Friday, 20 May 2011

Fresh Air and Canvases

I mentioned back at the end of March that I had decided to alter my morning routine to include a walk.

Well, yesterday, as I was pootling along the bank of the River Blackwater on my self-imposed programme of perambulations, I was faced with a fork in the path.  The main path went off to the left, while the smaller one followed a meandering bit of the river off to the right.  More Direct vs. More Interesting?

I chose More Interesting, and shuffled off down the smaller path.

Turns out that was a good choice.

About half-way along More Interesting, there was a splosh noise, followed by a vivid-blue streak leaving the water and heading for a nearby branch.  The kingfisher was even decent enough to spend a couple of minutes just sitting on the branch, right where I could see him, before he headed off again.

So I decided to paint it.  Not a photographically-accurate, taxonomist-pleasing portrait, mind you, more an impressionist rendition of the moment of the dive.  I've had a 32" x 12" canvas under my bed since Christmas, when I was given it along with my brushes, acrylics and canvas 'doodle pad', and I've kept wondering which way up it should go, and what on earth to put on it - after all, 2.66666 : 1 is a pretty extreme aspect ratio.  But now I have a plan.  Rather than bothering to explain the plan in words, I'll just show you a photo of the canvas with the planned image sketched onto it:

Untitled Kingfisher Painting (work in progress)

I might even post a photo of the finished product eventually, if you're lucky B]


- The Colclough

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