My challenge over the last two weeks has been to get the textures of Matera into my sketchbooks. After countless attempts with various media on different kinds of paper, I went back to familiar dry media of pastel on Canson paper which turned out the best of all my attempts.
The ink versions which worked so well for the Olive Groves, did not work too well for the textured landscapes. Either they were strait laced or turned out very stiff. Still I add them here and my experiments with ink are reminiscent of my countless years of experimenting with charcoal.
It is as if time moves in fast forward when you are frantically trying to recapture Matera. I get up early, finish house stuff, exercise and then simply seal myself off in my studio. I think I am gaining some understanding and insight on how to go about things and I would dearly like some more worthy attempts in my sketchbook next week.