Sea mist at Dawn around the Needles, Isle of Wight

 

                                Sea mist... detail...oil on canvas : Janet Driver

Seeing the sun shining through sea mist is incredibly beautiful, especially at dawn or sunset when so many subtle colours appear to hang suspended in the air, and patches of the rocks can be glimpsed glistening in sunlight yet hidden away from full view... mysterious shapes that change as you try to discern where the rocks actually stand, just beyond the hidden cliff-edge...

more of the same painting...

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 !

Thursday daily picture: misty morning

early morning reflections : janet driver (oil on canvas )

Inspired by Monet’s paintings of morning mist on the river Seine, where he painted a whole series noticing the different atmosphere and misty reflections each day...

Wivenhoe Library Exhibition : Sunsets and...

Visit Wivenhoe Library & enjoy some of my paintings...

Creative Spiral: children can enjoy looking for all sorts things hidden in this spiral painting

& not always noticed unless you stop & look

I painted several sunsets, seen across the Colne at Brightlingsea where the brilliant effect of sunlight shining through the mist on the distant shore and across the water is really quite amazing.

 I remember as a teenager swimming here one evening with a group of us who had been playing tennis, and we could hardly believe the intensity of gold flooding the sea all around us as we bobbed & floated along.

Dawn Mist Rising          oil on canvas, Janet Driver

I continue to be intrigued by dawn mist & the "lost & found" nature of things hidden or revealed through the mist. Can you guess the river marshes this was based on ? 

Hanging next to it you will find a painting of  this scene at sunset. Again a surprising sunset where the light lit up the wall hidden by the dawn mist with a brilliant reflection almost like gold.

for Library Opening Times click the link below:

http://webapps1.essexcc.gov.uk/findalibrary/libdetail.asp?LibID=78

Damp Misty Mornings

Across the river : mist rising from the marshes, Wivenhoe

I love the misty effects of early morning, particularly when the sun  is low in the sky during spring and autumn.

One day I just happened to see the dawn sunshine breaking through the mist, lighting up the church and Fingringhoe Mill as mist swirled slowly through the trees, across the low lying salt marshes and up towards the sky.  The plants and trees on the grassy walls along the riverside provide a wonderful contrast in the foreground, making this a real joy to paint.

A few days later there was an amazing sunset. I had never seen the sun just at this angle before and could hardly believe the way its brilliant orange light was reflected by the white wall of the mill...no longer white, but like burnished gold...

The trees were no longer misty blues but suffused with golden light. I stood transfixed, as though time stood still...but in a few moments the light swiftly began to fade... 

Here is the beginning of my attempt to share this " moment in and out of time"... I will need to dig deep into my visual memory to complete this painting once these first layers have dried sufficiently to continue.

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 ...