Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring...
New beginnings & fresh colour palettes!
A walk in the woods
Calms my racing thoughts
A breath of fresh air
Pure meditation
Nature is the key
To the soul's locked door
A walk in the woods
Let's me breathe again
From the rush of life
A caged freedom
Giving me release
From expectation
A walk in the woods
Brings me to the now
The present moment
A beautiful place
Where my mind finds rest
And my souls finds peace
Allen Steble - The Philosophical PoetAs ever, the capricious nature of an English spring brings unsettled weather; sometimes, four ‘seasons’ in one day sprinkle rain, sleet, ice…and sunshine. From grey, wet days, to sunsets that set the sky on fire…to mornings shrouded in mist and frost…making daffodils bow in homage…
As I head out, familiar vistas are swathed in a grey veil; shapes emerging out of the fog as I approach…
Snippets of geese chatter overhead, heard but not seen, navigating their way through shrouded skies, their inner compass leading them to distant destinations. I turn to look across the fields; catching my eye, frosted umbels floating in the air…
As I turn for home, the grey veil dissipates, the shroud falls away; bright blue skies contrast with green shoots. And, at last, there is a real warmth to the sun’s rays…
Regular readers will know that I’ve been following Janette Phillips’ Deconstructed Florals course - more on that below - but, I also recorded a Coffee Break chat with her last December (I know, I know, it takes me a while to edit, upload, etc…..). Forgive me looking like a ‘rabbit in the headlights’ at the beginning!!
Janette mentioned the following artists:
And here’s the link to the artist Karl Martens (whose name I couldn’t remember…!!), using large Japanese/Chinese brushes….
As for the course, let’s just say there’s been a fair amount of exploration and experimenting going on. I’ve played around with drawing ink - a lot. But these splashes and splodges aren’t going to waste. I’ve started overlaying them with colour; rudimentary interpretations of flowers. When dry, I search out areas I like, be that a mark, a colour or a wash; I crop them out and stick into a sketchbook for future reference…
And, already I’m spying new possibilities and directions…which all feels very exciting!!
As I mentioned earlier, the warmth of the sun’s rays is growing stronger. But before we say goodbye to this winter, take a listen to author Beth Kempton’s podcast episode ‘Farewell Winter’ - full of beautiful words, interesting facts…and much more… I seem to be behind the times a little with everything this week, but it’s still an interesting listen! (A note of caution: Beth does mention her grief following the loss of her mother…so, be mindful when listening….)
Until next time,
P.S. Just wanted to say that I really appreciate all of you who subscribe, along with the encouraging and supportive comments; it’s lovely to receive feedback such as this:
Have a lovely week xx
Afternoon Carolyn, your pictures are beautiful! The frosty and foggy mornings are so dreamlike... Very interesting the interview with Janette. Hearing that confirmed artists like you and her sometimes think they are not sure whether they'd be able to do "another such-like piece" is reassuring. In the UK watercolour has always been very well considered which is (was?) not the case in France or in Belgium. I learned the (very strict) technique with a very good teacher and I'm happy about it but as you say in the interview we now like to go looser (a question of age maybe...?🤔🤫😅). But, my question is: who is going to interview YOU...?