Winter field - drawing and painting outdoors

Winter field, a photo by A. Kobayashi on Flickr.

I've always enjoyed blade-by-blade painting. There is a great deal of satisfaction to be gained from the slow building up of texture and atmosphere. Recently, when weather co-operates, I have been taking George for walks and admiring the grasses and weeds as they change colour and go to seed. I long to have the time to take out a plein air easel or even a sketchbook. The best I can do is snap with my mobile phone. If I pause for too long, George gets "pram rage"! 


The sketches and watercolour studies for this painting were made in February in my first winter in Japan. It was so cold, I had to wind it up after 30 or 40 minutes. It was fun however. It's great to draw or paint outdoors and be absorbed, the sounds of nature become clearer and louder, one looses the mental buzz and nature starts to come alive.