shadow and light,
a fan of steps,
a stone vertebrae,
spiralling towards the sky
or plunging to earth.
spill of indigo, ochre, charcoal,
a symphony of grace.
steps worn smooth by the tread of centuries;
emerging into the sunshine of another day
or the dark chamber of another night.
Copyright Mari French
Copyright Mari French
Copyright Mari French
Copyright Mari French
Copyright Mari French
(Impressions of the 12th century keep of Castle Rising, Norfolk.
Photos and text, copyright Mari French)
Venetian mask ( photo copyright Paul Campbell)
My photos, and artworks, are more often than not of places, buildings, sometimes nature…
But on going through photos from our recent second trip to Venice I became aware of different representations of the female form among them.
Inevitably, given that this is Italy, several religious images feature amongst them.
Unfortunately some photos are blurred as they were taken inside churches/in low light without flash. But I wanted to put them into this post anyway… here they are…
Further information on the wonderful collection at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Venice, can be found here.
Exhibition posters, Venice
Glass figure, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice
Sculpture garden, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice
Stabat Mater, poster advertising choral event.
Sculpture garden, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice
Evening shoppers, Venice.
Franciscan nun, Castello, Venice.
Lone figure walking, Venice
Madonna & child statue, Venice
Sculpture, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice
Plaque outside theatre, Venice
Madonna street shrine, Venice
Wall shrine to saint, Venice
Reeds & water, Thornham, Norfolk
Wind like a knife against my face, arriving without pause direct from the Urals…
ranks of winter-bleached reeds bending in unison before its force.
Blinding white breakers tear across the bright horizon beyond the marsh and sandbanks…
while, overlooked by twitchers, an avocet on the ebbing sun-spangled creek.
Thornham creek (watercolour sketch) © Mari French 2013
Today was so bitterly cold I could only sketch from the car, through the open window, parked by Thornham Creek. Not the greatest sketch, but I wanted to capture the feel of the scene to store in my head to prompt a painting at a later date.
Muffled up to the eyes in five layers of warm clothes I later ventured out for a rapid one mile walk along the sea defences. Gloriously bright and sunny you’d never imagine the ferocity and iciness of the northeasterly from these photos. (I’ve never seen breakers on this part of the beach before). But it does leave you feeling wildly alive and exhilarated…
… and yes, I did see an avocet.
Thornham marsh & coast
Thornham creek & saltmarsh, Norfolk
Thornham, Norfolk
Mari French RI : contemporary artworks 