Garden Pochades Brinscall Lancashire . paintings in oil

July 16, 2018

Garden Pochades Brinscall Lancashire . paintings in oil

Rob Miller Arts

New work on hedgerows and gardens inspired in part by a book I found Cezanne's Garden by Dereck Fell and a second lovey book on the Spanish Impressionist Sorolla. Im not sure if its right to describe Sorolla as an impressionist like Seargent his work is impressionable but does not have the same mark making as Monet etc. Moreso he was able to combine the colour theory that he gained quickly in France with the impressionists into his repertoire of experience. For me his journey begins with his poetry and his unity with nature and the land.

The journey began with the work outs I started for the walled garden at Lingholm Estate. Gardens are complex things, they have a subtle structure and a challenging varety of greens. To make smaller paintings have a purpose its important I think, not to make minitures, which is easily done and is a trap to lure the poetic impressionsist into the docility of copeyists.

I've just started to up the scale a little 40x60 and now up to three one metre square paintings. There's also a developing set of watercolours and work in mixed media.

Thanks to the great weather. I developed an different approach to painting this garden then I with the landscapes. South East facing and set high on a slope above a valley surrounded by mature trees the garden developed its own narratif. In the past I have moved on from one scene to the next almost like a child in a sweet shop who is looking for the one with most sugar, here though in a more confined space and where distant landscapes were allowed discrete viewings through the trees and hedgerows I found myself painting the same structures from a different viewpoint or in a different light.