Day Twelve (Monday 6th April) - Colour collision

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Moody brooding weather today. I set out for my beach walk around 4:45pm - there was a mesmerising quality about it today. To the east, a lightness in the sky, the blue/green sea churning rhythmically, it's foam as white as snow. To the west, brooding as hell, like the Wicked Witch was gently teasing up a cloudstorm. I felt like I was standing between two worlds.

Omaha Beach photo of the day - the waves roll in. To the east - mesmerising
To the west - brooding skies. Note, these two photos were taken at 5pm.

On my walk back home, a guy in a wetsuit with a surfboard under his arm was hurrying down to the beach. I looked at him. "Surely you're not?" I asked, with a look of surprise and a hint of admonishment in my tone. "Practising," he laughed and ran off towards the beach.
I couldn't believe he did that. Didn't he get the latest memo or the PMs message about idiots!? Anyway, I think he would have been severely disappointed when he got there, the surf was not up this evening - see video! (I should have carried on filming round to the west so you could see the contrast in the sky).



It was a gently productive day today. Writing progress made, some washing done, watched the 4pm live update with Jacinda. All in all, Michael and I had our heads down on a quiet day in lockdown.

Brunch: Emmental on Vogels
Dinner: "post-roast" Risotto

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Pigment!

It's the name of the most fabulous art shop in Tokyo that Brett and I went to on our honeymoon back in Feb 2017. Located in an arty area on the waterfront, this is an art store, a lab/workshop, an academy and a museum. It's artist heaven. The subtle colours on the beach this evening made me think of our visit to this place - where the colours are rich and intense.

They sell pigments, inks, brushes, stones, glues and tools for ink painting and calligraphy. They run workshops. They encourage play while you're in store and I loved experimenting with various products, colours and papers.

There's an entire wall of vials filled with rich colourful powders. Brushes of every description are displayed beautifully on another wall. Over there, ink sticks and watercolours. A showcase of ancient methods and minerals from which pigments are derived. The interior itself is a piece of art.

I bought some products, feeling like a child with a new longed-for toy. Choosing was difficult. I've honestly never seen an art shop as gorgeous as this before. Ink has been my preferred art medium for some time, having been introduced to it at a fabulous art course I did in south-west France back in 2006. Ink is portable, versatile and always surprising. And this shop surprised me in the best possible way.

Rich metallics

Every colour under the sun

A wall of brushes
A couple of my ink artworks below ... alas, it's hard to portray the subtle colour tones, iridescence and metallic touches in the first one. The second one uses only pure black Indian ink.











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