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Thursday, July 30, 2009

Motion and Stillness

Motion & Stillness - Blackwood River
Acrylic on 640gsm Arches paper
8 1/4" x 19 1/2"

Another lost painting from the vault sees daylight.

For me, this painting is all about the contrast between the solidity and timelessness of the rock wall and the relentless motion of the water and the fleeting, ever-changing shapes within it. Or, when I'm not in as poetic a mood, it's just a picture of a river somewhere. You choose!

I discovered shapes in the rocks which tend to echo the flow of water and I accentuated these curves to unify and strengthen the overall design. I want to refine the broken water and foam in the foreground slightly as it's a little unclear what's going on, but essentially the painting is ready to go - preferably to a new home somewhere.

Cheers
Pete

2 comments:

April Jarocka said...

You know Peter this painting has inspired me to look more closely at everything when I am next down at the shore. You've painted something that I would have certainly have overlooked, but the rock wall - timelessly eroded by the water - is exquisite. Love your work.

Peter Brown said...

I'm glad you like this one April. If it's rocks and water that capture our imagination, I guess we'll never run out of subject matter!

The short stretch of river which yielded the reference photo inspired me over the course of a week and I returned with my camera time after time. No waterfalls or rapids were required, just the interplay of light and colour on the water. Oh, and the rocks!