Exhale....

Norwegian Lake (The Red Cabin), pastel on paper, 31 x 42cms

Despite my reservations expressed in a recent post about the work based around my trip to Scandinavia, I realized the other evening that I have made over 50 new pieces in the form of drawings, paintings on paper, I-Pad studies, and larger canvasses inspired by the trip. It feels like the more I do, the more compelled I am to do more. Any larger paintings made have not really been successful, but since I returned to pastel drawing on a smaller scale, I have really found myself enjoying making new things much more. The physicality of the pastels and their spontaneity has been useful in helping me explore my interests in greater depth and speed. Certain themes seem to be emerging now. I’m not done yet, and I think I feel more prepared to tackle some larger paintings now, but in may ways these smaller works I think this is the work I needed to make from the trip. I still want to dig deeper though, as I feel I’m beginning to get things out of my system now….

Here are a few of my current favourite pieces, including some ones that were originally made ‘en plein air’ in Norway and Denmark last year.  

Norwegian Wood (Purple Trees), oil on paper, 42 x 31cms

Norwegian Wood (Sun Going Down), oil on paper, 31 x 21cms

Norwegian Wood (The Red Hitter), pastel on paper, 41 x 31cms

Cezanne always makes an appearance in a crisis...!

Norwegian Lake (The Red Canoe), pastel on paper, 21 x 31cms

Norwegian Wood (Ghosts), pastel on paper, 41 x 31cms

Norwegian Wood (Pink Ghosts), pastel on paper, 31 x 21cms

Norwegian Wood (Watchers), pastel on paper, 31 x 41cms

North Sea From Denmark, oil on paper, 21 x 31cms

North Sea From Denmark, oil on paper, 21 x 31cms

The North Sea From Denmark (Green Ribbon), oil on paper, 31 x 41cms

Heather Hills (Edge of Denmark), pastel on paper, 41 x 31cms

Heather Hills 2 (Edge of Denmark), oil on paper, 41 x 31cms

Heather Hills 3 (Edge of Denmark), pastel on paper, 41 x 31cms

North Sea from Denmark (Green Rocks), pastel on paper, 41 x 31cms

This is just a selection from the current work. I feel like I'm moving forward with it now, and really enjoying exploring colour as you can probably see...although not the 'edgelands' of the Midlands, they represent a different sort of edgelands altogether, but still the edges....