Peace and Painting

Last week I managed to finish a piece that I began preparing at the end of last year.   Because these types of paintings have multiple procedures and stages and are quite time consuming I tend to have one on the go over a long period.  
I love making this type of piece as it does not involve any machinery at all.  Each of the tiny elements are made of ripped  watercolor paper and painted of leafed .  Then I tip the edges with colour so that the ripped edge is not bare.  This takes ages but is perfectly pleasant, plus I was lucky enough to have both parents and Tess my daughter to help!  I have a big sort out after that, then the layering begins.  This uses vats of glue.  After that is done and dry (a couple of weeks) then I have the joy of folding all the bits up.  This is madly satisfying.  

My starting point was a series of snowy colour studies that I made on the beach in Herne Bay at dusk.  Artist's love a bit of dusk.  And snow does such bizarre things to nature.  The reflection of a evening sky on the snow created this quite wild ultramarine where you would expect white.  Acoustics are always altered by a muffle of snow, but when coupled with sounds of the sea, there is a weird calm-ish tension. 

Beginning it at christmas when you are supposed to be full of peace, but actually are full of the opposite... and pies, was probably a cry for calm! Since then news has become even more ominous and we are collectively horrified at how ghastly people can be to other people, calm feels sharp and necessary.     

The Beach, Muffled will be at the Affordable Art Fair with my Gallery, The Linda Blackstone Gallery, in May.