Thornham creek - looking out to sea © Mari French 2011

Several small new studies – some more abstract than others – inspired by my recent visit to Thornham saltmarshes (see my earlier post ‘wellies and watercolours’).

Thought I’d rattle off a few of these instead of ploughing straight into a finished piece on canvas. I think taking the pressure off myself by regarding

'Ragged Marsh', Thornham saltmarsh © Mari French 2011

them as experimental rather than finished pieces helped me enjoy producing them more.

As you can see, they progressed from fairly representational to pretty abstract. Some of them have pasted down tissue paper as a base to add textural interest. They are all on Daler Sanders Watercolour board and are about 10×12 inches.

The only reference I used was a quick look through my sketchbook to remind myself of my day on the saltmarsh then I just let my imagination and the materials take over. I’ll live with these for a while first (and produce more) but I’m thinking I might get a few mounted and framed for inclusion in one of my exhibitions?

'Ragged Marsh' tide returning © Mari French 2011

I love the actual name of part of the saltmarsh at Thornham -“Ragged Marsh”, in fact the whole list of words related to these marshes – staithes, stumps, sluice, saltmarsh – is very evocative of the wet landscape!

'Approaching Thornham marsh' © Mari French 2011

'Sluice at Thornham' © Mari French 2011

Ancient landscapes series © Mari French 2010. Mixed media on panel. 30x30cm

I’ve recently been wondering whether there is a phrase or definition for my fascination with weathered surfaces – peeling paint, foxed mirrors, degraded surfaces (as in many of my textured works and flower paintings). So, I was grateful when a fellow artist, Alan Richmond, pointed me in the direction of artist Jazz Green’s website and her current ‘mouldscapes’ series of eerily beautiful, abstract textural images. My attention was particularly caught by one of her posts explaining her influences, which hit the nail on the head for me…

“I draw inspiration from elemental textures of erosion, dereliction, corrosion or quiet decay – striations and traces, surfaces & structures exposed the elements. This is reflected in my interest in Wabi Sabi, a Japanese aesthetic, of finding unassuming beauty or natural harmony in imperfection and transience.”
http://www.jazzgreen.com/artistjournal/on-art-wabi-sabi-and-the-garden

Inspired by the idea of Wabi Sabi, I looked it up further online and came up with the following (amongst many other posts)…

“Pared down to its barest essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death…
Sabi by itself means “the bloom of time.” It connotes natural progression-tarnish, hoariness, rust-the extinguished gloss of that which once sparkled. It’s the understanding that beauty is fleeting.”
http://nobleharbor.com/tea/chado/WhatIsWabi-Sabi.htm

“Sabi is beauty or serenity that comes with age, when the life of the object and its impermanence are evidenced in its patina and wear, or in any visible repairs.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi

So… now I know… Sabi
And I seem to share my fascination with many other artists around the world.
Thanks Alan, and Jazz!

'Yellow tulips in old jug' acrylic/mixed-media on canvas © Mari French

I came across this painting of tulips that I did a couple of years ago (bought by a hotelier on the Isle of Skye where we used to live). It made me realise I haven’t painted flowers for some time, yet I get enormous pleasure from them, especially tulips.

Some of my flower paintings have been rendered in more of a ‘grunge’ style as I think of it eg. ‘Roses and old wall’ (below) – I love the fragility of the petals juxtaposed with the texture of the peeling paint and old plaster. I’m not interested in painting ‘pretty pretty’ pictures of flowers, although I like to think my paintings give the flowers a kind of different beauty. My dilemma is if I describe my subject matter as ‘landscape, coast and flowers’ or similar, it inevitably sounds like I do the ‘pretty’ style. Any suggestions or opinions on how I might describe this style would be welcome.

'Roses and old wall' 40x80 acrylic/mixed-media on canvas © Mari French