I did this exercise on Pampelone beach near St Tropez in bright early morning sunshine. The vibrant colours of the cloudless sky and clear shallows, and the dazzling sun on the water were just stunning and I was really pleased with how I was able to capture them on paper. However, when I opened up my sketchbook upon returning home, I found that the impact seemed less, the marks coarser. For example, I don’t remember being able to see the marks made by the edge of the darkest blue pastel in the middle piece… I’m surprised I left it unblended. Viewing the pictures in situ adds to them in some way. I wonder if that is why St Tropez is such an artists’ haven?

I took supporting photos so if I choose this series to develop, I have those as a reference, and my memory.