-century town walls and its stretches of sandy shoreline, including Castle Beach.
I have been working on a triptych (which is three paintings) but I have only finished two of them, so its a diptych (two)! I will add the third one when I have completed it. I was trying to find unusual angles to paint. As much as I love painting Tenby and its colouful houses and boats, I need a fresh angle to present my brain with a new set of challenges to solve. This first painting, the challenge lay in how to paint the headland off in the distance and balnce it with the very dark shaows in the foreground. In the end I simplified the details and make sure that the tone was cool with warm grey and mauve. I was particularly pleased with the shadows on the beach and the blue house.
My second painting is a view of the pier or quay from Castle Hill. This is a headland on which the ruins of Tenby Castle overlook the harbour. I liked the fact that this was the “underside” of the view we usually see of the harbour. The pier is a working pier as can be seen from the lobster pots stacked at the far end. It’s also where the Caldey Island boat picks up supplies for the islanders and the abbey every day (so long as the wind is not from the South West or over 20mph). Apparently royal mail has continued to visit throughout the pandemic, so that the monastery shop has been able to continue to operate. The boat that takes visitors to the island leaves from Castle Beach round the corner. The island is usually open from Easter to September for visitors, I don’t know whether that happended this year. A visit to Caldey in the boat was a pretty outdoor affair in ordinary times, so maybe they will start again in the summer, who knows.
I will add my third painting when I have completed it.
Update:Here’s the third and final painting of the three.
That’s me done with Tenby for a while!
Read More
About my visits to Tenby here
About I paint Tenby Harbour here
For some reason, my screen won’t let me see these whole, I have to scroll through them in strips. The good part of that is that I focused on that multicolored row of houses in the second painting, which might be background if i could see it whole. I really like them.
Thank you for trying to see them!! lol!!
I love Tenby and at one time considered moving there. Love what you have done so far and will look forward to seeing the finished triptych… Stay well. Janet 🙂
It’s a charming seaside town, isnt it?
Another stunning set.
was just going to write the same thing!
Great image.
Thank you!
Pleasure. Happy Sunday, Emma.
Thank you!
A very nice pair~I’m looking forward to seeing the third. In the first I was drawn immediately to the shadows. They are fabulous! And who couldn’t love those charming colored houses in the second one. I wish people here in the US weren’t so afraid of color. We could be having so much more fun!
Currently we are in a partial lockdown, with restaurants and libraries closed. Some businesses and people ignore the restrictions and carry on, which of course is why we are losing 4,000 people per day.
That’s tough Melissa. We dont go out much beacuse very few people wear masks outside (they do in shops) It’s also why I go food shopping the moment the shop opens to avoid those sorts of people.
I hope you won’t mind my saying that your second painting could be split up in two!
I dont mind at all. Yes, the top half would happily make a nice painting but the bottom half would miss the top half at lot!! lol!
Gorgeous paintings Emma, I wish I could go to Wales now too!
Well, I am in Wales right now but sadly (due to pandemic restrictions) I cant go anywhere either!
I love the crisp feel of these paintings. They’re crisp without being harsh and manage to employ solid colors without losing a lush quality. I can also appreciate always looking for a new angle—repetition makes the work mundane but a different angle can present a satisfying challenge.
Yes,as much as I love painting a particular place like Tenby I need to keep it “fresh” or else the painting suffers. I just cant help it. That’s why I will do a couple and then leave it a few months (or longer) before I return to the subject.
Some artists happily paint the same subject day in and day out, not me. I get bored and the work suffers! So, I have to look for a new take on the topic, or wait quite a few months before I can face painting it again.
All three paintings are just stunning! I don’t think you mentioned their size, but they look quite large. The second of the set is my favorite. There is so much to see in that one. Tenby must be such fun to visit. I hope that soon you (and all of us) will be free to travel normally.
They are medium sized Pam, 55×48 cm and 73x51cm. Yes, Tenby is a lovely place to visit. A great place to take children.
Because you used your imagination more so with these paintings Emma,did you find this method of creating any different?
Beautiful paintings Emma! I like how you capture the affects of light on colour and texture.
I am glad I get our news letter as it led me to your blog and these lovely paintings. I know , for certain, I had previously followed your blog but it appears you fell off my list. Today you mentioned the same thing had happened to my blog. Well I have re followed and I hope it will stick this time
That’s odd. Unfortunately, I didnt notice for a while too. I wonder if that’s happened with other blogs? I just assume that people are busy amd dont have time to blog often. It never occured to me that I have somehow got unlinked!! I am glad that’s sorted.
The last one was an instant favourite with me, but I also like the looking down aspect on the jetty and shadows of the second. I wonder if Tenby has changed much since I was there? My daughter will be 50 next week and she was a happy 5 year old then 🙂 🙂
I suspect the central part of Tenby Harbour/Town will be just the same! Its been that way for a couple of hundred years now.
Yes, that’s what I thought 🤣💕