Five hedges

One of the many interesting things about working from a narrow aspect, in this case, a door/window of narrow proportions, is that, due to the closeness of my self to the surface and the closeness of the outside to the inside, is that often, I am not sure what I am looking at and because of that, the marks on the surface start to have a life of their own, related to but not of the hedge, in this case. I like that. I like that one can just let go of it. I observe the hedge, sometimes that is all I do in a day and then start to make something that is itself primarily.

New paintings after walking.

sudden break. oil on paper. 68x70cm

after grey skies. oil on paper 78x60cm

clearing. oil on paper 78x60cm

shift. oil on paper. 68x70cm

   

ground. oil on paper 78x60cm

Hill. oil on paper. 78x60cm 

The idea of walking and making go hand in hand throughout the visual arts along with the written word. I don't need to retail who and where but never the less I think it remains a pertinent correlation. We walk and experience walking and weather, light and colour. Rilke has it thus:

My eyes already touch the sunny hill

going far beyond the road i have begun

So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp,

it has an inner light, even from a distance

and changes us, even if we do not reach it,

into something else, which, hardly sensing it

we already are; a gesture waves us on

answering our own wave

but what we feel is the wind in our faces.

Two field edge paintings.

oil on paper. 78x60cms

Climbing a track near to my home, a field becomes tilted, almost like a theatre set back drop. I often stand and watch the light and shadow move across it and now, at this time of year, just before ploughing, the edges blur with new growth. Everything shifts slightly, and then the plough slices it into sharp shapes once more.

Five paintings from above a field edge.

                                      

                                                     all oil on paper. 87x60 cms

I made these after a long walk, my regular walk by a field edge and on returning home they seemed the obvious thing to set down. Following these I went to the National Gallery in London in search of Thomas Jones and his paintings from Naples.  For anyone interested, he was born in 1742 and made some remarkable paintings during his tour of Italy, quite unlike his work before or after.            

Visits

In poor light I try to make use of the day to draw and I have been fortunate to have had visits from artist friends for coffee, cake, conversation and drowsing by the wood stove. I know of one artist who has drawn the same way for years and is very good at it whereas I need to approach a drawing afresh, as if it was all new to me. Sometimes it works but there is always that niggling feeling that tells me to try again.

Wet weather drawing

It has been raining for days: I am staying in. From my window I can see the hedge becoming clearer as the foliage is removed by wind and rain.

Freedom feels like this.

We will recognize that without the need to please others we can please ourselves. One of the great things about independence is that one can take a risk with an idea and so, after a walk the other day, I came into my shed and started to make these drawings. Marks on a surface that take on a life of their own.