For the last months i've made several pastel/watercolour studies of clouds and skyscapes, with the intention of transforming the more successful ones into large oil paintings. Throughout these sessions - which take place as the sun is setting over the sea..... with the challenge of trying to capture the rapid changes in colour , the whole vibe of nature.....vibrating ! i've been especially influenced and inspired by Constable's late sketch book work, ( which can be seen at the British Museum ).
Such was his love of nature that after being stricken with an incapacitating stroke ( partial paralysis ) , he could only draw while recumbent, hence his subject matter being restricted to the sky above. He filled many books with exquisite studies of cloud formations. Also, the seascapes of August Strindberg, who though renowned for his literary contributions, painted in an abstract expressionist style, pre-dating de Kooning and friends by 100 years. His works are wild, wonderfully colourful and free. No doubt his precarious state of mental instability loosened him up some. I have yet to see any major art show of his work. There are others too i've looked at closely, in awe of . Caspar David Friedrich's facility for draughtsmanship, and dramatic flair. Cezanne, who more than anyone teaches me the autonomous quality of the mark. his sense of colour without parallel in the annals of art history. So many great painters, totally dedicated to their craft. Their work was their life, their mistress, their one true love.
Rather than learning the art of drawing and painting i feel am being initiated into an esoteric. primal religious sect, whose credo might be ...... 'carpe diem' !
All drawings above in pastel : 40 x 50 cms. 2009/10
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