Recipe for a Successful Painting Trip.

For the past few years I've enjoyed an annual painting trip with a group of  friends, some, it has to be said, more interested in art than others !

Taking photos after a sociable evening meal,
catching the light on the cliffs before the sun goes down.

Whilst the idea of the trip is to do some sketching and gather material for future work it always feels more like a holiday than serious work.
But I invariably come home with loads of ideas and not an inconsiderable amount of sketches. The weather dictates the number of photos to drawings as we're not a hardy bunch! and most of our sketches have been done in a comfortable spot out of the wind.

This latest expedition got me thinking about the things that make a successful painting trip and I've come up with a few ideas...

• Good company. Well you wouldn't go away with anyone you didn't like would you?
• Away from your normal life. I love my life and my family, but a few days away forces me to concentrate on another aspect of my life, and I don't have to cook.
• Great location. Lots of great places to draw , landscape and architecture that's a bit different from  the everyday
• Good place to stay. You need a hearty breakfast to set you up for the day, a comfy room and a place for you all to have a meal together in the evening.
• The right kit.Click here to see my revised sketching kit !  You've got to think about two things.One, what you need, and two,what you can carry. I take just basic stuff as I'm a lightweight but lots of my fellow artists take paints, water, a chair, an easel. It's got to be the right kit for you.
• Limited time. This concentrates the mind.
• Warm, still weather would be nice, but appropriate rainproof clothing makes up for a lot.

So here are two sketches I made this time.

Mary Kemp. Boats at Brancaster Staithe.

Mary Kemp. Thornham.
I wanted to draw looking out to sea,
but the wind was so sharp
I ended up in a sheltered spot looking inland.

Thanks for looking folks.