Tag Archives: saltmarsh

breathing space …

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Breathing space, Mixed-media on paper. © Mari French 2016

Breathing space, Mixed-media on paper. © Mari French 2016

 
This past few months I’ve been painting madly away in my studio in preparation for two solo shows coming up soon. 

The first, entitled ‘Breathing Space’, will be at Anteros Arts Foundation in Norwich, in the main gallery, from 3rd to 14th May, and is a varied show including some of my new works, a few of which are shown here, alongside several existing favourites.

My second show, entitled ‘Salt & Sand’, will be at The Grapevine Gallery in Burnham Market, north Norfolk, and will solely consist of work inspired by the creeks, reedbeds and marshes of the wild expanse of the Norfolk Saltmarsh coast, where, as you may know from many posts on this blog, I spend a lot of time walking and sketching.

I think it’s clear that I’ve been putting into practice some of the mark-making techniques I learnt at the Emily Ball workshop back in January!

 

Pools of light, mixed-media on paper, © Mari French 2016

Pools of light, mixed-media on paper. Mari French 2016

 
  

it’s a cold wind …

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Brilliant sunlight but Baltic winds almost turned me back from sketching at Thornham today. But, wrapped in about four layers of warm clothing, including Russian-type hat, I persevered and managed a couple of sketchbook spreads. 

 

Old landings stage and channel markers. Sketchbook, Mari French 2016

Old landing stage and channel markers. Sketchbook, Mari French 2016

 
Plenty of skeins of geese overhead and landing in nearby fields, especially the small dark Brent geese which have such an odd but appealing call, a kind of ‘ruff ruff ruff’, like dogs. One of them left its sky borne flock and circling round, landed close by, pottering in the marsh grass for a while, completely heedless of me sat there sketching.  

 

Brent geese, Norfolk coast

Brent geese, Norfolk coast. Mari French 2016

 
 
Cold wind and sunlight, Ragged Marsh, Thornham. Mari French 2016

Cold wind and sunlight, Ragged Marsh, Thornham. Mari French 2016

 

Just love the way the small creeks and pools reflect the clear blue sky amidst the golden tobacco colours of the winter marsh grass, with the upright but skewed channel marker posts scattered in the distance. Will I ever tire of this?

  

Brent goose, Thornham Marsh. Mari French 2016

Brent goose, Thornham Marsh. Mari French 2016

   

ending the year on a high …

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I’ve had a couple of lovely surprises, regarding my art, this last few weeks and it’s been great to finish the year on such a positive note.

First of all I was selected as ‘one of 50 finalists out of thousands’ by Artists & Illustrators magazine Artist of the Year 2016 competition, for my painting ‘Flight’ (below). 

  

As one of the finalists ‘Flight’ will be exhibited in the Mall Galleries, London, in February. There will be several prizes awarded, including the Readers’ Award, which is still open for voting, which I’d very much appreciate.

I also found out this week, that I’ve been accepted for Cley Contemporary 2016, which is part of the North Norfolk Exhibition Project (NNEP). This highly-regarded contemporary annual art festival is held in the beautiful St Margaret’s Church in Cley-next-the Sea, showing artwork by a selection of national and regional artists. I’ve tried unsuccessfully in the past to get in, so I’m delighted to be accepted this time. Especially as the guest curator for 2016, Hugh Pilkington, has said:

… I thought it would be interesting to identify what is the contemporary art being made in Norfolk today, how large is the audience and who are the patrons that might support that work. 

​Who are the artists who could make up a new Norfolk or Norwich School? Who are the successors of Cotman and Crome; of Self and Ackling; of Emerson and Payne Jennings? Who are the landscape painters? Who are the abstract painters? Who are the sculptors? Who works in other interesting and challenging formats? …

We will be given the brief for the work for Cley Contemporary in February. The work will be site-specific which will be an interesting challenge as Cley has a beautiful stretch of Saltmarsh coastline – one of my favourite subjects, as you may have noticed on this blog!

 

Areas of Light. One of the images in my submission for Cley Contemporary 2016. Mari French 2015

Areas of Light. One of the images in my submission for Cley Contemporary 2016. Mari French 2015

  
Cley Marshes. © Google Maps.

Cley Marshes. © Google Maps.

 

Lastly, I’d like to wish all my readers a wonderful Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year! See you in 2016.