The Cloud Appreciation Society

Clouds Apparently when cooked, human flesh and pork are not dissimilar, one advantage we do have over pigs however is our ability to stare up at the sky. Pigs can't look up and miss out on witnessing the drama unfolding overhead. The fact that we fail to appreciate our ever changing sky and moan whenever clouds appear is something the surprisingly popular Cloud Appreciation Society's website tries to address. Artists have long known the value of a wide expanse of sky and it's often the first stage of a watercolour painting, setting the mood, lighting and scale of the composition. A basic and all too common watercolour sky consists of Cumulus clouds, the fluffy ones associated with fair weather dabbed out from an ultramarine sky with damp kitchen roll, decreasing in size as they approach the horizon; shadows are then added to give the clouds a bit of bulk. With the sky complete the artist can then concentrate on the main sections of the painting having missed an opportunity to introduce excitement and variety into the composition. A good way to break out of this habit is to paint a number of pure skyscapes; my sketch simply consists of the sky reflected in the sea with little else apart from the trawler to give it a sense of scale. Sketching and studying the clouds while becoming familiar with their various forms will not only improve your paintings but may even help you avoid a soaking. In this regard I recommend a hammock and a copy of 'The cloud spotters Guide' by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society; this humorous book grounded in meteorology and aesthetics seeks to educate readers in the ways of the sky. While some may dream of reaching up and touching the clouds, here in the Mourne Mountains we are often engulfed by mist from the low forming Stratus clouds; landscapes veiled by mist provide splendid subjects but having spent the weekend shivering at a rain soaked barbecue I prefer to appreciate clouds from a distance.
You can contact Eamonn by ringing 07962 189132 or logging on to www.McCroryArt.com

Cloud Appreciation Society
Apparently when cooked, human flesh and pork are not dissimilar, one advantage we do have over pigs however is our ability to stare up at the sky. Pigs can't look up and miss out on witnessing the drama unfolding overhead. The fact that we fail to appreciate our ever changing sky and moan whenever clouds appear is something the surprisingly popular Cloud Appreciation Society's website tries to address. Artists have long known the value of a wide expanse of sky and it's often the first stage of a watercolour painting, setting the mood, lighting and scale of the composition. A basic and all too common watercolour sky consists of Cumulus clouds, the fluffy ones associated with fair weather dabbed out from an ultramarine sky with damp kitchen roll, decreasing in size as they approach the horizon; shadows are then added to give the clouds a bit of bulk. With the sky complete the artist can then concentrate on the main sections of the painting having missed an opportunity to introduce excitement and variety into the composition. A good way to break out of this habit is to paint a number of pure skyscapes; my sketch simply consists of the sky reflected in the sea with little else apart from the trawler to give it a sense of scale. Sketching and studying the clouds while becoming familiar with their various forms will not only improve your paintings but may even help you avoid a soaking. In this regard I recommend a hammock and a copy of 'The cloud spotters Guide' by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society; this humorous book grounded in meteorology and aesthetics seeks to educate readers in the ways of the sky. While some may dream of reaching up and touching the clouds, here in the Mourne Mountains we are often engulfed by mist from the low forming Stratus clouds; landscapes veiled by mist provide splendid subjects but having spent the weekend shivering at a rain soaked barbecue I prefer to appreciate clouds from a distance. You can contact Eamonn by ringing 07962 189132 or logging on to www.McCroryArt.com

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