Uncategorised – Page 4 – Marloes Gallery

MARLOES in flags

Yesterday I added this picture to my Welcome page. If you hadn’t realised, those are International Code of Signals letter flags.

I created this design for a postcard; a separate post about that coming to my Cards section soon. It has no meaning as a communication: traditionally flags were flown in four letter vertical groups to convey a huge variety of predetermined signals. Meanwhile here are the meanings of the individual flags – together making a rather inconsistent message…

M MIKE My vessel is stopped and making no way through the water.
A ALFA I have a diver down; keep well clear at slow speed.
R ROMEO (Pre 1969:) The way is off my ship; you may feel your way past me.
L LIMA You should stop your vessel instantly.
O OSCAR Man overboard.
E ECHO I am altering my course to starboard.
S SIERRA I am operating astern propulsion.

Blue field and blue sea

A field of flowering chicory, painted from Marloes Beacon – even on a relatively calm day, I needed the easel well weighted! The buildings in the distance are East Hook Farm. Scroll down to see the image-only crop.

Oil on driftwood panel
14″ x 14″ overall

We Free Three

Painted in oils, June 2021. From the imagination; inspired by some clear sea swims, diving masked to study light effects. My original title was Under The Sun; I prefer this one.

In its recycled timber frame…

Concert Sketch

Symphonica Tywi performing in St Mary’s Church, Haverfordwest, 20th October 2018. My pencil sketch of “Percussion Corner”.

Après Swim

16th August 2023 must have been quite warm, because after her swim this young lady was happy to go off wandering about the beach with that towel flapping like a big flag. Sanguine Conté.

Cricket on a blustery afternoon

From August last year (2024). Conte pencils can set ideas down quickly, perhaps with more “personality” than graphite pencil. And with judicious rubbing, you can produce a good area of mid tone. The tricksy wind was making the bowling erratic, and the fielding hard work too!

Architectural Sketch

…Well, let’s say this is much more like a formal architectural sketch than most of my drawings. Another composition from the imagination, envisaging an important location in the story I am working on (very slowly).

Musselwick Barley

I managed very little painting in 2024: I had so many things on my to-do list. But I was longing to paint; and when in August along came a settled spell of warm weather with clear skies, I seized the opportunity to go and work on the spot without needing umpteen layers and a deal of weight to hold the easel down! As for what subject to choose – I walk this path most days, so I already knew how this view should be tackled.

The Determined Angler

The painting I donated to the 2024 St Brides fete. Painted on location (to get the colours right), based on a Musselwick Mouth sketch from May 2023. As you can see, the sketch was a mother & daughter composition, but I decided that the girl on her own would work very well as a subject for the oil painting.

Playing at the surf’s edge

Today (April 26th) started wet and miserable; by mid afternoon the sky had cleared and the sun was steadily strengthening. Having done two hours of pressure washing, I thought I deserved a break and headed for Marloes Sands. With the tide well in, I climbed over the brow and took the zigzag path down to the beach at Matthew Slade.
I expected the sea to be too rough for going in, but two intrepid young ladies went and played at the surf’s edge, happily letting the stronger waves crash onto them.
I started my sketch of Milly and Ella using sepia Conte and then added pencil and coloured pencil – not a usual technique for me, but I thought I’d have a go.
To help judge the effectiveness of this approach, I have included a monochrome rendering of the colour scan, to give an idea of how the sketch might have turned out had I kept to just pencil.
Following my subjects’ example, I then had a quick session in the sea – like swimming in a washing machine, most exhilarating!