Welcome back to Moose River Beach. Yesterday’s post was inspired by the many cracks I came across, today’s images and experiences touch on colour and the emotions it evoked in me.
The shale cliffs along the river bank are very brittle and therefore present us with so many awe-inspiring and ever-changing discoveries. Every high tide transforms these cliffs around the base and each time my curiosity is piqued when I step on the beach.
When we arrived mid-afternoon the sun was illuminating the ocre-coloured layers, beckoning closer inspection. Our cameras were the perfect tools helping us to focus on specific areas, each slight shift in position presenting us with another exciting composition. I find myself holding my breath regularly, admiring nature’s art and boundless variety while trying to capture the essence of my impressions.
I gradually made my way along the deteriorating cliff, moving slowly and with great care as the sloped terrain was unstable with loose layers of shale under foot. At the same time I was surveying an area where layers were firmly in place and jutting outward. I noticed a definite change in colour and texture and could not hold back my excitement!
These are the discoveries where I want to pick up a brush or palette knife, load them with thick paints and begin layering these on a canvas to render my impressions. Instead, I reach for the camera, adjust settings and find myself lost in time. The experience is visceral: I not only see but feel and hear the colours, I might even taste them! My initial reaction to the the colours and shapes on the rock face reminded me vaguely of Wassily Kandinsky’s 1913 popular colour study of squares with concentric circles. I realize the colours are completely different but that first fraction of a second when my eyes fell upon the coloured cliff face conjured up the ubiquitous colour study.
I have been to this beach twice before but this rock face eluded me in the past. What a wonderful discovery, an experience that will be with me for weeks to come, beckoning me to return on a gray and rainy day, a bright sunny day, any day!
I will leave you with a quote by Kandinsky that sums up my discovery: “Each colour lives by its mysterious life. Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul. Colour is a power which directly influences the soul.“
That is exactly what the colour on the rock face did, it directly influenced my soul…
Thank you for stopping by. May today’s impressions touch your senses and your soul. Best wishes, Anna
Fundy Contemplations... 