Noticing. Four holes in a garden wall. Wondered what they were for. Now each houses a snail, or two. Or a few. Lots of wall and hedge clearing going on here. Changes the view.
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A midweek moment
Recently watched Andy Goldsworthy’s film Leaning Into the Wind’ about his work with nature in many different countries. It was brilliant. Well worth watching if you can get a copy: not stuffy and great fun. It’s pure magic.
And it’s inspired me to look more closely at the world around me this year. So I’m going to share a little sketch or photo here every Wednesday, to encourage me to take the time to pause, and look. To start with here’s a close-up of a house wall. The colours and textures were so wonderful and rich – look at those purples and greens and slate blues and rusts. Definitely calling to me to make a painting.
Tintagel Church Painting
St Materiana Church, Tintagel, Morning
Acrylic on board 14×11 inches / 36×28 cm
A quick painting of the St Materiana Church, Tintagel. I wanted to show the way the sunlight catches the fields and the church in the early mornings. The clouds behind were a wonderful smoky mauve and bright blue sky beyond. The fields are still so green here because of the mild winter. I’m loving getting back to painting: trying to make art a daily habit this year.
Hope your year’s got off to a good start. Mine’s been phenomenal so far: I won first place in a national translation competiton (which is what I love to do when I’m not painting!).
Let it Snow
Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Brueghel the Elder 1565
I was searching online for winter paintings the other day to find some inspiration and I came across some wonderful work. Here are a few of my favourites, and Catterline in Winter by Joan Eardley is also one of the best. In all of these paintings the artists seem to capture the atmosphere so completely: you can almost hear the sounds, or the hushed silence.
And this will probably be my last blog post for 2018, so may I take this opportunity to send you the greetings of the season. If you celebrate Christmas, then I hope you have a merry one. If not, then I hope you have a lovely winter break. And to all, a very Happy New Year. I’ll be back with some paintings soon, maybe even some snowy ones!
Rooftops in the Snow by Gustave Caillebotte 1875
Winter Landscape by Caspar David Friedrich 1811
Hibernating
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan…
It’s winter here.
Time for hibernating.
And dreaming of summer.
Bossiney, Elephant Rock, Painting in progress
Bossiney, Elephant Rock – painting in progress (acrylic & mixed media)
Started working on this Bossiney painting again this week. Seems to fit in with the wet and windy weather we’ve been having. I like the unusual palette of pale mauves, blues and purples with a hint of moss green and lime. The land always changes with the seasons and the weather – makes it endlessly fascinating to paint.
Moody Cornwall
A couple of photos for you, of Cornwall in all its beautiful moodiness. So lucky to live here. Alas, no painting this week – I’m setting up a new business and it’s taking up all my time at present. But these photos do inspire me to get out the paints and the canvasses, so who knows…
Happy Thanksgiving (belated), to all my American friends, and a good weekend to all.
