swan enjoying the sunset at Brightlingsea...

Wednesday

On the day we went into ‘lockdown’ in the UK 

way back in March

I promised to put something on this blog every day

...a picture or two

...a painting

...some of my own paintings & my stained & etched glass...

and now that we are beginning to come out again

I realise its been well over 100 days

...and each day there has been something to share...

but now I would like to move on... :)

I still have some of my paintings and glass to share with you...

but many are part of a theme rather than individual one-offs

so... this week I will continue every day until Friday

...then one day next week I will put up some of my Mary Magdalene paintings 

 then something else about a week later...

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Becalmed, awaiting more wind : c Janet Driver

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Friday

Pyfleet Races : oil on canvas : c Janet Driver

Monday

homeward bound : oil on canvas : Janet Driver

Thursday : Wind

 I love painting sailing boats... the way the wind takes their sails...

sudden jybe, Pyfleet races: c. Janet Driver

on the wings of the morning : c. Janet Driver

...as a child I remember learning this poem about wind... with a long drawn-out Whooooo   :)

Who has seen the wind? 

Neither I nor you: 

But when the leaves hang trembling, 

The wind is passing through. 

Who has seen the wind? 

Neither you nor I: 

But when the trees bow down their heads, 

The wind is passing by.                                  Christina Rossetti

..then, years later, this struck me :  

 “the wind blows wherever it pleases;

you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going...

that is how it is with all who are born of the spirit...”

                                                                           St John 3, v 8

Friday : daily picture

Dreamlike shapes in morning mist : c Janet Driver

On a walk along the old Brightlingsea railway route a few years ago we saw these odd shapes in the distance...gradually realising they were trees... but looking more like ... well... what do you see ?

This painting was great fun to create !

Holy Week : Saturday

In the online Guardian this morning I read an article by Mark Rice Oxley giving several links to items of hope amid this pandemic... 

you might enjoy this link below which offers beautiful images of blossom:

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/blossom-watch

Interested in reading about  the hope of celebrating both Passover & Easter through video links / streaming etc ? ...then  look at  Johnathan Freedlands article in the Guardian ...

a picture a day

trying to think what I could do whilst self-isolating...

it suddenly occurred to me

that I have a wide range of paintings and photos...

so at least one could be posted each day

for anyone who needs a distraction / cheering up / or as a focus for meditation...

beginning today with three pictures...

and a suggestion for Mothering Sunday...www.churchofengland.org

Pyfleet Week 1-8th August

Fancy trying your hand at sketching & painting sailing boats ?

What better place to begin than by watching the great variety of boats racing away during Pyfleet week...this week... in Brightlingsea:

http://pyefleet2015.sailbrightlingsea.com/programme/

These paintings were completed in the studio after sitting sketching away... I have to be really fast and only jot down the main shapes that first catch my eye, filling pages and pages with rough sail shapes & people's silhouettes... all the time looking out to sea and drawing "blind"- hardly looking down at the paper
But one year I was lucky enough to see this boat coming straight towards me, travelling really fast, out on its own ahead in the race & clearly on a winning streak with the wind full behind its sails...

Later this sleek sailing boat below was riding high on the waves with a good strong wind; dashed straight up to where I was sitting at Splash Point & suddenly jibed just before hitting the sea wall steps !  Wow ! Boom riding over, almost into the sea wall, front sail flapping & spray flying everywhere as it dashed off at a sharp angle to continue the race...

.

 I really enjoyed the challenge of catching this, using a palette knife on the sails to give the sense of power as they turned slap into the wind right in front of me.


Then another day there wasn't even a breath of air: one of those hot hazy mornings before high tide where the sea is calm as a millpond...

A few boats had ventured out, only to become totally becalmed !
They were stuck there for nearly an hour as the tide glided in, barely moving the reflections.

This was a real gift for me... as I could sit & sketch to my hearts content...ending up with these 2 paintings (above: "Becalmed" & below : "Waiting for the Race to Begin " )

Once the tide was up, they all set sail... 

... only to discover the wind rather variable still...

some were soon taking the breeze from one another (whether they intended to or not !) 

whilst three had managed to get ahead and two others were yelling to one another: " Lets nip round behind this lot !" "Yea ! theres room on t'other side...best get around them quick !

I really enjoyed painting this one, hoping to convey the  sense of confusion afloat.

Wonder what awaits us at Brightlingsea this week ?

Paintings People Were Intrigued By....

Lovely to see so many people at the Open Studio !

Having a wide variety of paintings, I am fascinated how people are attracted to completely different paintings...over the next few weeks I will show some of the paintings that really drew attention: 

Some were struck by the misty paintings: of the Needles & views inspired by walking along the old railway from Brightlingsea, or down along Alresford Creek..

 "Misty & Mystical..."
."Yes..."


then, rather different, this one was painted using experimental glazes...in fact the whole idea was entirely experimental... I love this blown glass decanter and thought it would look beautiful in candlelight ...but I was really surprised by the weird bearded shadow that reared up against the wall, reminding me of the song "Have some Madeira me'dear..." & finding two tipsy wine glasses from a glass blowing workshop, having fun moving the candle round until I discovered these fleeting effects of reflected light when the angle was just right...  
But with the room in total darkness except for one small candle, I could hardly see to paint !   So I found black paper & white chalk to make studies of the highlights...It was really exciting to see the paintings gradually emerging...and great fun thinking of the way it reflected the sense of humour in the song. ... one or two people really enjoyed this ...

paintings on the go...

As usual, I am working on more than one painting at the same time.

I know these look incredibly different, but they are both being developed from sketches & photos of things that interest me whilst walking along the River Colne. 

There were so many misty mornings earlier on, with trees looming up in all kinds of odd shapes, which became great fun to paint.

Then came sunshine dancing off the water, so bright you could hardly bear to look...and the mirage effect looking out from Brightlingsea towards Bradwell that has always fascinated me since I first saw it years ago.

I have often stared with eyes half closed against the glare thinking ...'if only I could paint that effect...' There was nothing for it but to have a go !   Like many artists, I am rarely satisfied with the result...but then that leads to further experiments...

 I read just the other day that even Monet was often dissatisfied with his paintings.

Trying to communicate something of the wonder of a fleeting moment when the light bounces off the water in such a way that you stand transfixed with the sheer beauty of dazzling light...I am trying the impossible of course...but maybe, just maybe...it might trigger a similar memory in someone...