Its A Climb – Cape Le Grande National Park, Western Australia

“Its not how fast I get there, its the climb.”

I’m probably not a  Miley Cyrus fan but, I do find her song has some inspirational quotes.    Instead of “Its the climb”  I chose to use my own slightly different version, “Its A Climb.”  From the Esperance   W.A.    Cape Le Grande National Park.

This gorgeous ochre and red rock hill was certainly A Climb!   But well worth effort and the 8 hour drive from Perth, which we actually did in two days staying over in Albany for a short look around.

 

Art Gestation: Watercolour Paintings ‘in the works’

Recently I’ve been thinking its time to start the process of creating a series of rich red hills in watercolour paints light red, quinacridone gold and siennas that interprets my trip to the Cape Le Grande National Park in Western Australia.

Its been awhile since the trip, but sometimes it takes awhile for the right circumstances,  feelings and ideas to emerge in order to express the subject the way your heart directs. At times the ‘gestation’ period can take years.

I’ve learned Not let a good idea drop away, just because it wasn’t ready …yet.   I’ve had to learn patience. And perseverance.

At this point, I have compiled 15 or so  of the better images,  featuring the rich red rocks from which I may be using perhaps 7-8 as reference sources.

 

 

Watercolour Techniques and Paint Mixes

I feel the subject will be best represented in watercolours and I do have specific watercolour pigments in my mind for it.  These watercolour paints I know will do a unique job that suits the subject brilliantly.  I won’t have to force the paints to do what they don’t want to do by nature.

My watercolour palette will consist of the earth colours playing a major role.  Burnt sienna, red ochre, light red, quinacridone gold, burnt umber,  raw sienna, yellow ochre. These colours will help with the watercolour techniques I plan to use in the landscape paintings, but I haven’t decided whether to employ graphite, ink, or charcoal in the images or not.

In one or two of the artworks I’m planning a ‘surprise’  2 pigment blend that is simply stunning. Fingers crossed, it works in the paintings.

 

I do want to establish a sense of scale, of “climb”  and effort and challenge. Perhaps a feeling of pursuing the nearly impossible….with the idea that it IS Possible!!    Hmmmm.  nice little concept to package into a watercolour landscape.

 

What I can gain from peering into Miley Cyrus’ song:

 

Don’t rubbish or discount everything from a source just based on  my first impression, dig a little deeper and perhaps I might glean a nugget of useful information.

• Perseverance, persistence are integral to the artist’s life.
• “Its not how fast I get there, its (a) climb.”
• “Sometimes,   I’m (going) to lose.”
• “there’s always going to be another mountain.”

 

I’ll  be sure to keep you posted, when I complete the watercolour paintings of the red rock hills of Cape Le Grande surrounds.

 

its not how fast I  get there……..   its  A  Climb !