Tall pines

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Tall pines, oil on card, 13.7 x 10.7cm  - available

They appear to bevlearing the land here, presumably for housing. After I painted it I thought "Hobbema!", specifically the famous Avenue at Middelharnis in London's National Gallery.

There is a fine song by The Band called Whispering Pines:

If you find me in a gloom, or catch me in a dream
Inside my lonely room, there is no in between
Whispering pines, rising of the tide
If only one star shines
That's just enough to get inside
I will wait until it all goes 'round
With you in sight, the lost are found
Foghorn through the night, calling out to sea
Protect my only light, 'cause she once belonged to me
Let the waves rush in, let the seagulls cry
For if I live again, these hopes will never die
I can feel you standing there
But I dont see you anywhere

Standing by the well, wishing for the rains
Reaching for the clouds, for nothing else remains
Drifting in a daze, when evening will be done
Try looking through a haze
At an empty house, in the cold, cold sun
I will wait until it all goes round
With you in sight, the lost are found

Doux Pays- Homage to Puvis de Chavannes

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Doux Pays- homage to Puvis de Chavannes, oil on card, 10.8 x 7.7cm - available

At times, on days like today, this place really seems utterly idyllic.

Trees on the heath - Homage to Nick Drake

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Trees on the heath- Homage to Nick Drake, Oil on card, 13.5 x 8.2 cm  - available

I was thinking about Nick Drake's song "Fruit Tree", while painting.

 

Maybe the fact of my being there on the little patch of heathland in Lagoa unconsciously reminded me of Drake who was photographed for his last album, "Pink Moon" on Hampstead Heath, London and who had a flat in Belsize Park, near the heath.

I won`t  go to the heath for a while: I feel that I've exhausted it. The seasons don't contrast sufficiently to make frequent visits to the same location creatively fruitful, unlike in the United Kingdom.

Homage to Tarkovsky

Here's a photo that brings to mind some of Tarkovsky's films. I used to love Tarkovsky, mainly for the beauty of the imagery and the way music and images are combined.

I saw his films first when I was 16 through to 22, and they appealed to me enormously. I liked their immense seriousness, and their extraordinary craftsmanship. They seemed both tremendously original, and yet ancient. Then, about 20 years later I saw several of them again.

I could still enjoy the films' aesthetic qualities, but found the reactionary messages in Nostagia irritating and silly. Of the films, the more abstract Mirror then seemed the most satisfing because it avoids the preaching, anti-humanistic tendencies of other Tarkovsky films.

Pastoral

Some more images from the recent "Homage to Corot" series.

Homage to Corot

A very bright day, but not too warm. I'm working on a series of pastoral photos, which will go in a Flickr set as "Homage to Corot".

Corot is one of those 19th century painters whose work has fallen by the wayside. Wildly popular in his time, its difficult to imagine it being rediscovered by the 21st century gallery going public. In truth there are a fair number of dubious quality Corots, and the work lacks intellectual complexity. And the contemporary public probably wants something much more dramatic. However, I have often found his work beguiling.

The smell of mud and the distant sun made me think of the woods round Aberdeen, where I grew up, while I was out taking photos today.