Saturday 14 May 2011

Rookery Time - Saturday 7th May (am)


Dead Tree (Pentel Brushpen, watercolour, sketchbook)

Although of course I've known for a long time that I was going on my annual painting week, the opportunity to say so seemed to evaporate all of a sudden, so I went without letting you know.

So now I'm back and ready to post the fruits of my labour. Like last year we stayed at The Rookery in Bishopdale, so I had a fair idea of what I might find to interest me round about. Climbing up the steep hill that rises at the back of the house, I made my way slowly (the hill seems to have become steeper in the last year) to the series of waterfalls running down from the scar.

Sure enough, the dead tree I'd seen last year was still there, though in a more advanced state of decay, the insects and fungus continuing their long project of destruction. I love the way the tree resembles a dead creature lying on it's back, it's maw wide open. An echo of Paul Nash.

We were lucky with the weather that day but the cold wind blowing up the valley meant that the sun was less effective in keeping me warm, so by the time I'd put on the watercolour washes I was ready to go back down for a cup of tea.

2 comments:

Joan said...

Very much enjoyed my visit to your website. I find your paintings very colorful, love the pallet. Your postings speak of gloomy gray, your paintings say otherwise.

I wish you every success in putting your art into galleries for all to enjoy.

From the very windy, blustery intermountain west of Nevada.

Jesse
Out where the west gets wild.

harry bell said...

I'm glad you found things to interest you. I suppose my posts lean towards the melancholic; it's the paintings that stop me from tipping over into soemthing worse.