Mixed Media Painting "Her Heart"

 

 

 

 

"Her heart" - acrylics on board, 90cm x 55cm

I finished this painting in 2 days, using tissue paper and newspaper to create a textured background.I know its contrast are quite strong, but that's the way I felt - not very balanced.

Mixed Media painting - Fisherman's Friend

"Fisherman's Friend" (mixed media, 30x25cm, acrylics and found objects on hardboard)

 

Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free;
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.

Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down,
’Twas sad as sad could be;
And we did speak only to break
The silence of the sea !  

All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody Sun, at noon,
Right up above the mast did stand,
No bigger than the Moon.

Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion ;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink ;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.

Norfolk beach inspiration

This beach is so amazing - it just never looks the same. The groynes are differently decorated each day, and in the sand you can find all kind of treasures, including lovely flintstones with holes or even fossils.

Mixed Media painting - Autumn, already

Cold and windy days, more rain than sunshine - people heretake it stoically, "Well what do you expect - this is the English summer!"
Fields have been harvested already, and the lawn is full of leaves - looks like autumn has arrived.

"Autumn, already" (mixed media, 100cm x 70cm)

mixed media with volcanic sand

For these two paintings I used black sand brought back from Lanzarote - although there's enough sand on our local beach... But this fantastic volcanic grit has a special fascination for me.

"Mundesley"

"breezy day"

crazy skin

Mixed media with paper, sand, acrylics on board.

apocalyptic beach

The village of Happisburgh (Norfolk) is  close to my home and has been in the headlines for quite a while, because its seafront is being destroyed by the sea. The sea defences don't get repaired, houses are dropping down onto the beach, sandy cliffs are crumbling away. Despite feeling a bit voyeuristic, I'm quite fascinated by the rusty creatures and apocalyptic landscape of this coastline.

unhappy marriage

My paternal grandmother got married at the age of 16 because she was pregnant. Her new husband was 19 and, as it turned out, a womanizer. He died young, leaving his young widow with 2 young kids, and she never married again.

Later in life she became quite a bitter tyrant, probably feeling deceived by life. My mom, my brothers and me were scared by her because she could get horrible tempers. A shame - because in fact she had lots of wonderful capabilities like painting, sewing and cooking.

where I live now

This has been my home for the last 10 years: a windy countryside with rough charme on the edge of  England. High skies with huge, slowly moving clouds, translucent colours and hundreds of medieval churches popping up in the fields like friendly ships. Villages on the brink of falling from the cliffs into the sea.