Thursday 8 April 2010

London to Glasgow

Following on from my previous post about train journeys, and also returning to basics, I made some efforts this week to get moving again by turning, as always, to my sketchbooks. These are looking back to last year when I travelled all the way to London (4-and-a-half hours on a slow train going and 4 hours on a fast, tilting, train on the way back) just to see one painting by Mark Rothko. Can't say I'm not dedicated to art.
Or daft.
One or the other.

Anyways, on the way back, since I was otherwise bored with the murder and mayhem in my Michael Connolly thriller, I chose to pass the time capturing the passing landscape in the blink of an eye:


#1. Ball-point pen in sketchpad, A6.

Translating these few marks into a small painting:


1#. Acrylics on paper, A4.


#2. Ball-point pen in sketchpad, A6.


2#. Acrylics on paper, A4.

Then, getting bored with Nature, I turn my attention to the young woman who joined us at Crewe:


#3. Ball-point pen in sketchpad, A6.


3#. Acrylics on paper, A4.

At least I found my paint-brush.

Next time I may even have found my colour paints.

See ya!

8 comments:

Joan Breckwoldt said...

Wow! I love your sketches and paintings, they have so much life! I'm glad I found your blog,
Joan

my croft said...

how lovely these are. I'm extremely fond of monochrome art, so I hope -- altogether selfishly -- that it's some time before you find your paint pots. All that color -- so overstimulating.

#2 could be pushed to abstraction with very little (it seems to me) effort.

I've flown from NY to Glasgow -- twice -- just to sit with Mr Whistler's work. The first time, I was in the galleries for so long I think the guards thought I was casing the joint. I love Glasgow, I feel surprisingly at home there.

glad you're back.
the hounds of spring on winter's traces and all that. . .

daviddrawsandpaints said...

And I'm glad you stopped by for a visit, Joan. Thank you for these comments - they are very much appreciated.

daviddrawsandpaints said...

"And time remember'd is grief forgotten,
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten,
And in green underwood and cover
Blossom by blossom the spring begins
".

It's so good to be conversing with you again, Melanie. Very pleased to have you visit too. Spring brings a resurgence of spirit.

And, I have come to value the value of value studies. I value the light values and the dark values, and I even value the grey values that once held no value for me for without them the value of colour would be, what can I say... valueless?
I value your comments Melanie. They are very valuable to me.
Who needs colour to be over-stimulated?
Mr Whistler's work, I recall, depended largely on values - no Scottish Colourist he.

Blossom by blossom the spring begins.

Melinda said...

I've really enjoyed the train ride to London and back again. These works are wonderful, of course, and your point of view--priceless (of great value).

Now, understand, you could have hopped on a plane and come to Tucson to see the Rothko we have at the University Art Museum. However, the last three miles would have resulted in a sunburn waiting for the bus to take you there!

Feel better now about the trek?! I, too, traveled to London to look at Constable's work many years ago and then spent a week at Cwmbrwyn Farm drawing and watercoloring the landscape as best I could.

It's food for the artist's soul, a pilgrimage of sorts, yes?

You are back as strong as ever, you know.

--yer sista paintress M

daviddrawsandpaints said...

I wouldn't mind a bit o' sunshine, sista (great to have a wee sister, btw), ah'm a' peely-wally withoot the sun!

Mark who?
I wouldn't mind making the journey to Tucson, but it would be the Esparza's I would be going to see.

That pilgrimage would indeed feed the soul.

See you later, sis :o)

Andriques said...

Nice landscapes!!

daviddrawsandpaints said...

Thank you Andrea!