More wateralls!

The sun was shining Friday afternoon, so I asked my gardener if he could come back around 2.30 to come painting with me...he did. I rushed down there, not knowing what it would look like as I usually go in the morning..this time the shadows were all the opposite way around. I made 3 very quick studies, trying to get the shadows and the sun. I worked on 6x8" boards, 2 were white and 1 was pink:

These paintings are about my male and female sides...I think they are saying that they are both present in me and working well together. I feel the nearest pool, the one at the bottom is the female, you can see her head (light green), face, breast and body. The diagonal rock/mountain on the left is the male. They are coming from my subconscious, I only see this later when I get back home, I am not aware of painting figures when on site.

Peter Lanyon painted like this too, he also found figures in his landscapes. These paintings are deeper than just 'landscape views'. I have been painting here since the end of December 2011 now, almost 9 months. It's very rewarding when one has a good day and one likes what one has produced! I feel like I at last understand what I'm doing, it has more meaning and I feel confident to show them now.

The answer lies in LIVING IN THE NOW and when the sun shines and one feels like going back to do some more painting, one organises oneself and gets out there quickly and down to work. I make sure I'm organised and well prepared, this comes from practice too, by going out painting every day.  But the reward is wonderful, as you can see from the above, I'm still on cloud 9 and am thinking about blowing them up to huge ones....I think painting quickly too is the answer...but it's harder when they are large paintings...we'll see.


I've been thinking about how I climb down to my spot too, this is very important, the climb down through the virgin forest. It is not a difficult climb (like the one down to the 3rd/4th pool!) and only takes 15 minutes. The dogs love it too. I think it has something to do with climbing down the umbilical cord to get to the womb. I did a painting like this from my sketches, see below:

5x7" oil on ply

8x 10" oil on board.

I did these from a charcoal sketch from the viewpoint. The yellow orange one shows the umbilical cord and the foetus. The way down to where I paint is along the umbilical cord and it is along that line, by the foetus that I stand and look down to the pools below. I am beginning to put all the pieces together now, it is very exciting. Understanding, or having a story behind one's work is very important, but it takes time and patience to unravel it all.