Something else I really want is a Norman Ackroyd print (if I won the lottery it would be a watercolour) I know which one, I know where it would go, and at £450** it's tempting to think I could, with a bit of scrimping, commit such an extravagance. What I need is a new mattress, and after that the washing machine is looking a bit iffy, as is the fridge, the extractor fan in the kitchen has given up the ghost, and my bathroom heater isn't in perfect working order either. Art, however necessary for the soul, will have to wait. Meanwhile I can content myself with this (and the earlier 'Shetland') notebook.
'A Hebridean Notebook' really is a beautiful thing - published by the Royal Academy of Arts in association with a couple of galleries that represent Ackroyd. It looks like a facsimile of an original sketchbook right down to what looks like a ringed stain from a cup of tea on one page, though in this case I think it's a collection of sketches made over a number of trips. Ackroyd makes it look effortless; a few dashed lines and a wash of paint somehow resolve themselves into a landscape filled with light and weather.
I've messed around enough with watercolours to know it's not in the least bit easy, and oh how I wish I could sketch like this. I've spent a long time looking at this book just wondering how he does it, and more time appreciating that he has done it, and yet all they are, are sketches. Some are clearly done very quickly, probably from the deck of a boat, and in not the nicest of weather, others suggest a slightly more leisurely pace, all of them are wonderfully evocative.
* Susan Pleydell's 'The Road To The Harbour' for the curious
**It's not a practical purchase but I have a sinking feeling it's going to be one of those things I really regret not doing.
I have 5 Pleydells & they're all tbr. Hopefully your review of RTTH will push me into picking it up. Fingers crossed for the lottery win & the beginning of your art collection!
ReplyDeleteI've really loved both the titles I've read. RTTH was far better than I hoped, really hard to put down - think you're in for a treat! A lottery win would be marvellous, there is already a small art collection, and an exciting addition in the works... But more of that in due course.
DeleteWhat a dream, traveling to the Hebrides, creating watercolor paintings and turning it into a book!
ReplyDeleteThere is a BBC series called What artists do all day (or similar) and Ackroyd was featured on it once. He came accross as charming. I can't remember where I first heard about him, but having one of those prints is a definite ambition.
DeleteI think you're talking yourself round with your final ** - I wish you could follow your heart and buy the beautiful print. Meanwhile hooray for the book, which looks gorgeous. I attempt watercolours these days and yes, it is a really hard medium to do well.
ReplyDeleteVery hard indeed to do well, but fun to do even badly! The real worry behind the **'s is that by the time I have the money to hand the price will have crept up out of reach again. I try and ring fence some money for pictures each year, but this years fund is already ear marked for another project so at the moment this one has to wait. The book is a very good consolation.
DeleteGet the art, unless your mattress is actually full of mice or something. :)
ReplyDeleteNot mice, but enough lumps to make it quite feasible that there could be mice... But I can always sleep on the sofa!
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