Monday, 1 September 2014

Of Fen and Polder


Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.
                                                       Norman Fitzroy Maclean, A River Runs Through It

My paintings always feature trails that dissolve into mysterious areas, patches of light that lead the eye around corners, pathways, open gates, etc.
                                                                                                 Thomas Kindade
My place is a place of magical trails. Each bend in the trail leads to a new view, a new perspective, a new way of seeing. The trail is bounded by two rivers. One is strong and staunch, forceful and stalwart. The other is down-reaching, rooted, and profound. A slough meanders its way alongside the trail, on one side to the powerful river – busy with fishing boats, and tugs, and huge barges heavy with sand or rock; with salmon and sturgeon.  And on the other side to the deep river – cold, black, with seals bobbing their way from salt water to fresh, with osprey nests and hidden coves filled with lily pads, turtles, and standing herons.
A slough is defined as an area of swamp, characterized by lack of progress or activity. But myriad species of duck glide through its waters, otters and beaver present on a rare evening, bears trundle along its banks scooping spawning salmon up onto the trail for ursine family picnics – tired of the summer-long feed of blueberries from the farms that spread outward from the slough. The slough does not lack for activity or enterprise, it is just of the wild sort.
But the light in this magical place is what is special; sunlight filtered through green, water filtered through sunlight; skies of blue, or cloud, or rain filtered through the lens of elegance and grace.










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