Venice… seeing red

I’ve been living with these two canvases of Venice-inspired imagery for weeks now, waiting for the impulse to take them further and ‘finish’ them…

Venice bridge 1. Mari French 2013

… but although I know the second one needs a few more touches of paint, I’m inclined to wonder if they might actually stand as they are …

i initially intended the red to act as an under painting, but I like the way it reflects how I see Venice… its passionate past and bloody history.

Both paintings are 40 x 40cm, acrylic/mixed media on canvas.

sun-spangled … wind blasted

Reeds & water, Thornham, Norfolk

Wind like a knife against my face, arriving without pause direct from the Urals…

ranks of winter-bleached reeds bending in unison before its force.

Blinding white breakers tear across the bright horizon beyond the marsh and sandbanks…

while, overlooked by twitchers, an avocet on the ebbing sun-spangled creek.

Thornham creek (watercolour sketch) © Mari French 2013

Today was so bitterly cold I could only sketch from the car, through the open window, parked by Thornham Creek. Not the greatest sketch, but I wanted to capture the feel of the scene to store in my head to prompt a painting at a later date.

Muffled up to the eyes in five layers of warm clothes I later ventured out for a rapid one mile walk along the sea defences. Gloriously bright and sunny you’d never imagine the ferocity and iciness of the northeasterly from these photos. (I’ve never seen breakers on this part of the beach before). But it does leave you feeling wildly alive and exhilarated…

… and yes, I did see an avocet.

Thornham marsh & coast

Thornham creek & saltmarsh, Norfolk

Thornham, Norfolk

saltmarsh & snow clouds…

Another of the paintings I produced this week, again influenced by the atmospheric expanse of saltmarsh at Thornham on the north Norfolk (UK) coast, this time under a stormy sky of snow clouds (winter still clinging on!).

This one is acrylic/mixed media on watercolour board and will be framed for my solo exhibition at Burnham Grapevine Gallery, Burnham Market, Norfolk in June.

march pieces …

…latest work from my new studio, just completed.
I’m still thinking up a title for the second piece.

Both acrylic/mixed media on canvas and inspired by the early spring light on the creeks at Thornham and Holme saltmarshes (Norfolk)…

 

Reflected light. Mari French 2013.

untitled, Mari French 2013.

up and running …

Here I am at last, captured in the lovely ‘new’ studio …

and ready for action.

It now has a good run of worktops and cupboards, some cracking drawer units from ikea (ideal for paper and prints) and a nice little space for a chair and my books where I can enjoy a brew.

We got the press up here today, since these were taken, so I can get practising on my collagraphs soon, hopefully!

© Paul Campbell

© Paul Campbell

© Paul Campbell

You can see where we’ve covered up the interesting roof with dust sheets in an attempt to prevent any bits dropping from the roof space. It also helps the space to heat up a bit (via a calor gas heater).

It’s all a bit clean and uncluttered just now … but that won’t last long!

© Paul Campbell

© Paul Campbell

All the images in
this post courtesy
(and copyright) of
Paul Campbell.

ancient fragments …

Medieval stained glass, Burnham Deepdale. © Mari French 2013

a blood-red shard like a dragon’s eye…
the sublime expression on a sun-moon visage…
the forgotten face of a young man…

… fragments of medieval stained glass.

medieval stained glass, Burnham Deepdale Church

Medieval stained glass-Burnham Deepdale church

a simple wooden chair on a polished flagstone floor takes on a calm presence in the low light of the circular bell tower …

Old chair, Burnham Deepdale church. © Mari French

… found imagery in the ancient church at Burnham Deepdale on the Norfolk coast.

progress report…

Readers of my last post will, I’m sure, be waiting with baited breath (haha) for the latest on the preparations for my new studio, so here is an update with photos, taken recently…

Work surfaces and cupboards taking shape in the former hayloft… this is Paul, my handy hubby, doing his stuff (there isn’t much he can’t do really – he’s also a very talented artist photographer). By the way, I did the icky job of vacuuming up all the hundreds of ancient spiders webs before this stage!

below – a view of the precarious stairs – at least they’ve now got a proper handrail!

a view of the village from one of the studio windows.

this door (below) opens into fresh air, it was probably used for loading hay into the room, which is directly above old stables (unused now). Will be nice on those hot summer days I’m anticipating this year!

and finally, a pair of antique chairs in the old stable below caught my eye…

… and an old window also in the former stable below.