Stewart Edmondson
'Moor to Sea' - Inspirations for Stewart Edmondson
For the last few weeks I have been painting most days down amongst the bluebells of Hembury woods – a fabulous stretch of woodland that runs along the banks of the River Dart. On one particular day I had an experience while making my way down into the woods that highlighted just why I paint, just what really inspires me. It was a beautiful spring day – the clouds over the moor were colossal explosions of white against the rain cleansed blue of the sky. I was carrying my portable shelter in case of a downpour as well as my paint box, boards and all the other paraphernalia needed to be able to paint large paintings outdoors.
The track drops down through a hazel thicket, before opening out into the cathedral of oak and beech woodlands that are carpeted with bluebells in the first few weeks of May. Either side of the track was the most unbelievable profusion of springtime growth – ferns, primroses and celandines shining like stars in the shadows of the undergrowth and wherever I looked, bright, new leaves were unfurling and shining in the sunlight. It was almost overwhelmingly beautiful and it felt like I was walking down a tunnel of new, incredibly vital, life. When I finally reached the bluebell woods I was very clear why I am drawn to paint - to try to touch the raw, vital energy of a place.
That is why it is so important for me to paint in location, whatever the weather – to try to let the energy of the place come directly into the painting. Often that will happen just through the difficulty of painting outside – the wind blowing paint and water across the painting, rain pouring down into the paint, or sometimes the wind tearing the painting out of my hands and hurling it across the landscape. And this is why I love painting outside – the chaos of it, that takes some of the control away from me and allows things to happen by chance and out of the relationship and inspiration of being in the place itself.
All of the paintings in the 2009 summer exhibition at the D’art Gallery have been painted in this way. I also paint regularly down on the South Coast of Devon, around Prawle Point – an area I’ve been camping in with my family for years and similar to where we live, have developed a deepening relationship with time - around the fire, staring out to sea, playing and poking around in the rock pools.
But either up on the Moor, along the river valley or down on the rocky coast I’m drawn to try to paint the raw energy of a place and for me, being able to do that stems from spending time slowly getting to know a location and trying to let that come into and directly inspire the painting.
First Published June 2009 By The Dart