Portugal paintings
An abstract watercolour painter by nature, Emily has introduced me to the wonders of oils and the contrasts of thin veils of colour, and thick lush marks. Studies (both written and painted) done en plein air are essential to my process where back in the studio I put elements together to create a type of visual poetry.This series of paintings were developed from studies undertaken in Portugal while on Residency with Emily Ball and mark making with unusual tools during paint fit. The colours were developed from the subtle greys of the sun crisped foliage which included an array of greys’ ranging from crumbled crisp blue greys of foliage scattered on the ground, soft green greys of succulents, to red greys of distant trees and bushes. The rust colours are reminiscent of the bright glowing earth.
Even though we were walking on the dry hills you could always hear the sea and the undulating hillside reflected the sea’s sound and motion. The flowing curvilinear marks were developed as a result of mark making during paint fit with a homemade brush made from my pony's tail hair dipped in fluid oil paint. The calm and peace that creating this mark made me feel, reflected the calm and peace of the hill side at first light and the sound of the sea. I then developed the paintings thinking about how few marks I needed to enhance that feeling while retaining that feeling of space. I found this to be a form of meditation.
