ahoy there..! after being all at sea for a while, it was nice to be invited to contribute some small artworks for a group exhibition at the aldeburgh gallery, buoyantly entitled britten's birthday bonanza, which opens later this week on the special occasion of the britten centenary celebrations this weekend - as friday 22nd november 2013 is the centenary of the birth of internationally acclaimed composer benjamin britten.the exhibition, britten's birthday bonanza, will feature recent work by three artists: sara johnson (watercolour paintings), gill levin (oil paintings) and chris mound (woodcut prints), alongside a selected exhibition of small artworks by artists associated with the art collective HWAT.Britten’s Birthday Bonanza21st – 27th November 2013Aldeburgh Gallery143 High StreetAldeburghSuffolkIP15 5ANaldeburgh has become synonymous with the life & work of benjamin britten, a lasting legacy of international cultural importance to a once small fishing town on the suffolk coast - and a boon to local trade & tourism.
a leisurely stroll from the car park situated next to maggi hambling's scallop sculpture (created in response to britten's peter grimes) along the shingle beach is an idle pleasure later rewarded by the finest fish & chips to be purchased at the very other end of town… never one to push the boat out…
the liminality of sea, shoreline and shingle, a sliver of silver-green sea glinting in sunlight, or the percussive crashing of the waves, rain strumming over the marshes, the dramatic ever-changing skies, all nature's moody atmospherics, playing out a performance indifferent to us...benjamin britten was born in lowestoft, further up the suffolk coastline (his childhood home is now a fashionable B&B), and after studying & working in london and travelling to america, he later settled in aldeburgh with his artistic muse & partner, the singer peter pears (their final home, the red house, is now the location of the britten-pears foundation).in 1948, with the support of peter pears and the writer eric crozier, britten established the aldeburgh festival, an annual event which attracted musicians and performers from far and wide. in 1967 the festival relocated to more spacious surroundings in the conversion of a former maltings building in the nearby village of snape. the new concert hall was officially opened by queen elizabeth II, who later returned to reopen it in 1970 after a fire destroyed the concert hall in 1969 just before the opening of that year's festival.the snape maltings complex is now the centre of aldeburgh music: a year-round programme of concerts and performances in tandem with a creative support and education programme for performers and musicians. snape is also the location of the snap art exhibition, and there are some impressive outdoor sculptures too (as written about previously).suffolk was a source of much creative inspiration to britten; places of significance to britten's music are included this interactive map of britten. there is more information about benjamin britten, peter pears and the special britten centenary celebrations at these websites:Britten-Pears Foundation: http://www.brittenpears.org/Aldeburgh Music's Britten Centenary: http://www.brittenaldeburgh.co.uk/BBC Radio & TV programmes: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=brittenBBC Radio 3's Britten Centenary weekend:http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radio3/posts/Introducing-Radio-3s-Britten-Centenary-Weekend...Full fathom five thy father lies;Of his bones are coral made;Those are pearls that were his eyes:Nothing of him that doth fade,But doth suffer a sea-changeInto something rich and strange.Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:[Ariel's Song, The Tempest, William Shakespeare]...
some very small paintings
landscaping I II II & brickwork I II IIIsix very small paintings on watercolour paper, about the size of playing cards. that's all for today. thank you for looking.
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]