the grey tree, in the woods…
[digital photograph of a tree in the woods - may 2014]on a woodland walk, the shape of the tree presented itself; dark, splayed out and leafless, backlit by a low sun. only later did i notice that the digital image of the tree in the woods was recorded in greyscale, as the camera was on the 'text' setting. i rather like the result, it's quite grainy, like an old 1900s photograph.
Piet Mondrian, De grijze boom 1911 [Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag]this Mondrian painting is in the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague. there are some interesting Mondrian landscapes in their collection, together with many early abstractions (see the chequerboard paintings 1919). i haven't seen any of them. the Mondrian's i have seen (or the ones i most remember) were in the Museum of Modern Art in New York about ten years ago. i recall fixating on the quality of the painted edges, how slightly imperfect the blocks and lines were, having previously seen reproductions of the later grid paintings in books.The surface of things gives enjoyment, their interiority gives life.[Mondrian, note in a sketchbook, c.1911]
on painting, something in passing [part three]
something in passing, in the studio... [continued from part two, and previously part one]nearly there…
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something in passing... a bird's eye view (acrylic on panel, 6ft x 4ft)this large three-panel painting was painted from memory and imagination, arising out of numerous sketchbook drawings and studies of wood bark, trees and waterrecalling the elements of air, earth and water in momentary unison one day, in the dappled patterns of spring foliage, overhanging tree branches and the flittering light of a blue sky reflected in the river's surface, inspired an intuitive painterly response to fleeting sensations of movement, rhythm and flow.i live near a river, and there are fishing lakes nearby surrounded by many trees, shrubs and grasses. this painting alludes to memories of these watery landscapes through the seasons....the challenge (or dilemma) was to paint something (one thing) without any direct visual sources, not primary (traditional plein air, out in the landscape, with an easel, etc) nor the use of any secondary sources (photographs). the small sketches and drawings (and some small water paintings) i had done had begun to concentrate my interest and memory of things, so i did not need or want to refer to these things. they signalled a departure from realism.i had a strong memory/idea of pale greens and strong yellows (this may not be true to reality, but it is what i wanted to remember), and the transient reflections and patterns of willow branches, leaves, grasses and reeds at the water's edge, and vibrant patches of blue sky or white cloud. but then, it seemed the perspective was always shifting as i painted, diving into the water, under the surface, and then looking up at shafts of sunlight filtered through airy, breezy treetops, the flow of the river refracting light, altering shapes and colours, as if high up in a tree like a bird looking down on the water .there was no single viewpoint, this was an imaginary scene, a flight of fancy, being high above in the trees and then into the water, going along with the natural flow of things, and feeling a sense of freedom. the blank white walls of a room had a part in this process. the three panels contributed to the general idea of movement and change, something in passing, in time flying by, nature, the turn of the seasons. sometimes i am unsure why i painted something like this, but i will (or have to) keep on trying...[continued from part two, and previously part one]maybe it is also something of a self-portrait (but only in passing)…ARTWORKS 20137 – 29 September 2013Blackthorpe BarnRoughamBury St EdmundsIP30 9HZ[exhibition is open daily 10am - 5pm]
on painting, something in passing [part two]
something in passing… [in pictures, continued from part one]
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…. [to be continued]maybe others won't see the changes as much, going with the flow, a slow painting in progress, the time-related idea of the painting, a simple flight of fancy, in the passing of time, nature and the seasons, recollections and memories, away from the source, of the nearby river, the lakes, and the trees. i may have turned a pastoral corner, or wandered off the path…ARTWORKS 20137 – 29 September 2013Blackthorpe BarnRoughamBury St EdmundsIP30 9HZ[exhibition is open daily 10am - 5pm]