Sennen Cove, Cornwall, mixed media sketch, misty rainy morning

The view from the house windows, misty drizzly morning, Low Tide . Mixed media on Canson watercolour paper, 11x9 ins, September, Vivien Blackburn

This was the view from 'our' windows (for one week only :>) ),one drizzly, misty morning, Even though it was misty the sea was still soft lavender and jade colours and the grey clouds had hints of lavender, the distant cliffs hazy without detail, the wet sand shining with mauves and pinks and hints of autumn reds in the foliage on the nearest cliffs.

It's in mixed media - mostly watercolour but with touches of coloured pencil, watercolour pencil, a little oil pastel ........... that's about it but there could be more! I'm interested in catching the light, mood and particular colours, not in producing a purist watercolour-only work ;>)

I like to use mixed media for the extra marks and 'language' potential, using coloured pencils sometimes to scumble a contrasting colour over underlying rocks or sand to create a haze of another colour in a way not possible with watercolour. Or oil pastel under the watercolour to sparkling through it. Artists who I admire frequently throw a mix of media into their work - people like Shirley Trevena, Kurt Jackson, John Blockley and of course Turner - all using dynamic mixes of media to achieve their vibrant paintings and sketches.

For the last couple of trips to Cornwall I've insisted on staying where we are almost on the beach, with fabulous views from the windows and it has really paid off - it has meant that I can sketch in those odd moments when the family are busy with something else before we go out and I can see the scene in a variety of lights and weathers, which is what really interests me.