Sunday, July 11, 2010

The paintings of Julia Griffin

2007 Oxley Highway Julia Griffin

My thanks to Kelly Fuller (ABC New England North West) on Twitter for this one. This painting by Walcha artist Julia Griffin is simply called 2007 Oxley Highway. It really captures the light.

I spoke of the New England painter Harry Pidgeon in Harry Pidgeon's Naturally Touched Cooks Hill Gallery.

I then used Harry's work in part in the The colours of New England. This was an attempt to combine writing, art and photography to paint a picture of the way the colours changed across New England west-east and north-south.

There is quite remarkable variation in colour depending upon height, climate, landscape, human effects and soil. Those of us who know New England well may love our own area's best, but we do see the variation, know the colours.

In one of my historical posts, New England's literary tradition 2 - geography, I looked (as the name says) on the impact of New England geography on our writers and writing, This raises similar issues to New England painting.    Rain on the Uralla Road Julia Griffin

Like Harry Pidgeon's  paintings, Julia's paintings have a special focus on inland New England. This is very different country from that known by many modern New England coast huggers.

This painting by Julia, Rain on the Uralla Road, captures a scene and feel that I know very well. Unless I am mistaken, it is not far from the Kentucky turn-off.

I love the fact that Julia is providing another thread in the growing representation of New England.

If you would like to see more of Julia's work and that of her partner, sculptor and painter Stephen King, you will find their web site here.  

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