dominique cameron RSW

 

 

Solo show with Wall Projects in Montrose confirmed for 4th-25th June this year. Very exciting. The project will culminate in a series of drawings, paintings and texts, that will come about through walking the town. I am calling the piece for now at least ‘The Baltic street notebooks’, after a Montrose street name and its reference to the trade connections with the region which saw the town rise to prominence. The word Baltic connects back to my spoken word performance from the MFA project ‘The Hunting Ground’ which talks of – “Baltic blues the stiffened bones of long dead whalers.” It seems like a good place to return.

 

 

Torrential rain, soaking paper. Sketch from a cave at Elie.

 

 

Waves at the harbour, watercolour sketch – 42 x 12 cm on paper.

Another day of lashing wind and rain, there seems to be little end to this dark weather. I read an article in Turps Banana magazine (dedicated to painters) that brought a smile to my face and something I recognised. In an interview with Duncan Newton the artist articulates his thoughts on what painting is and says -“The best analogy I’ve thought of is that paintings are like picnics ! The blanket always has bumps in, things are wedged into the grass, and spilt, the grit gets into the egg mayonnaise, and we all get a bit drunk, and go home in a bad mood.” Sounds about right.

 

Painting from sketch ‘Winter Sun’. Mixed media on paper 55x27cm.

A  walk in the woods on New Years day.

A silver artificial Christmas tree stuffed upside down in a tartan wheelie shopper. The kestrel hunkers in the grass out of the storm, not noticing me passing a few feet away. Sky, sea, foam, salt, spilling in the wind. Crouching on the rocks, precarious dipping brush in an inkpot.

This afternoon on returning from a walk along the coast a misaddressed postcard lies in the porch. Its from someone on holiday in Madeira. It reads – ” Its a beautiful place, lovely hotel and warmer weather. What more could we want ? Funeral on the 16th. Lots of love….”      The delights of postcards , especially ones that are not meant for you. I came across a stash of old postcards in a charity shop in Broughty Ferry last year and here is one of my favourites. I like the tents, the banality of composition and the man that is standing on the edge of the cliff. Why ? What might he be doing ? And in Thurso ?

 

Along the road  I pass a man in a hoodie, his shoulders hunched forward. I cannot see his face. I sit on the council grit bin next to a wonky Santa and look toward the hills and the ploughed field of carrots.

 

 

 

 

‘Garden, Summer.’

Gesso and watercolour on paper. 109cm x 36cm.

A wonderful, happy new year to everyone.  x

watercolour and charcoal sketch.

Stick brown hedgerows, olive flattened grass, bones of trees, the end of a year in sight.