Glimmering Fragments of the Mist

Glimmering Fragments of the Mist was inspired by an early morning walk. The trees in the park across the road were veiled in mist. They looked ethereal and shrouded in mystery. So how to capture that experience?

Glimmering Fragments of the Mist - oil, charcoal, carbon block & silver foil on linen 

914 mm x 1218 mm © 2014 Carol Lee Beckx

I used a number of sketches  and photographs, combining some elements from each. Ultimately I was relying more on the memory, the sensation and the mood of that early morning.

WIP Mist Charcoal & Water-soluble graphite - 300 mm x 420 mm

Recently my colours have been highly saturated - sharp and bright with minimal neutrals. The mood of this painting called for a more delicate touch. Colours were kept soft, gentle and muted. Charcoal marks add contrast and movement; added during the painting process rather than as preliminary lines.The silver foil was an indulgence, added to enhance the "glimmering" idea.

In the past I have often turned to poetry as a way to choose a title for a piece. My approach is rather unorthodox - I open the poetry book at a random page and see what I can find…

Looking for something other than “Misty Morning” or “The Mist in the Trees” I found my copy of W.B.Yeats and tried my random page method. 

The book opened at Meditations in Time of Civil War and the line that caught my eye was:

             “And those white glimmering fragments of the mist swept by.”

I had found the title!

WIP Mist - oil on canvas - 914 mm x 1218 mm

WIP Mist - oil,charcoal & carbon block on canvas - 914 mm x 1218 mm