webs for cobs

Ever on the lookout for textile inspirations I was delighted the other morning at the return of the "autumn drapes".  The misty moisty morning saw a plethora of tiny webs draped like baskets in the gorse bushes across the hillside.  For some reason they only suit black & white photography.

Near by I've been painting outdoors.  Sketching is an odd thing to do.  It does it's own thing but it doesn't go anywhere.  It captures less that I need for reference.  Maybe I'm not good at translation or using notes.  Perhaps my internal camera isn't accessed that way.  It's almost as if sketching is a beast in its own right.  So I'm giving "plein air" a go hoping it's more to the point.  Carting things around isn't fun if it's heavy and needs a couple of trips so I've tried to whittle it down to a canvas carrier that separates into two boards with canvas/prepared board on each, a light easel that stores the paints, and and... I really must get a little foldy stool and a decent pot for carrying water.  Anyway this is a little snapshot of a small part of the painting as it is developing once home in the studio.  I only worked outdoors until the board was saturated and I'm impatient so just went home once I needed to wait for it to dry.