I recently spent a week drawing and painting in the South West of Ireland. This was my fourth visit to the area and I decided to limit my materials to an A5 sketchbook, plus a small selection of pencils and a tiny watercolour set with a single travel brush. Travelling light like this opened up opportunities for walking long distances and I was able to access some remote areas with wonderful vistas. In this part of the world the clouds scud continuously across the sky creating wonderful patterns of light and shadow over the hills. I made repeated pencil sketches and quick colour studies attempting to capture the movement of light. The skies here are enormous and the weather can dramatically change within minutes, and back again, so there is no time to get too involved in one painting. The hedgerows are intense with colour at this time of year and sparkle brightly in both in the sun and rain. I found this a liberating exercise and a good way to explore with a view to returning with my full kit!
