Mixed Media on Reclaimed Canvas, 8″x 20″/20.5cm x 51cm
So let me set the scene on this beauty… I had just visited my Grandma who now lives in a carehome. I’ve watched her deteriorate with Dementia over the last few years but i feel like my Grandpa has been staying very close and helping her. I feel he is ready to accept her into the realms of the alternate universe when she is ready. So after visiting, i went for a walk along the same paths that Kurt Jackson takes to Cape Cornwall. I passed vast paddocks in the valley, went over a stream on a little bridge beside some donkeys, climbed the cliff path in sandals (don’t do this!!), passed a photographer at the top and some fluffy caterpillars on the path which the dogs of nearby walkers sniffed out and had to be discouraged from playing with or eating. As a kid i remember holding one in my hand until i got home only to find all the needles had stuck in my hand and it took at least 3 days for the swelling to go down. OOPS! Anyway, i digress… As i walked along the coastpath to Cape Cornwall, the view over towards the sea and rock formations with the sun beaming through was breathtaking. A little bird, i think it was a blue tit or a finch but my memory is struggling to pinpoint exactly what it was, flew beside me and stopped in the bushes as i travelled along. It was as if Grandpa was right there telling me he was keeping an eye on Grandma and he would make sure she was ok. He also wished for her to enjoy the walk like we were. So i took some photos and videos to show her on my next visit. When i got home, i felt compelled to capture the magic of St Just on that path; the colours of the sea, the light, the feeling of Grandpa being there, the breeze and birdsong, the sculptural sweeps of the valley. So thats what i set out to do. I took a rectangular recycled canvas and applied a mix of the colours i had seen that day and a contrasting fuchsia pink, as a burst of energy, in acrylic effect paints. I added these gorgeous drips of metallic blue acrylic inks on the top which emulate the sun rays and sea splashes on the day plus some gold leaf for that magical feel from the light. I feel as though the mystical nature of the walk really is captured in this piece. There is this beautiful energy flooding through the centre of it. Its a bold, colourful yet relatively small canvas that carries a moment in time to treasure. I hope you enjoy it!
CLT_Abstracts: The Process 