I was on a painting trip at the end of May 2026 on a hot summers day with The London Plein Air Painters in Dorset at Lulworth Cove. I walked down to the beach and spotted crowds of children milling around the rock pools on the right hand side of the cove. I thought it would make a lovely subject and the colours of the childrens clothes were beautiful against the rocks. I started sketching using a brush pen in black ink focusing on simplifying the scene. Like always when I am drawing outside in public I beocme a magnet. A young girl popped up and showed me avery small crab she had caught in the rock pools. This progressed in to a longer conversation about drawing which she was very keen about.

 A little later woman who I guessed had been the girls mother approached me as she had been watching me drawing. Her name was Sam and we got chatting and I showed her the ink sketches of her children. We chatted on and off for the rest fo the afternoon as I progressed on to an oil painting. Then later Sams daughter suddenly appeared by my side later and presented me with a stone she had painted with a seagul and the words 'Be kind' (see the pic below). I was so touched and completely disarmed, it was a trlu lovelt moment and told her mother Sam. I have the stone in my studio and is now a treasured posession.

Buy prints and original paintings of Lulworth Cove.

The lovely painted stone I was given.

Final painting of the Cove