from the farm to the firmament

as well as drawing in the woods, i've also been sketching some clouds... these are the better ones, i think... all of which seems a little odd, as they bear no relation to my current series of paintings, [which i am calling farmscapes, until a better title comes to mind...] anyhow, this led me to research the origin of the word farm, which as a verb has only been in use since the 19th century... the noun farm derives from the Latin firma meaning 'fixed payment' (from the Latin firmare) denoting a lease of land, later specific to agriculture... firmare also leads to the word firmament, a tangible expression of the skies or heavens above...[a farmscape diptych in progress]...[detail of farmscapes... in progress]the farmscapes are meant to be cool, sparse paintings, hinting at enclosure, mechanisation, rural industral landscapes, reducing the pattern and structure of agricultural land and its outbuildings to an economic geometry...i have been too slow in resolving these farmscapes paintings, as at heart i want all ten of them to be viewed together as one large composite piece of work, but i lack the space to work on them consistently and effectively... so the opportunity to sketch outdoors has taken me down another rural track of ideas, the elements of wood, sky, water ... somewhere, somehow leading back to thoughts of zen...

on trees, and water

some new sketchbook drawings of trees... this time in graphite stick... so much quicker to work with.. less refined, but more responsive to the movement (and sounds) of trees, and the nearby water...ivy growing on a tree trunkfallen dead branch of a tree (with diagram)bent willow tree at the riverlooking up at a treedead stump of treetwisted branches of a treemore tree branchestwisted, bent branch of a treemoss & lichen-covered, stripped barksnapped, broken branches of a treethe rippled, twisted textured bark of this old willow reflects the gentle movements of the nearby lake...detail of water ripples on the lake...another shot of the same lake... maybe this is a little too reminiscent of vija celmins?... but that's how it was, just water, at 6.24pm...i have become immersed in structures, natural surfaces, the patterns, the details, but critical reflection requires some distance, a detachment from objectification... on the cycle ride home i remembered a lecture i went to, by the sculptor richard deacon... talking of natural elements, repetition, rhythm, overlap, edge, pattern, flow, movement, flux, turbulence, the dynamics of change...leading to the elemental, scientific drawings of leonardo da vinci...A deluge c.1517-18, by Leonardo da Vinci [Royal Collection, Windsor Castle][to be continued...]the salthouse 09 : salt of the earth art exhibition continues at salthouse church, norfolk... salthouse 09 : 2 july to 2 august 2009

an hour by the riverbank

pen and ink sketch, about half an hour... a real challenge to draw water, and the sun kept going in and out...another sketch, another half-hour or so... dappled shade....intriguing refractions of tree branches...shafts of sunlight, tree reflections and underwater vegetation...ah... a found painting, a little monet... or any of the derivatives...the salthouse 09 art exhibition continues... salthouse 09 : 2 july to 2 august 2009