

5.46am
Why isn’t everyone here?!? Stunned at what I’ve just seen! Forgotten this was going to happen when I got up 10 minutes ago. My mobile phone alarm work me up at 5.30am and I noticed I’d received a text from my friend
Made a few scribbles but my camera not up to it.
Wait for the next show. My word coming here when it’s full moon is amazing. As the moon sank into the horizon the P&O ‘Merry Ferry’ passed through my ‘shot’!
Received a text back from my friend in NZ she was watching the moon rise looking out from her back door. A clear cold winters evening in
5.54am
Sun shifted loads along the horizon since I was here last month. It was quite funny because I was looking in the wrong place and then noticed the glow starting further to the right along the horizon at East North East.
6.04am
Sketch 1 – observed and sketched distortion at the horizon as the power of the rising sun burns out the straight horizon of the sea.
Sketch 2 – observed and sketched a distortion of the sun as it’s just about to emerge fully from the horizon. Reminds me of the omega symbol from the Greek alphabet. I can imagine that this is where the symbol derives. The ancient Greeks were a sea faring nation after all. I also imagine that this only occurs when the sun rises from the sea. It is like a circle with a flat bottom.
Sketch 3 – I like this – the sun has just cleared the sea.
Sketch 4 By this sketch the sun is becoming impossible to look at – only such a small distance from the horizon.
Just realised the sunrise and sunset are the only times when we can look at the sun.
A clear sky at sunrise (and sunset) doesn’t make for a great painting but it’s great for the soul! Not great for the artist but great for the ‘human’ in me. An affirmation of being a conscious being, that awe and those feelings of insignificance business … with or without an observer the sun will always rise and has always done so and will continue to long after we are gone etc etc. Unless you are a fisherman,
I wonder if milk men have a spiritual/religious wobble each morning on their milk rounds. I like to think so.
Technical note – Important use reverse side of new paper when priming for next trip. Too much texture. No good.
Draw initial sunrise sketch in red, crimson or orange. Not purple.
10.30am
The Eurofighter boys are playing their wargames in the heavens.
10.45am
Cloud chaos out there this morning. Far too complicated and fast moving for me!
Blasted by rain from the West. The wind is making whistling sounds like a kettle on the boil and I can smell the sea as I’m blasted by cold air. Inhale Inhale!
12.10 am
Well totally enveloped in cloud. Blasted by rain. It’s that inside out fishbowl phenomenon again!
Afternoon
It’s been a pleasure to get out all my ‘blues’. All my blue Sennelier oil pastels that is, which have been boxed away since the
I think I’ll have to invest in all the greys Sennelier produce and develop a new appreciation for this subdued colour palette. Sennelier do an English Grey which makes me smile. The Prussians have their blue, the French have not only marine but ultra marine. But as greys go English Grey is a pleasant grey! I think they should produce a North Sea Grey.
The
Sunday 22nd August 2010
Evening 7pm
Here! Though am not alone in the lighthouse. I’m sharing the space with what appears to be newly emerged flying ants! Though they aren’t flying and are quite dopey. Hope they don’t bite.
Just remembered I left a jar of hot chocolate here. Ah simple pleasures! And my mum’s raspberry sponge cake M Mmmm ! Thanks mum!
Midnight.
I’ve been keenly rewarded by an amazing sunset. Again it crept up and surprised me. I never can tell what’s going to happen. There was a lot of cloud at the horizon. The pink band directly above the horizon intensified as I sketched becoming a deeper crimson. Then the sun unexpectantly started to appear at the base of the cloud wall slipping down and entering into the crimson band.
It is so exciting to see and to watch. And during those moments I feel so lucky, privileged, blessed … I don’t know what’s the word, like I’ve been allowed to take a peek at Tutankhamen’s jewels or something. And perhaps because I’m here on my own it’s like a big secret that I only know about. Like sneaking into the
It was great to see the reverse of the sunrise - the suns orb sinking rather than rising.
After the sun disappeared I eventually made out the faint vertical and diagonal lines of the
It was funny though. All this was happening in front of my eyes but eyes in the back of my head would have been useful! I am really aware that it is nearly full moon and what little I do know about the moon cycles is that the full moon rises at the same time as the sun sets. How amazing is that! What symmetry in nature. I have never seen the moon emerge from the sea. So I am two days away from a full moon. Every few minutes I would have a quick glance round to check if there was a moon.
This circular 360 degree glass tower is sooooo perfect. I can’t believe how lucky I am. The sun rise, the sunset, the moon rise, the moon set etc all from one spot.
Gotta go to bed up at 5.30 am.