hidden fall
oil on canvas, 1320mm x 765mm
Towards the top of the Rheidol valley there are small ravenes with veins of water cutting down amongst small, scattered oaks. The sight of water in wild places can be fleeting and doubtful. But our ears can learn to pick the sound of running water from wind in the trees, and eyes learn to see water through veils of branches.
Coleridge was fascinated with seeing our senses sensing:
"Mother listening for the sound of a still born child - blind Arab list'ning in the wilderness"
notebooks 1802, 1. 1244
studies
Two studies in two 'keys' or sets of related colours: the left side looks at the bright sky and the top of the fall; the right side follows the water down between branches and along the valley floor. Notice how the valley seems dark when looking at the ridge but lighter, through adaption, if looking down through the trees. The painting combines both keys to show brightness changes round the water from top to bottom.
studio
