Soft pastel on pastelmat
A few weeks ago I posted about the turn of the seasons. Our latest lockdown (still in place) had just started, with restrictions on socialising indoors as well as the closure of cafés and bars. Compounding this was the looming end of British summertime, when the clocks fall back by an hour, ushering in long dark Northern wintry nights. I usually dread this time of year and mourne the long days of summer.
This year has been different. My dog and I have been celebrating the gorgeous deserted wintry beaches of Northern Ireland.
Faced with the end of the summer we jumped in the car and headed to our nearest nice beach – Ballyholme, in Bangor, Northern Ireland – and chased frisbees and sea birds while the daylight started to fade till it was just a strip of silver reflected on the wet sand along with the distant streetlights from across Belfast Lough.
The summer has definitely ended and become a memory, but for once I’m embracing the beauty of the approaching winter and enjoying impromptu outdoors car-boot picnics with friends, warming ourselves up with hot soup after chilly beach walks.
I’ve been inspired to capture that evening in a new painting “Turn of the Seasons” (you can see it the start of this post). It’s been a joy to work on and I’ve been excited to watch it come together.
I’ve just put the finishing touches to the painting this morning and I’m stepping away from the easel with a lovely sense of satisfaction that comes with finishing something that I’m proud of, that captures the fleeting beauty of a cold wintry beach in lockdown and (I hope) the peace and gratitude and wonder that I experienced being on it.
I hope you enjoy. I’ll be adding it to my portfolio and i plan to get some limited edition prints, so do get in touch if you’re interested in one.
Julie Wilson Art 