Abstract Landscape Painter. Rural Dweller. Lover of Modernist Art and Design
Simplicity
Just before 7am this morning, as it was getting light, I was aware that the robins in the surrounding trees were beginning to sing more powerfully and fluently. This is an early sign of the year changing. I know that the Spring doesn't officially begin until 20 March this year, but it feels as if we have made a marked step towards it, which I find a very hopeful sign.
When I heard the birdsong I looked outside to see the most beautiful clear blue morning. I went out into the garden and photographed a perfect crescent moon over the rooftop. Something about the deep blue against the shining white of the moon made me think of a William Scott painting and the simplicity of his still lives with cups and pans. I love his work and was excited to see that the Tate St.Ives is holding a major exhibition of his work this year.
http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-st-ives/exhibition/william-scott
Why is simplicity in art so hard to achieve? Simplicity has a really elegant beauty all of its own in which every element must be perfect in order for it to work. There is no room to hide with shoddy or half thought through design. Everything must be crafted perfectly and, for me, in a painting this means that adjacent colours must make the most satisfying combinations and each mark must have life and energy, which means spontaneous and confident mark-making. The longer I paint the more I appreciate this quality in the work of other artists and designers and realise how difficult it is to achieve. If I ever truly achieve it, it will probably take me a lifetime because I think that it requires the confidence and experience many years of working brings. That's good motivation to keep going.
Text and images©2013 Carol Saunderson
“I’m sorry this letter is so long, I didn’t have time to make it shorter.”
- George Bernard Shaw
