Friday, March 23, 2012

Dull as ditchwater



I have a fondness for ditches.  There, I've said it.  Its out in the open.

I can't resist peeping into ditches as I walk down the road and, of course, living in the country, they're not a rarity.  Usually filled with water, plant life, water beetles, frogs and sometimes the odd little fish, they're endlessly interesting.

Then there's the light as it filters through the trees and bushes that hang over the ditches, forming patterns and casting shadows.

This is the inspiration for this rather abstract painting.  The water runs off the land, through the ditch on its way to the sea and depending on the time of year and depth of water, the earth gives an amber/golden colour to it as the sun shines through the trees into the water.

This is a 6 x 12 study for what will be a large painting  that I'll be setting up tomorrow.  And of course, a glimpse at the delicious isoindolinone yellow.  Isn't it just so vibrant in all its varying stages from pure to tint?

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Ditches? - what a confession!!!

This is a lovely study and the yellow looks good!

Hope you are feeling better & have a good weekend.

Jeanette Jobson said...

Maybe I have more pristine ditches in the country than the city :)

I'm making a few tweaks to this, then I'll take a daylight photo and its on to a large canvas for the big version.

Thank you, yes I'm feeling much much better now, ready to play catch up for my week.

vivien said...

I love this one - I really like working with reflections of tangled branches/undergrowth. As you say, it becomes really abstract. It will be gorgeoous on a large canvas.

RH Carpenter said...

Well, it just shows that an artist's eyes can find beauty in many things :) That yellow is so spring-like!

Jeanette Jobson said...

Thanks Vivien,I like the abstract feel. The overhang gave great shadows to work with and the sun hitting the peat bottom gave brilliant colour. I love ditches! :)

It does rather scream spring doesn't Rhonda? And I agree, exploration of pretty much anything close up can provide treasure.

Hedera said...

I do like this Jeanette - you've captured your subject (as described) beautifully. I look forward to seeing the larger version - it'll be stunning. :)

JANE MINTER said...

love this one jeanette .