There is something immensely theraputic about staring out to sea. Julius Olsson the St Ives school artist did this for practically all of his painting life with some remarkably well observed images of light on water.

Flooded track to field.

This winter promised to be long and some forcast it to have six periods of intense cold. True there has been bitter frost and unusually deep snow but the New Year started with a wet and relatively warm spell which has meant its been possible to roam. In doing so I came across this old farm track with the late morning sun streaming down through skelital branched trees with glistening ivy covered banks and an almost perfect mirror reflection. It is an image that sums up for me this time of year in Central Brittany when it is possible to see deeper into the heart of this landscape uncluttered by summer boccage and fields crammed tall with maize. Winter sunlight has a special quality that simply by its rarity lifts the spirit and in the protected shelter of the farm lanes spring seems so close you can smell it. Gone are the fungal decaying months of autumn along with the fettered house bound mid winter hibernation and hope returns anew with a fettling shaft of sunlight. Contre jour the silhouetted trunks partition the light over faultlesss waters that demand of the child within to hurl a twig and ripple that mercury surface with little outward curling waves.

Winter reflections in Brittany.

L'hiver cet année est plutôt une question de survivre est je sais il y a des autre qui a plus de mal que moi mais peut être eu il vis pas dans une grand maison du 1692 et qui n'est pas facile a chauffer. C'est pourquoi j'ai déménager pour vivre dans mon étalier avec mon travail, mais l'instant que il y a le moindre du soleil je sort pour couper le bois sur les talus et ramasser les paner pour faire un bon soupe.

The work is now all signed, something I often forget to do. I have decided to leave the bulk of them unframed as they are easier to transport plus there being limitted exhibition space. While I accept gallery commission on work I do object to paying commission on a frame which I have paid for and may very well be discarded as not suitable for the customers decor. I have so enjoyed these paintings of Scotland that it is only now I realise there are other exhibitions here in Brittany later in the year and they also demand new work. Since I will be in Scotland from March to May it is now that I must paint. We are in the heart of winter so low reflective light, skelital trees and their shadows will be my subjet matter. There is as usual at this time of year significant amounts of water standing in the meadows alongside the river and it is here that I can continue the across the water theme with reflections as well as shadows able to indicate what lies outside the limits of the picture.