In August 1485, so the story goes, Henry Tudor sailed over from exile in France and landed at Mill Bay in Pembrokeshire. Gathering support along the way, he then stomped eastwards, beat up Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth and crowned himself Henry VII. The rest, as they say, is history. Now, here’s the question - why did he land in Mill Bay? We know why he landed in Pembrokeshire; because he was born in Pembroke Castle and wanted to gather men from Wales as he marched, and the English were keeping a watchful eye on the south coast in case he tried to sneak in that way.
Mill Bay looking southeast out of the haven
I went to Mill Bay last weekend, a pleasant half hour stroll along the coast path from the car park on St Ann’s Head. It’s the first cove on the left as you sail into Milford Haven. The path dips down to the cove where a small valley tips a stream onto a rocky foreshore. You could land a small boat there, but I’d only attempt it in a very flat calm; negotiating the rocks and finding a flat piece of sand to beach would be tricky. Perhaps there was more sand in Mill Bay in the 15th century. Perhaps there was a stone pier. But it’s still an odd choice, as another half an hour’s sail brings you to the glorious sheltered bay of Dale, which is about as perfect as an anchorage and sheltered landing place could be, and would have saved the would-be monarch from an hour’s tramp along the cliffs. Apparently he sent some of his ships round to Dale, but he preferred to be put ashore at Mill Bay. I bet he got his feet wet.
Even more sensible than Dale would have been to save another day’s march and take the tide further upriver, to his birthplace at Pembroke perhaps, or to Milford. Even if the wind was unfavourable, the tide would have carried the fleet upriver very efficiently. Perhaps he had a girlfriend on St Ann’s Head. Perhaps he’d had enough of being afloat and was desperate to get ashore. Perhaps nobody knows, but if you do, please let me know. It’s always interesting to look at history from a seafarer’s point of view.
St Anne's Head - design for a postcard of Dale (not quite finished!)
If Henry’s ship’s log was still around, I’d love to see it. And talking of log books (ouch, what a contrived link!) and with a leap of imagination back into the 21st century, my newly designed Log Books for Little Ships are back from the printers - have a look at www.starfishbooks.co.uk for the details. When I say the books are back from the printers, what I actually mean is that my studio floor has disappeared under several dozen boxes of pages and covers, so there’s just the small business of collating and binding them. In the meantime I’m stepping over boxes to get to my drawing board. Ho hum…
More on the watercolour theme this week as I’ve been teaching colour theory. It may not sound that exciting, but I’m easily pleased and love the way that you can take three bright primary colours and make a colour wheel (or in this case, colour splodge…..)
and then the most clever bit of all, mixing three bright primaries together and ending up with the softest dappled grey…..
Careful with the red. Red is a bit of a bully and a little goes a long way. The secret to a dappled colour is to let the paint mix on the page, don’t stir it into a homogenised gloop on the palette. Where damp colours touch they’ll do their own thing. Here’s a one minute seascape…..
How’s that for a very potted colour theory lesson! Blended greys are so much nicer than tube greys. If you want to mix some gorgeous dark greys and blacks, try cadmium red plus winsor blue or burnt sienna plus ultramarine. Too brown? Add more blue. Too grey? Add more red.
The snow melted, and the pace of life returned to a gallop. Watercolour classes have begun at Haverfordwest Community Centre, with ten beginners in the morning and 13 improvers in the afternoon. Most of those in the improvers class are returning from last year - does this mean I didn’t do a good enough job of teaching them last time so they have to come back and hear it all again? Actually, I think (I hope) they’ve come back purely for fun, because it keeps the momentum going and they learn as much from each other as they do from me. It can be hard to find inspiration when you’re sitting alone in front of a blank sheet of paper.
letting the paint, paper and brush do their own thing...
Beginners are a joy to teach because you get results fast when you start learning something. Watercolours have a reputation for being difficult, and they can be, but the basics are easily learnt with someone looking over your shoulder to make sure you’re not lathering it on like emulsion paint and then wondering why your washes have turned up their toes and died. Norfolk artist Aidan Kirkpatrick once told me ‘If you’ve found a paper, you’ve found a style’, which sounds dramatic, but it is amazing the difference a good watercolour paper can make. The problem is persuading students to experiment with decent paper as they don’t want to waste it.
Two years ago one of my students, Gill, bought some lovely Arches NOT paper; the sort of paper that turns a simple brushstroke into a thing of beauty. It was quite expensive - well, the price of a half decent bottle of Chardonnay, my measure for everything - but not as pricey as, say, the truly wonderful Two Rivers hand made. Some months later I asked how she’d enjoyed using the Arches. “Oh, I haven’t used it!” she said. “It’s on top of the wardrobe. I’ll use it when my painting has improved enough to justify it”. In vain I tried to explain that her painting would be sure to improve IF she used the paper, but I think it’s there still. I now have to explain to newcomers the difference between cheap practice paper and top-of-the-wardrobe paper. I’m sure I get more from my students than they do from me!
fast and sketchy...
Nice things about Christmas: Being able to have a glass of wine at lunchtime without feeling guilty. Jigsaws and mince pies and walks on the beach. Listening to sublime singing in a tiny church by candlelight (ancient Welsh carols sung unaccompanied by a raven haired young vicaress, but that’s another story….). Things I don’t like about Christmas: Too much chocolate. Icy weather. Feeling guilty because for the first time ever I didn’t send Christmas cards this year. Trying to get back into work mode again afterwards. I’m easing back into it again gently by sorting out paperwork and filing today, which always leaves me with a table full of bits of paper that don’t fit anywhere, books of raffle tickets I never got round to buying and letters I never replied to.
The next task is to give some thought to teaching, with two new classes starting next week at Haverfordwest. My family are working towards getting me to do some video demonstrations to put on the website. Hey, I’m only just getting my head round keeping a blog, but I’ll give it a go. Soon. If we can get the technology right. One thing I like to do in teaching is debunk the myth that talent is all. You may have it or you may not, but without hard work and technique, you’ll get nowhere. Talent is the cherry on the cake, but without the hard work, there’s no cake. Quick-result talent shows on tv fascinate us because they seem to imply that it’s all about talent, and there’s no need to do the hard work. We don’t really want to be reminded that there’s a long road to travel when we’re so focussed on the destination!
Finally…. I’m going ahead with the sketch book idea talked about many blogs ago…. here’s the revised front cover:
A5 spiral bound sketch book - with drawing tips! Available March
I’m not very good at winters. From September onwards I wear so many layers of clothes that getting dressed in the morning takes ages, but I’m still permanently cold. Bracing walks after a day at the drawing board are out of the question because it’s gone dark by then - and is usually raining too. And I’m one of those grumpy people who hates any mention of Christmas before December and I shout at the radio when they wheel out the cheesy Christmas pop songs. I’m either turning into a grumpy old woman or I’m just a bit short of sunlight and vitamin D!
But now it’s mid December I’ll admit it, Christmas is imminent. I can tell because I spend most of the time doing a wide variety of bits and pieces instead of getting stuck in to one big project. There are Christmas commissions (this week including a wooden name plaque for a boat, a portrait of a Dunkirk Little Ship, and a sketch of a pilot cutter), as well as stocking up galleries and helping Perry sort out online orders. Talking of Christmas galleries, here’s a reminder to all you east coast dwellers to visit that unique emporium of all things nautical, Salty Dogs, brainchild of the inimitable Den Phillips. This year it’s at 57 High Street Maldon so pop in if you get a chance; it just gets better each year. Another east coast gallery I’m topping up for Christmas is the delightful Sea Pictures Gallery in Clare, Suffolk - not near the sea but that means all the more reason to buy seascapes! Meanwhile, back here on the west coast I nipped over to Cardigan today to drop some work in at Frame byFrame, run by the inspirational Chloe and Emma.
After new year I’ll change hats and be an illustrator again, but for the moment it’s good to make more space in the studio and get stuff out there. Actually, in January I’ll also have my tutor’s hat back on as I’ve a full two classes of keen students waiting for me on a wednesday in Haverfordwest. Great fun.
The image above is called ‘Silent Night’ and it’s one of the Christmas cards I designed for the Nancy Blackett Trust (www.nancyblackett.org). Unsurprisingly, I don’t do winter sailing, but I know there are those that do! Which reminds me, good luck to Geoff Holt setting off on his Atlantic Challenge today. The lengths some people will go to to get some sunshine….. (www.geoffholt.com)
Walking round Lundy we wondered why the beautifully crafted stone lighthouse had been replaced by two modern ones low down at each end of the island. Then we found out why. At 567 feet above sea level it was the highest in Britain, but so often obscured by fog and low cloud that it was useless to shipping. Nine years after being built it was abandoned. Oops. Obviously not the model for the phrase used to describe weak tea as ‘lighthouse tea’ - blinking close to water!
old lighthouse, Lundy
Pembrokeshire is beguiling in the sunshine. I spent the afternoon at Sandy Haven with my watercolour class, having bullied them into trying sketching outdoors instead of always working from photos. There’s something surprisingly absorbing about sitting on a wet patch of sand splashing paint on the page, focussed on the subject, timeless. Everyone else enjoyed it too - at least it builds confidence.
Sally J at Sandy Haven
We’ve finally had confirmation that we have a stand at the Southampton Boat Show - which means I need to pick up a paintbrush, remember which end to use, and create loads of new ’stuff’. First on the drawing board is next year’s year planner (yes, I know it’s only April but it’s on the list). I’m going to stick to the A2 size but change the format, treating each month as a separate panel with its own painting which can be cut out and framed up when the year is over. Here’s a taster…
It’s a challenge fitting seascapes into this shape. Here’s another one….
Well, it beats having a proper job…… and I haven’t forgotten my plan to write a book of sea stories. I’m currently reading Robin Knox-Johnston’s fascinating account of sailing across the Atlantic retracing Columbus’ route and navigation methods. By the time Columbus made landfall on San Salvador his sailors had been getting so mutinous that he had promised them to turn back if land wasn’t sighted within three days. If the Caribbean islands hadn’t luckily been in the exact place where he expected China to be, he’d have been tipped over the side and fed to the sharks rather than ending up in the history books!
The world is full of extraordinary people. I spent time at the drawing board today designing a world map for a round the world cyclist and a logo for…. another round the world cyclist. Good grief, what an undertaking. Sailing round the world sounds easy in comparison (and that’s another subject I’ve been researching, more about that another time.) But cycling round the world - all those mountains! They’re both independent endavours, both for good causes and I’ll give some more details when the artwork’s done and online, but I guess that the reason people do extraordinary things is the reason they always have - because it’s there, because they can, or want to see if they can.
Moving on…. last night I put my pencil down and went off to a presentation in Fishguard by author Chris Bradford, who has written the children’s book ‘Young Samurai’ and enthralled a roomfull of cubs and scouts with demonstrations of genuine samurai swordplay, martial arts techniques and Japanese bushido philosophy. Everyone left the evening with a signed copy of the book, a knowledge of rudimentary Japanese and the ability to escape from a Ninja attack (useful if you live in Fishguard, of course). The book is not surprisingly a roaring success; I haven’t read it yet, but having met Chris recognise the passion and conviction that gave him the insight and foresight to write it. There’s a great deal in the world that’s superficial or fake, but when something comes along that’s the real deal, it tends to get recognised. I salute all round the world cyclists, round the world sailors, samurai warriors from Brighton, and everyone else who adds to the inspirational variety of human endeavour.
And that includes the varied and richly imaginative members of the Acorns writers’ group in Fishguard….. of which more another time. It’s obviously been all happening in Fishguard this week!
The week between Christmas and New Year is a strange time. You don’t know whether you should be still over-indulging in food and drink and wrestling with the unfinished jigsaw (fiendish - lots of boats in a marina) or whether you should be back on the green tea and perched at the drawing board by 8am every day. In our house we have a gentle kind of compromise - work head back on, lists of things to do being made, but still enjoying the festive goodies, which is why I am writing about pirates’ ultimate punishment - marooning - whilst enjoying a large glass of white wine and dipping into the dwindling supply of chocolates. When they’re gone, they’re gone….
A great healthy tonic to boost the immune system and compensate for the onslaught of chocolate - carrot and apple juice, with a chunk of root ginger and lump of betroot. Sounds awful, tastes fantastic! I think my juicer is about to expire; it starts off happily enough as I shove in the carrots and chopped apples, but halfway through it starts to vibrate and make alarming noises. I need to wrestle with it to stop it leaping off the edge of the worktop and by the time it’s done, the kitchen is spattered with vegetable pulp. Two minutes to drink the juice, ten minutes to clean the juicer and kitchen. That’s life!
