On October 10, we spent a sunny day painting outside Branscombe House, studying light, colour and form.

The clear light made the work easier to read. Shadows were sharp, and the difference between warm and cool colour was easy to see. We started by looking for the big shapes and the main light-and-dark patterns before adding detail.

From there, we worked on how colour shifts across a surface as it turns away from the light. A wall in direct sun, the same wall in shade, and the sky reflected in a window each needed a different mix. The trees and bushes around the house gave us plenty of greens to work with. Because the sun keeps moving, we had to decide quickly and commit to what we saw.

Painting outdoors is a good way to simplify. You can’t capture everything, so you learn what matters most in a scene. It also trains your eye in a way that studio work from photos can’t.

Here are some images from the day.

Thank you to everyone who came out and painted with us.