Frost at the Marsh
Cold and frosty mornings walking along the river Dart are such a treat, sometimes I have walked to the Saltmarsh reed bed and hardly seen a soul. Arriving at the little gate that leads down the winding path to the reeds is exciting and in the depths of winter, where I drew this work, I quite often have the place to myself.
The benches have some little puddles of water which I mix with pigments and use to start a piece of work. This approach binds me to time and place, there are “tools” such as reed stems or plant debris, which add to the experiencing of the moment. This is what I mean by site specific pigments. The tides come in quite swiftly here, bringing with them a host of life, small fish and invertebrates as well as wild fowl.
The skyline is scratched out with trees and bushes, that are tugged at by the reeds beside me. On the right of the drawing there are usually some cattle in the far distance. This draws my eye to the edges of the drawing and the rhythm of the reeds along the bank of the river in front of me.
- Mixed media Rembrandt pastel on Daler Rowney pastel paper
- Original artwork mounted
- Original size: 305mm x 229mm
- Produced December 2021
- Signed on reverse
- Mount and back board
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