CRASTER

Small, scruffy harbour, with excellent kippers. Had a hot, buttered kipper in a roll £3.50 very good.
The Glaswegian chef told me that this is as busy as it gets around here – i.e. not very.
I queued at the kipper stall behind a Geordie coach driver who told me where (and where not) to go in Newcastle “Ayeman, the girls down the Bigg Market are right up for it and forward too, they just wanna take you home, and then in the morning kick you out – it’s everymans dream man!

He bought a Kipper roll as well.

BEADNELL

A charming little town facing the amazingly gaunt ruins of Dunstanburgh castle.
Consisting mainly of a bunch of holiday homes around a tiny harbour with half a dozen beautiful cobles.
This area really reminds me of Scilly.
The same houses, small quayside and small roads covered in sand and marram grass.
Not cold but windy and grey.
Massive lime kilns owned by the National Trust in which the fishermen store their gear back the tiny quayside.

BAMBURGH

Wow, what a lovely place – beautiful village, loads of 1920s houses, fabulous soft white beaches and acres of dunes and all dominated by a castle that puts Windsor to shame. Built of stone almost the same colour as the Alhambra, a honey/pink/rose stone. The best castle I’ve seen.
Gazing out over the crashing waves to the Farne Islands with their gorgeous red and white lighthouse, the home of Grace Darling.
The village is sleepy and quiet – great looking pub/restaurant, menu looks very tempting....

LINDISFARNE

Grey day, bleak and wonderful.
Wanted to spend more time here but the tide is coming in fast. The sign says to cross until 8.30am and its now 8.10am or Ill be cut off and marooned until mid afternoon – bad timing on either my part or the tides.
Very, very quiet, very long causeway.

Seals calling in the distance...

BERWICK UPON TWEED

Driving up from Penzance the radio announced that the whole of England was hot and sunny except the North East.

Arrived to cold and grey after a 11 hour drive, it makes Penzance seem like St Tropez.

Berwick is a very curious place – great Georgian (and older) archiecture, it just needs a damn good scrub. The town is built on more layers than Gormenghast and has more secret passageways, look out points and cobbledy streets than St Ives. Unfortunately 50% of all the shops are closed down, pubs are burned down and the streets run down.

No real sign of life except a non-stop convoy of Chelsea tractors and BMW’s.

The bridges are superb though. The Jacobean bridge catches the evening sun and the honey/rose stone begins to look like a box of crayons left to melt in the sun.

The campsite looks down over the mouth of the Tweed immediately next to the local amateur football ground.

Between shouts of “to me, to me” I hear distant bells – I presume they must emante from the very old, very big church in Berwick, but soon realise that the bells actually come from the Berwick ice cream van doing the rounds on the camp site.

I am overlooking the ermmm ‘lovely sandy beach’ at ermmm ‘Spittal’.

Berwick could be, should be one of Northumberlands jewels.

Read all about it, read all about it!

From an interview with Frank Rhurmund.

GLYN Macey, one of the UK's foremost young artists, recently embarked on a yearlong project to paint some of the most beautiful and spectacular National Trust landscapes.

The resulting paintings are available as signed, numbered, limited editions in aid of the National Trust to help conserve Britain's landscapes.

Glyn's project covers 10 regions throughout the British Isles, including his native Cornwall. "I couldn't wait to get to grips with my home county. The light is extraordinary, and together with the ever-changing colours in the moors and sea, It makes the whole area completely compelling for an artist".

Glyn Macey is no stranger to putting his artistic talents to good use, having completed a major project for the RNLI last year. Painting 180 locations around the English coast, he raised more than £22,000 for them.

Gill Raikes, the National Trust's director of fund-raising, said: "Glyn is a wonderful supporter of the National Trust and he obviously loves the landscapes in our care. His paintings capture the light and perspectives of the rolling moorlands and shimmering waters so well, and I have really enjoyed hearing about how he uses so many different techniques and methods of paint."

Accompanying the paintings is the second DVD produced by Cornwall's Three S Films, from a series of DVDs following the project. It features the artist painting on location at Boscastle, St Anthony Head, Rinsey, Logan Rock, Cape Cornwall, Crowns Mine at Botallack, Godrevy, Kynance, Bedruthan Steps and St Michael's Mount, as well as in the artist's studio.

In the films Glyn explains his techniques and gives tips and advice. This film includes music especially written by Adam Reece, and features the original piano composition First Light, which was recorded at the Parr Street Studios in Liverpool – the studio formerly owned by Genesis.

To acquire one of the limited edition prints or the DVD and support the National Trust at the same time, see www.glynmacey.com where each month 10 new paintings will be posted.

Glyn will also be exhibiting his work at National Trust properties around the UK in 2010.

A preview screening of the film takes place tonight at Penzance Arts Club.

Today I'm writing the first of a series of articles for The Artist magazine.
It is all about working 'plein air' which is the French term for 'outdoors' particularly in reference for painting.
Of course my home town of Newlyn is well known for the celebrated Newlyn School who were masters of the plein air technique, so it's not too difficult for me to find inspiration.
The image shown is one of my own plein air attempts, made at Dungenes.


I love the writing process, always have done, but does anyone know the plural for 'plein air'?