The River Speaks, Art

Lying beneath the stark blue skies, the Murchison River is gouged deep into the red sienna earth. Quiet and at peace, for now.

Ancient. 400 million years old with many a story to tell.

Can you, Imagine?

 

 

 

This rugged river raging, flooding in one season and calmly serene the next – inspires us artists in so many and imaginative forms of creative art.

Song, dance, poetry, sculpture, painting, textiles, jewelry. Multifaceted.

 

 

 

 

These spectacular rich red terracotta cliff faces set against the flashing blue of the river bends and the bold expanse of cobalt sky…. create so many faces of a river.  Of an ancient land.

So many forms of art to explore.

Exciting, isn’t it?

 

 

 

 

Can You Hear?

 

The Magnificence. Its overwhelming.

Its difficult to know where to begin.

I must wait until I hear clearly what The River will have me say.

 

 

Which medium, or technique, or format to select first?!

(Do I want to go large –  full sheets 3 foot, or  6 foot canvas?  Work in soft, buttery oils? Rich, dramatic and blendable pastels?  Perhaps a ‘flattened out abstracted’  approach?   Or small watercolor studies?)

 

Do them all!  that voice shouts in my head …… but,   I can not do them all at once. Nor put them all together in one mish mash of a painting. Dear Me.

 

 

 

 

 

Germination and Sprouting

 

This is when its best to let the experience ‘set’ for a while.

Let it gestate.  Let the ideas germinate and sprout.

 

 

It will become Clear.

I will know, ‘What’ to do first, and how it wants to be done.

 

The message I want to convey to others will also, be made clear.

 

 

 

Many times its best   not to Rush into things,  nor to try to rush just to ‘get it finished!’

 

I do not want to be pushed,  into doing something too hastily and then end up with a chaotic mess.

 

The creative, artistic process – often – requires   T I M E.

I accept that.

It requires my hard, Effort.  As well.  I accept that too.

 

I learned these (slowly, I admit)   concepts  from  some well respected experienced artists who mentored me.   Wise people, indeed!

Wish I was wiser and had learned faster. But, we learn at the pace we need to.

 

 

 

 

My Learning Points of Today 

• Blue and Red-Orange color variations sparkle
• Faces of the Landscape slowly, reveal and speak
• Magnificence,  takes Time
• The River is a great ‘teacher’

 

 

 

Finally

Dig deep into your art subject and allow it time, to dig deep into you.

 

Just like, the Kalbarri Gorges, dug deep by the Murchison River and ….Time.