A 'style' of your own?

A collage of paintings of Cornwall, mostly done plein air

Katherine over at Making a Mark has done 2 good posts on having your own voice, your own ideas behind your sketches and paintings, not being over derivative; although it's impossible of course not to be influenced by others, the important thing is to develop your own way forward. I did a previous post on 'style' here saying some very similar things so needless to say - I agree with her.

This montage is a variety of sketches, drawings and paintings I've done in Cornwall and I think they reveal what interests me - the light - the way it catches the water or wet sand, casts shadows in some areas leaving others brightly lit, the particular colours of the sea and sky - a sense of movement, of passing weather, wind, rain or sun, the way the waves roll in - the season - warm/cold/early/late - a sense of place and what it feels like to me.

I've attempted in these to catch the way that the waves rolled in at different times, studying them, watching the repeated movements and trying to catch the pattern. Different weather and season changing the same view from calm tranquil and turquoise/viridian water with pink and mauve reflections in the wet sand to wild and crashing waves in subtler colours. The sea by the lighthouse one day pearlescent pale colours, the next day dark, almost navy in places.

They have been done in a wide variety of materials - watercolour, oil, charcoal, pencil, coloured pencil, water soluble crayons and mixed media. I think despite the different media, that what interests me links them as a body of work. I'd hate to be limited to just one medium.

I don't think about 'style' as I paint - just marks and colour. My attention is on catching what I feel about the place as well as I can in the language of marks available with that particular medium. For me.

I do see finished paintings together like this but not the ones in sketchbooks - the only way for that is digitally. It's good to see your work grouped like this - my work always works best when shown together, I feel.

Sarah Wimperis, fellow member of Watermarks, has been painting the same view at all times of day and night - I think you would enjoy looking - someone who doesn't consider a 'style' but has her own very distinct voice and a wonderful sense of light, weather, time, season, place ..... all the things that interest me.