MARK-MAKING AS LANDSCAPE
Oatlands Landscape 1.
Prismacolors on pastel board 80 x 40 cm
Last week I completed the first in a new series of coloured pencil paintings of landscapes inspired by the markings on old sandstone blocks in the historic town of Oatlands in southern Tasmania. This is a follow-on from my recent ‘Brick’ series.
I am fascinated by both natural and man-made marks such as rust, weathering, graffiti, shadows etc.
Look carefully at certain bricks and you will see a ‘landscape’. The same applies to old (convict era) sandstone blocks. Most of the marks on the latter are due to chisel marks although some contain evidence of natural weathering.
Such marks say a lot about the history of each block. In this case their colours resemble those of the surrounding landscape. Is there a subconscious link here?
The more I looked at some of these blocks, the more I saw reflections of the surrounding landscape.
Let’s analyse the painting: the horizontal lines represent landscape contours. the larger, dark shapes are from the cracks and holes that I saw on a particular slab of sandstone. The smaller marks were inspired by the chisel marks that I saw. Most of the ‘marks’ I saw were man-made, but not all. Mother Nature had a part to play too! The colours are as close as I could replicate to the sandstone, but can also be found in the surrounding landscape. The area around Oatlands is often dry and the landscape is straw-coloured.
This should be an interesting series.
Richard
January 31, 2013 at 12:08 am
I share your fascination with bricks and stone. I have so many photos in my folders of old bricks, old stone, sometimes in buildings, sometimes loose pieces. Even the ground we walk on sometimes becomes a subject for my lens! I haven’t yet tried painting them, but what a great idea!
January 31, 2013 at 6:07 am
I often paint what I’m walking over, Jay. We miss so much when we look ‘out’ and ‘up’. Thanks for commenting.