Study for Meadow Brown

Study for Meadow Brown
2020, water mixable oils on paper, 220mm x 157mm

I have recently spent some time studying Irisis by the Pond (1914-17) by Claude Monet (1840-1926). It is the abstract nature of this rendition that I wanted to explore in more detail. Making a decision in composition usually starts with the placement of the horizon which sets the entire emphasis of the painting. Yet, in Monet's painting, the horizon is absent. I think Monet was the first to express landscape in this abstract manner with the absence of sky and horizon. On my next walk, I found myself looking at the landscape with fresh eyes and details came into focus that I might otherwise have ignored. I came home and painted a study on paper: Meadow Brown. I intend to develop the idea onto a larger canvas and this is the first of my preliminary studies - watch this space.     

Irisis by the Pond (1914-17)
Claude Monet