To coincide with the current exhibition of my new paintings at Otley Courthouse, here’s a look at where and how some of it happened.
The exhibition has been extended from 6th – 11th January 2014, open Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm. (N.B. closed for the holidays between 21st Dec and 5th Jan). The preview event is Sunday 8th December, 6-8pm, and everybody is welcome. Click here for more information.
A pigeon flies past and leaves blow off the trees.
This watercolour of houses across the street came about from wanting to paint something that was uninspiring – because painting is painting, whatever the subject – and painting can transform your view of things. It was supposed to be an exercise in letting my hand do the thinking.
But the picture fits within the British landscape tradition – and might even fall into the category of suburban art. These houses were built in 1937. Painting them led me to read Stevie Smith’s poems about the suburbs – and about the place and contribution of the suburbs to twentieth-century British culture. “Round about the streets I slink / Suburbs are not so bad I think…”
Links:
Showing paintings of British suburban houses to Saudis – BBC News Magazine, 2012 “The Suburban Classes” by Stevie Smith
“Suburbs are not so bad I think”: Stevie Smith’s Problem of Place in 1930s and ‘40s London by Kristin Bluemel, 2003
Sunlight through the trees. This is the top end of the road, painted at the end of August. It’s also a homage to John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836–1893) who painted similar scenes of Leeds in the moonlight.
On my local journey home, this is the last street before mine. The Scotland trip has worn off so I’m painting what’s around me here. This picture makes me feel happy – I lived in that house for a short while.
Gledhow Wood Road
Some new paintings, some old themes. I’ve been in the North-West Highlands…
You can see some sketches here.
Spurn Point on the longest day – sunset and moonrise, 180 degrees apart. We went for an evening picnic. These paintings are from the landward-side near the Spurn Bird Observatory. Whenever I go to Spurn I wonder why I stayed away so long and I never want to leave.
Spurn Point sunset, looking towards Hull
Spurn Point with moon, looking south
The back of my house faces the woods – it’s like a green wall in summer. I’ve been separating out the trees to give myself a subject. Somehow doing this also makes me feel less oppressed by the wall – a gathering of 10,000 trees that are twice as old as me and twice as high as my house.
A taste of what’s on show at the exhibition of my paintings at Horticap this month. There’s a rolling program of artists exhibiting at this venue.
I’ve been reviewing my work for the next exhibition. These are the woods in autumn, winter and early spring.
Jo Dunn 