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| Watercolour 22 x 15 inch |
Easter Friday.
We took George to the Westwood for his usual walk, then into Beverley for a coffee.
We walked over to Carluccios where we sat outside in the bright sun. I had two water bottles to fill for George and the manager kindly asked if I wanted them filling, which she did for me.
As we sat, loud voices could be heard and then we witnessed the source, Roman soldiers marching past us, breastplates and helmets gleaming the vanguard of the Beverley Passion procession. The shocking site of Jesus, in a blood stained smock, carrying the huge cross made everyone think, and reflect, how significant Easter is to all Christians. Having passed, the enactment of the crucifixion took place in nearby Saturday Market. This is a biennial event and is extremely moving.
Afterwards we set off to explore, locally, for a view to paint.
This view, oft glimpsed when on route to places north of Beverley, has been one I have wanted to reproduce for a long time. It is a view which is difficult to capture as finding a position to paint from is a problem due to limited access.. However, here we are. The view of Cherry Burton Church, St.Michaels's, dominates the skyline and sits alongside the large white house, the house being framed by dark, deep conifers. From near here, last week, we saw FOUR red kite, flying closely together, an amazing sight and probably something to do with spring. The actual picture is a little larger and shows more sky and also more detail to the right hand side. I have cropped the picture as the buildings small on the original. I will return and do this view again and "zoom" in to the buildings, thus perhaps making the composition more balanced. For me, the watercolour is a good start, it looks better "live". I will be really interested in doing an oil painting now I have sorted out where to get access. I was momentarily distracted as I heard a distant "mewing" sound, I looked for the source, was it another red kite? Or, maybe a buzzard! Disappointingly I could see nothing. As I painted, early emerging butterflies flitted about, having hibernated over winter.
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2 comments:
Hello John, As usual, I enjoy your text almost as much as your paintings. This time I clicked on a link for the Beverley Passion Play, and was astounded at the realism of it. Must be quite an experience to see it (although I think it probably quite traumatic for small children).
Yes indeed Susan. In previous years especially, people have been very distressed and upset. One year, even though spring, the procession took place as hail stones fell.
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