This was painted on a bright chilly afternoon on one of the days between Christmas and new year. It certainly blew the cobwebs away sitting out there for a couple of hours. Nick said it reminded him of Howard Hodgkin‘s painting, I suppose because I was quite fuss free with the brushwork… the palette is much more subdued than his would be but I can see where he’s coming from.
SOLD £175 (at the Hostry festival, Paint Out Norwich exhibition)
This painting is one of four created during the plein air painting competition ‘Paint Out Norwich’. I was lucky enough to be invited to paint from the roof of the Forum in the centre of Norwich. I had expected to have a view of the market square, but once I got up there I could only see the corner of it, so I opted instead to paint the view across the roof of St Peter Mancroft church to Norwich Castle.
The style was influenced by the artist John Piper who has painted the same church from another angle in wax relief and mixed media. I painted with oils, but where I scraped back to the white canvas with a palette knife, I like to think it is reminiscent of the waxed area in his picture (https://www.flickr.com/photos/suewhite/2821974862/).
I painted this last summer on location. The sea is behind me, I’m sitting near the top of the dunes looking inland. Its an interesting view – the long grass and heather moves in the wind, mirroring the waves. Whilst I was painting, a couple of horses and riders passed, I put them in lightly and I’m still not sure if they’re right there. They sort of fix the scale of the painting, which I’m not sure I like. If they are staying I probably should put them in with more commitment.
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