The Windswept Field, ©John O’Grady, 2014
Oil on Panel, 6″ x 6″
SOLD
One of my favourite places to visit is the plateau of Clansayes in Drôme Provençale. In between the garrigue, the shrubland composed of a mix of kermes oaks, box tree and aromatic plants such as juniper, thyme and wild lavender, there are open cultivated areas with fields of lavender, vineyards, wheat and einkorn that allow the eye to travel to the distant hills.
On windy days, the mistral can really whip across the land.
The clouds billow and move by at a pace. On the land, cereal crops catch the light as they dance in the wind in a staccato fashion while at other times, a gust forces the shafts to bend and create a wave that runs across the field as they spring back up moments later.
In this painting, I tried to capture this fleeting choreography of light and wind.
It’s also a continuation of my last post, a sky study of cumulus clouds and a bit of inspiration from John Constable’s fantastic oil sketches of skies I have been thinking about this week as it was his birthday on the 11th June.
Below is a Constable oil sketch.
You can see more artists’ cloud studies here.
I would love to hear what you think.
This is another lovely painting John and you have captured energy and movement in the light and the form of the clouds – as if it is bubbling upwards above the hills. I like the translucence and ‘frayed’ edges which really do give the impression of vapour. The blue of the sky reminds me that it is Provence and your description of the landscape and the plants that grow there makes it very vivid. I think it is a great homage to Constable.
I am on a bit of a cumulus feast at the moment, trying to capture the qualities of these giants. Constable managed to do that with such energy and freshness, the oil sketches still look fresh even now. Thank you for your comment Chris
This painting really showcases your love of cloud forms, distant views, and blowing sunlit grasses, as well as your technical capacity to capture light, motion, and atmosphere. So interesting to see a reference image, too. The palette conveys the vitality and energy of the scene. The sky has a palpable presence here, as though you could press your hand against it. Great description as well, John — you have a real gift for language.
Hello Josephine,
It seems like I am having as you said in a previous comment an ongoing conversation between land and sky at the moment. I think trying to create a distant atmosphere is endlessly fascinating for me. It may sound bizarre but I often imagine myself standing on the hill in the far distance of a painting, looking back across the vista to where I am painting. Thank you for your comment on my writing, it can be like pulling teeth, describing something without it becoming too purple prosey. Although my editing skills are not at all good, the image at the bottom is actually a fab Constable oil sketch (if only I had made that) which I had forgotten to reference.
Thank you for your comment, kind regards John
That doesn’t sound bizarre at all, John. Those distant places in your paintings exert such a strong emotional pull that I often imagine myself out there, and I have felt sure that you do that, too, in order to render them as you do.
That is a great Constable sketch, especially for the top-lighting and shadow, and the scudding of the clouds suggested by the brushwork.
It’s great to know that you also go for a ramble through the paintings, that is special.
It is a super Constable study. I saw an exhibition of just his oil sketches a number of years ago. Two hundred years old and I was with him I could smell the air, feel the wind and rain. Thoroughly modern pieces.