Monday 18 February 2008

LATEST COLTISHALL SCENE



A winter scene of the boathouses in Coltishall showing the oak tree that came down in January. Its known locally as The Salvation Army Oak as they usually play and sing under the tree each summer Sunday. You'll notice a tree stump behind the rubble, thats one of the swamp cypruses that had to be sawn down due to being dangerous as their roots are affected by a fungus. Such a change to the landscape now.
Had a walk over there the other day and coincidentally timed it to meeting the owner of the boathouses who was chopping up the trunks for firewood. Learned a lot of local history from him.

The painting is watercolour (White Knights again to match the other two paintings for this project) with just a little pen work in the roofs and tree trunks. Same size and paper - 20 x 16 inches Saunders Waterford HP. Found the trunks and 'rubble' of twigs and leaves difficult but enjoyed the rest. So pleased I was there to capture the winter sunlight and cast shadow.

7 comments:

caseytoussaint said...

Lovely painting - I really like the way you've done the trees.

Robert A Vollrath said...

Again you have a perfect match of image and text. I just bought some water colors and your painting makes me want to start playing with my new paints.

The story of the oak tree and its loss has inspired me to start work on
a story about my Grandmother's Pear Tree.

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

Thanks Casey - I too was pleased with the winter trees. I think they are easier to interpret than full blown green leaved summer ones. I have always thought of the winter outline of trees as lacework tracery by our creator.

Its wonderful Robert how we bounce off each others work. Your wonderful stories made me realise I had to add a text interest to go with my images. There is always a story behind each work.

Robert A Vollrath said...

In May I'm going to have my first one
man art show in an Art Gallery that use to be a stage-coach station over a hundred years ago. I could have had
a one man show years ago but I wanted the Gallery to have a great story that I put my art in.

All my art on display will have a short story to go with the title and the price.

Anita Davies said...

Oooh Joannie, so pleased you decided to paint these beautiful boat houses. I was going through the EDM superblog when these jumped off the screen at me and I heard myself squealing 'I know those, I've seen those' I just knew it must have been an entry by you.
You have painted them beautifully, I especially like the calm green foreground against all that interesting bark detail.
So sad to read about the trees, what a terrible shame.
Can't wait until this weather heats up a bit so you and I can sit in that spot together again, or perhaps a little further back and to the right....with a nice shandy and a prawn cocktail in the pub garden! ;)

Claudia said...

Again a very good watercolour! I agree with Casey: I, too, especially like how you rendered the trees!

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

Robert - Dont know what happened the other day before I went off for couple days to my daughters, as I added a comment re your forthcoming exhibition. Said something along the lines : 'what a unique exhibition to have stories and images - should sure bring in the visitors - good luck' or some such words and knowing me probably more!!!

Thanks Anita - yes the sun has stopped shining and the blue sky is grey - but I could still manage a trip to the pub with you (inside by the roaring log fire of course).

Thanks Claudia. Actually I'll probably use this one as a 'draft' as I am not sure about the way the thatch line of the back boathouse runs into the angle of the front one and wish I had not put a tree in the background behind the roof of the far boathouse as I think I'd prefer to see a straight line there. Also compositionally, I think I should have put the houses further to the left. .. but then we are never satisfied with our own work.