I have come to painting , and more recently printmaking, later in life. A busy professional career and family life left me little time or energy for creative pursuits, and specifically painting. Until my retirement, my need to express myself creatively was fulfilled only through the way I presented my home, my clothes, and through the creation of my garden.
“Blackthorn on the Roseland Peninsula, Cornwall,UK”
While taking a spring walk on a beautiful sunny day on the coast, along the Fowey estuary, I came across huge area of flowering blackthorn (sloes). I liked the texture of the blossom, and the sculptural effect of the tress on the hillside above. The trees are typical of many seen on the coasts of Cornwall and Devon.
Inspired by a spring visit to Mount Edgcumbe stately home, near Plymouth ,UK. I was drawn to the contrast between the dark trunks and shadows cast by the trees, with the bright and light colours of the Spring flowers
I wanted to paint a winter scene with a cool and relatively limited palette, and use a more "loose" style. I used a hake brush and gave myself a time limit in which to complete it. (About 4 hours). The Morden stream depicted flows under the bridge and out to joint the Tamar River, which is the river that divides Cornwall from Devon, UK., The scene is very close to the historic Cotehele House and Quay.
Morden is the Cornish word for a wave.