Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Bay of Fundy Flow

Believe me, I did not intend to create this tidal flat of a painting start, redolent with pungent gurry. But, twenty feet of ocean level in the Bay of Fundy dropped in response to gravitational pull, and the same forces must have had sway over me, too!

work in progress

Then, in the between-breaths moments of slack tide, unidentified life forms became visible on the sea-rich muddy harbor floor.

work in progress

Mysteries were no sooner detected than the tide turned and, in what seemed almost to be time-lapse fashion but in fact was real-time drama at its most magnificent, swirls of saltwater caught the bright early June light.

work in progress

I'm both out of my depth and deep in process—at one with the ebb current, at one with the flood current, pausing to breathe in between.

work in progress, working title: Chance Harbour


10 comments:

Lola (Jen Jovan) said...

oooooh this one is richly textured and has such MOVEMENT! Love where this is going, and really enjoy the process pics...it's like one of those flip books we made as kids, each little change weaving a larger story that goes by way too fast. What size is this one?

Simone said...

Hi Dotty,
So good to see you are painting on vacation! It all looks wonderful. Your beautiful poetic language is a bit difficult to follow, but I have a think I have a sense for what is happening ;-)

carol edan said...

Something strange is going on here! I see some strange image lurking in the mud, it changes from profile to front face in front of my eyes! In the third it has disappeared completly! Wonder where it has gone,great textures. Your expeditions never cease to amaze me! Hope they will help me get out of one of my messes!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Thanks for your comments, Jen. The tide here in the Bay of Fundy is all ABOUT movement—looks like it found its way into my painting!

Flip books! Yup.

9x12" here.

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Love your discovering a face in the mud, Carol. It may literally have disappeared between photos 2 and 3, b/c I cut the page in half and only worked on one half from there on!

The textures were fun, quick, spontaneous, and a direct responsive carelessness that came from not liking the muddy mess I made at the beginning. Hope my devil-may-care attitude might inspire you!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

I am SO loving my vacation painting time! Feel free to treat my 'beautiful poetic language' the way I'd treat a post in Dutch from you, as something where I could FEEL the meaning if not catch it literally : )

Sheila said...

OH my! I saw the teasings of two cats, but oh well, they are gone and replaced with even more wonderfulness! Movement! Texture! Pattern! Brought to mind that Tricia Yearwood song, Xxx's And Ooo's.

dotty seiter: now playing said...

The cat is on the other half of the page that hasn't been developed yet b/c I moved on to other things, but you may see that critter again even if only fleetingly. For now, as you point out, we've got movement! texture! pattern! I was very glad to bring this piece to a place where I could not just tolerate it but actually like it—the beginning was so muddy.

Sheila said...

LOL, muddy, but I liked it... maybe it was your description that helped. :)

dotty seiter: now playing said...

This painting had such inauspicious beginnings and even when I left off with it on vacation in June I considered it a start, but since then I've revisited it and like it a bunch just as it is. Thanks for taking a look again.

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