Parklife 1: Those By Ice Houses Should Draw Cranes

Ferns and Blue Sky - final (Dead Tree Series), Kuretake Brush Pen and watercolour, 25x35.5cm, Fabriano F5 paper.

Let’s go hand in hand to look at the park life as since The River Ban I’ve been working a lot in Home Park and Bushy Park, adjacent but very different deer parks. First up is a revisit to the Ice House in Home Park which has been a regular subject for years – but rather than watercolour this is in ink – Sketchinks to be exact and the Pentel Parallel Pens.

Ice and Crane, The Ice House Home Park, Parallel Pen and wash, A5 sketchbook. parklife ice house home park — Ice and Crane, The Ice House Home Park, Parallel Pen and wash, A5 sketchbook.

I have like the watercolours been experimenting with a restricted palette, forced by the fact I only have 4 pens. At this point the colour range was orange, reddish brown, dark green and blue black. And yes, we have cranes in the area!

Hampton Wick Pond, Home Park, Kuretake Brush Pen and wash, A4 sketchbook.

OK painting and drawing ponds instead of rivers might be stretching the categories and ban, but I’m just happy for anything slightly different – like Hampton Wick pond in Home Park just opposite the Ice House – last seen in an oil from 2019 which also includes those ever-present cranes. Wonder if it’s the same ones?

Towards Hampton Wick (Dead Tree Series), Watercolour and Fountain Pen, A4 etchr sketchbook.

Now we walk through the Paddock Gate, up and over the busy road to Bushy Park (more parklife). A part that I haven’t really explored is the east of the park towards Hampton Wick. I saw this amazing dead tree that I do think I’ve not done justice in depicting. And a pavillion, a distant church and yes…those cranes! This is getting like Where’s Wally but for cranes.

Ferns and Blue Sky - ink drawing (Dead Tree Series), Kuretake Brush Pen, 25x35.5cm, Fabriano F5 paper. — Ferns and Blue Sky – ink drawing (Dead Tree Series), Kuretake Brush Pen, 25×35.5cm, Fabriano F5 paper.

And finally a piece I am very proud of is ‘Ferns and Blue Sky’ part of the on-going Dead Tree series – and exercise in using Manganese Violet, Cobalt Violet, Yellow Ochre and various blues. It was a beautiful calm sunny day, and it was very meditative drawing and painting in the park. The Kuretake Brush Pen – No. 8 fact fans – is a fast favourite but like all brush pens it can be a bit hit or miss on rough textured paper like this cold press F5 Fabriano paper.

Thankfully I think it’s a hit, each part just works and nothing lets it down. One of my best recent watercolours, which I think apart from the etchr sketches have hit a bit of a slump so it was good to see it working again.