I went on a walk today, I set off West from Porthmeor beach, towards Lands End (28 miles away). It was blue skies but getting greyer as the day went on. I planned to walk for a few hours, doing a loop inland to get back, but on a headland just before losing St Ives from sight behind, some rocks caught my interest. There was a cluster of rocks just starting to show through, higher upland from some rocks that were exposed, jutting up metres into the sky.
I was interested in this idea of the rocks kind of rising, well really the land slowly dissolving around them. This process of erosion seemed to be laid out before me, and in my head I could timelapse the process with the help of these rocks in varying stages along the process.
I drew the rocks just showing through the grass, in charcoal on paper, and then got cold and felt the urge to go back to the studio and paint them. I came back and painted two little 6×10 inch paintings on paper.
It’s kinda strange, I never do anything like this! Not since I was a teenager. Am I wasting my time? Does this stuff need to lead anywhere? It’s funny that I haven’t wanted to paint like I used to – abstractly and expressively. Perhaps my practice has changed… That’s a very exciting prospect!!! More so actually than realising I want to dredge back up something that I feel has been forced for a year or two now. But what else to do in its place? Well… I guess I’ll find out soon enough.
I am feeling very pulled to St Nicholas church, the one on the headland at the end of St Ives. I will go up there again tomorrow. Tomorrow! I can’t believe I’m doing this everyday for a whole month. Joy 🙂
I’ve been reading an excellent book called Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. I picked it up on a whim in a charity book shop on Mill Road in Cambridge and it’s wonderful. It feels extremely timely to be reading it here.
I feel I could write more, but I would like to go and swim before it gets dark.
Georgina Harris 