'On the Wings of the Morning" oil on canvas, Janet Driver

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.