Claude Monet : R. Seine near Giverny

oil on canvas: janet driver : the Needles, Isle of Wight : afternoon haze

I happened to see this clever photo of a kangaroo that made me laugh, and I thought you might like to see it too...[ apologies to the photographer, as I do not know their name ]

I couldn't find any more of the paintings by Spencer of Christ in the Wilderness... but... you might like to read the Lectionary Essay by Debbie on www.journeywithjesus.net : "beasts & angels"...

Waking up in the morning : Stanley Spencer, from his series of paintings: Christ in the Wilderness

Christ in the wilderness:paintings series by Stanley Spencer... During the 1930's - 40's the artist planned to paint a picture for each of the 40 days of Lent to be hung on the ceiling of his local church so that people could come in to use them for meditation right through Lent... someone has remarked that the large figure of Christ in billowing robes would perhaps appear like large clouds as people contemplated the paintings... although sketches/studies were made for 18 of these paintings, Spencer only managed to complete 8 of them, which are now in a gallery in Australia... however if you would like to spend time this Lent looking meditatively at these paintings, then you might like the small paperback book "Christ in the wilderness" by Stephen Cottrell, which includes copies of Spencer's paintings together with the new Archbishop of York's reflections. I will also try and put some of these paintings up on this blog so that you may use them for your own Lentern reflections if you wish...

Christ in the Wilderness : Stanley Spencer

Ash Wednesday... beginning of Lent

Jesus is tempted...jesusmafa ... see more on curious christian.blog

something quitedifferentfrom the jurassic cliffs yesterday...light as a feather... which reminds me of Hildegarde von Bingen, the C 13th mystic who prayed that she might be like a feather on the breath of God... quite something from a lady who seemsto have been quite powerful in her day...

oil on canvas : Janet Driver painted with a palette knife after walking along these rugged cliffs in Dorset a few years ago...This was an experiment to see how paint could be applied with thick layers of texture by using a palette knife rather than a brush to give the feel of ancient layers of rock and grassy tussocks catching the sunlight... then I tried using the same method on the sea pouring into this cove and splashing up in waves that must have worn down the surface over centuries...however did these cliffs survive ? and how long before the waves break through the cave, leaving an archway into the sea?

from a walk along West Quay this looked such fun with several pots on top of one another...

Can you imagine the artist deciding to be tied to the mast of this ship in order to immerse himself in the experience of a snowstorm before painting this picture ? It has stopped snowing just at the moment and the sun is shining on odd shapes formed by the snow, making it look really beautiful despite the cold...I'm not at all sure I would like to be in the centre of a blizzard, but I do like this painting for cunjoring up the feeling of being in a snowstorm at sea so brilliantly...

another photo inexplicably turned upside down :(