Monday 1 February 2010

The Crowns, Botallack, Cornwall, mixed media

The Crowns, Botallack, detail, mixed media on canvas, Vivien Blackburn

The Crowns, Botallack, Cornwall, mixed media on 20x16 inch canvas, Vivien Blackburn

detail

I think it's just about complete - any tweaking will be minor.

It's a nightmare to photograph to catch the colour that's there - the milky greeny toned sea around the rocks isn't showing very well.

The old ruined mine buildngs seem to grow out of the rocks, being built of stone. I wanted that feeling of maybe at first not noticing them - the sea and the wild scenery is the 'star'.

The path down to the engine house is narrow and would have been scary in winter gales - and then once undground and under-sea, they would hear the boulders grinding on the sea floor, just feet above their heads.

The original sketch was one of those blue blue days, when the sky and sea seem to merge.

The colour of the sea around the rocks doesn't show well but is that beautiful milky eau-de-nil colour of water full of air bubbles from the waves breaking. For these sort of days in Cornwall I really need my pthalo blue and viridian :>)

And the next one in the series has the first sketchy marks down - this time Runswick Bay in Yorkshire and probably another limited palette piece like Saltmarsh. You can see it here.

8 comments:

Lindsay said...

What a roll you are on! This one is a beauty too.

Julie Dunion said...

how gorgeous! The water is stunning, Vivien, you captured the movement in the waves so beautifully. This is shaping up to be an impressive exhibition.

vivien said...

Thank you both :>)

You are on a roll yourself Lindsay! the funding applications - not easy I know as I was involved in one once and the recent work has been lovely

I needed the kick of doing something a little different and this is really helping me get on a roll again :>)

I love trying to catch the way the waves move Julie and the different colours in response to rocks/depth/air bubbles etc :>)

Jeanette Jobson said...

Beautiful colours in this. I can feel the breeze and hear the ocean. Wonderful to see them rolling off your brush like this.

vivien said...

thanks Jeanette {>)

Laura Frankstone said...

At first, I wasn't sure whose these were! But, of course, they are Versatile, Vervy Vivien's! Great work---dynamic and colorful and so fresh all at once.

Sarah said...

lovely colours, makes me long for summer!

Suma CM said...

Gorgeous! Great feel of the water and the imposing rocky cliffs.