Painting the Seasons
Cornwall today
August 2006
Words and images by Maggie Matthews
ARTIST
SHAPES FLOAT ON SHADES AS DEEP AS THE PINKEST CAMPION AND AS DAZZLING AS THE COCONUT GORSE. MAGGIE MATTHEWS TALKS US THROUGH HER COLOURFUL YEAR.
AUGUST 2005
I walk the coast paths near my home nearly everyday. Finding a sheltered spot, I set to work trying to capture the vibrancy and heat of the day. My hand and eye are synchronised as I quickly weave ribbons of interlocking colour onto the pages of my sketchbook. The resulting work is raw and buzzes with energy. Returning to the calm of the studio I spend many hours engaged in a process of simplification, a honing down to the essential aspects of line and evocative colour.
SEPTEMBER 2005
A week in the Isles of Scilly, walking the white hot sandy beaches, the shallow turquoise waters lapping at the margin of my vision. I search the shingle for the brightest orange shells and bits of dried out seaweed. Afternoons slip away as we snorkel through forests of kelp alive with silver darting fish. On the way home our pockets are full of pebbles and my sketchbook is bursting with colour.
OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 2005
Distilling these summer sketchbooks, I paint a large turquoise painting inspired by marine life forms. I experiment with oil paint and it seriously challenges my ideas about drying times.
JANUARY 2006
How exhilarating to walk Flossy my dog on a blustery day across Sennen beach. I spot some brightly coloured black and yellow striped shells and produce a quick sketch to remind me |ater of their brilliance.
FEBRUARY 2006
Turning out for my weekly session of life drawing at Nancy’s chapel, the models are surrounded by heaters and we all dress up against the dropping temperatures. I decide to try some oversized brushes giving me more freedom. I'm learning to draw with a brush and find it has a dramatic effect on my paintings back in the studio.
MARCH AND APRIL 2006
The mist and fog dissolves the forms of rocks and the soft greys appear to have floating islands of soft bright spring colour.
MAY 2006
Think pink! In May the coast is a carpet of sea pinks contrasted against a sparkling blue sea. The yellow gorse overpowers our sight and smell, and oxide orange lichen shines out from a grey granite background. All these colours find their way onto the canvases.
JUNE AND JULY 2006
I select a coherent collection of paintings for the exhibition then return to the clifftops, knowing I‘ll probably be able to put a few more pieces in at the last moment.
Maggie's exhibition is open at The Great Atlantic Falmouth Gallery from Saturday July 29 to Thursday August 10th, 2006.
Words and images by Maggie Matthews.