Abstract Landscape Painter. Rural Dweller. Lover of Modernist Art and Design.
May Day
May Day - a beautiful blue morning. Fortunately I don't have to dance around the maypole today. Fortunate for me and anyone that may have to watch me. I can see why the Romans celebrated Flora, the goddess of flowers (not margarine) on this day. Perhaps there isn't as much of a burst of colour as there would be normally be, but there is now a lot of beautiful blossom appearing.
This week I've been working on two square canvasses of differing sizes. One is 40 square centimetres and the other is 60 square centimetres. Sometimes it's interesting to work on a different texture and, although I use very fine portrait linen, the surface has slightly more "tooth". This means that it creates subtly different brush marks. This is helpful when I am trying to suggest the line of a hedge or light on the surface of a field. I've been using much brighter colours of late - particularly yellows, but also lilac, warmer greens and browns - while thinking about sunshine and warmer light. I'm aware too that the leaves are beginning to come out at last, and that soon the views will change and the sunlight will be filtered through the tree canopy. It has been feeling more positive this week, as seeing the expanse of sky is like having a lid taken off the world. There is so much more space, more room to think and more hope (a bit like de-cluttering your studio - must do that!)
My other recent activity has been to work with a printer on a series of charity cards. I wanted to do something positive in memory of Rosie, so I've chosen three of my images to put onto greetings cards. My intention is to give 50p from the sale of each card to the Scruples Whippet Rescue. I hope to have them available by the end of the week.
As far as the garden menagerie goes, we have now acquired a pair of red-legged partridges as daily visitors, and both bird boxes have blue tits nesting in them. We are particularly lucky as one of the boxes is just outside the bay window, so we get a ring-side seat to watch the birds coming and going.
Just thinking about hope again - I must memorise this poem by Adrian Mitchell, which I found in one of the anthologies that I bought while at the Poetry Festival in Much Wenlock. It makes me laugh every time I think of it.
Celia Celia
"When I am sad and weary
When I think all hope has gone
When I walk along High Holbourn
I think of you with nothing on"
Adrian Mitchell
You can't beat a good poem……!
All text (except poem) and images ©2013 Carol Saunderson
