I have a Spotify playlist containing fifteen versions of Summertime, the Gershwins’ resiliently popular aria. These are in various keys with different accompaniments. They range from the apple crumble duet of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong with trumpet, the rich tones of Annie Lennox backed by a simple piano refrain, a version backed by Larry Adler trembling and wailing on mouth organ and the rock blues sound of Janis Joplin. Billie Holiday’s version opens with an urgent beat and a brass growl. Charlie Parker’s saxophone sings with no need for human voice.
This song is a lullaby, and perhaps also draws on the regular rhythms of manual farm work. Louis Armstrong’s trumpet and the backing band swings slowly back and forth, and Ella Fitzgerald’s voice draws out slow notes leading to “hush little baby”. The swing picks up as Armstrong’s voice comes in, looking forward to “one of these days you will rise up singing, yes you’ll spread your wings and you’ll take to the sky”. He leads to the parent’s promise “’til that morning, there’s nothing can harm you, yes, with daddy and mammy standing by “. An R+B singer called Aaron Neville sings a soul jazz version in which this is chillingly conditional “if your mommy and daddy keep on standing by”.
About five tonight I realised the day would disappear and I would not have been outside or away from the computer. I drove out into the countryside with lightning crossing the sky horizontally and fat raindrops falling. Once I was encased in waterproofs and boots, the rain stopped. A full rainbow arched across low grey clouds as the sky above blued. I walked down a path between fields of knee-high green corn which glowed yellow in the evening sunlight or waved into blue shadow.
I stood on the path and painted these small sketches in watercolour. I then drew into the wet paper with conte crayon, lifting the paper’s surface to create highlights and shadows. These were photographed held at arm’s length in the sunlight without fixing.
At yesterday’s barbeque in the garden, my adult and ten year old sons told the oldest jokes in the book and fell about laughing. My daughter twizzling on the climbing frame is next to impossibly to capture as a sketch. Luckily her flailing hair obscures my poor attempt at her face.
Your beautiful summer paintings make me happy, thanks for posting today!
Thanks Sharon
It was that kind of evening, drawing these and walking through the fields made me happy too.
You’ve captured the field greens perfectly 🙂 .
Thanks Rebecca
As so often, I completed the sketch and was disappointed by it. The ground was wet and in shade so I held it at arms length in the sunshine to photograph it. As soon as I was at even that short distance away from it, I realised it had come together somehow and the colours and composition worked (especially the first one). A lesson there for me not to despair of a sketch too soon.
I think that’s absolutely true – I often have these symptoms too. 🙂 I think you did a beautiful job.
The skies are wonderful!
Thanks
that’s what made me start – the skies after the storm were great – good shapes tones and contrasts
These have such immediacy and joie de vivre
Thanks Rosie, they were fun to do
Absolutely love the first drawing, you technique is really effective.
Hi Leonie
Thanks
Its all a bit accidental to be honest. Ive been wrestling with using these on tinted paper but the effects are muted. I realise tinting white paper in the field and drawing into it works well and creates texture too. I will do it some more.
Well whatever, just keep going, its definitely working.
PPS I forgot to say that I enjoyed the ‘twizzling’ sketch as well. I remember (?) that you did a similar one of your son??? some time back. Obviously you have an eye for twizzling as well.
I adore the top one KA. Have been trying myself to capture the glorious greens out there with little success so well done
HI OA
Thanks for the comment. It was fabulous light Sunday evening after the storm. Also photographing the sketch in direct sunlight helps make the pigments glow.
BW
N
The top one of the field. I keep scrolling back up to that one. I feel I could be standing there. There is more than vision in that sketch. Awesome!
Hi Leslie
Thanks
It was a great evening’s walk with lovely light. But I think photographing it in sunlight instead of electric light as I usually do gave it real vibrancy
Beautiful sketches, so fresh and warm, – i like the skies especially.
Always so fresh. I love these sketches…
This is beautiful, your technique is really wonderful.