I started gathering the things I would need to draw the first tree. I acquired a little watercolour easel to make painting on location a bit easier, a few weeks earlier. I realized that I was not really well-equipped for this new venture. I could not compare myself to other artists who have been doing it for a long time. (I felt rather clumsy with all the attachments I would need.) There are quite a few things one needs when one goes open-air art-making and I suppose one can easily over-capitalize with the all the niceties one sees in the art stores. (I think I felt a bit sorry for myself, why did I not get a few more of those nice things?)
I don’t like to waste, so I decided I would use the seven remaining pages I had prepared a few years ago for an open-air portraiture venture in Saudi Arabia. These were watercolour sheets and perfect for what I was intending to do: I wanted to use watercolour and ink, over these backgrounds. I opened my art material crate and “unearthed” a cheap watercolour set I bought a few years earlier; the paint was still useable.
I found an old board to tape the page onto and I looked for a box to load all the goodies into. When I taught in China, I bought a container for watercolour that I never had the chance to use, so it was time to test its effectiveness. Before we rush to the scene, I must admit, I lacked a camping stool. In order to solve that problem, I decided to go sketching not too far from the homestead so that I could sit on the old car wrecks and metal structures.
When one goes walking with one’s art materials, one realizes that baggage can become cumbersome; "clumsy" is indeed a good word which I used earlier. I was going to do watercolour painting with my primitive gear. All of a sudden, I developed a deep respect for those artists who are doing oil colour plein-air-style. I can easily salute those first Impressionists who took their gear for a walk. I wonder if there are any photographs of them sitting well-organised under the French heaven. Did they leave any tips? If you are aware of these, please forward them to me.
Controlling the falling brushes, water bottles, cloths and paint tubes I needed for watercolour was a big enough challenge. Oil painting is something else, as far I am concerned, and one would need to be properly prepared. (I don’t know if I have a desire to go there.)
This morning when I looked at the collection of seven trees that I will blog about first, because they were created first, I saw I lacked titles. These trees, with their imposing tree trunks, look rather lonely, but imposing too, during the winter months as they stand tall, guarding the Kalahari scenes below. So, I will use titles to give them the respect they deserve. Let us go and meet the “sentinel” tree properly.
Thank you for allowing me to share the "sentinel" story with you. I hope to see you at the next tree soon. Be safe and remember there is art in your heart.
Pieter your work is really inspiring. You take the ordinary to the extraordinary.