Bishop Brook Mountain Stream
by Edward McNaught-Davis
Title
Bishop Brook Mountain Stream
Artist
Edward McNaught-Davis
Medium
Painting - Acrylic On Paper
Description
Bishop brook mountain stream is really a field drainage ditch with an unique water course.
There are mini waterfalls within the sloping ditch and its water flows downhill to another waterfall that supplies another ditch some five feet below. The whole man made irrigation looks as though it was purposely made to channel water from one field to another over rough terrain.
When standing in its field, this ditch is difficult to see except for its more nourished natural vegetation that grows in and around it.
I had not set out to paint this ditch. Instead I was walking my dog and to cut a long story short, I tripped and fell into this ditch and at the spot shown within the painting. I sat there for some time nursing my wounds and checking my surroundings for vermin.
After a time, I felt inspired to paint the golden spiritual light reflecting off the ditch water and the many different plant species growing within the ditch’s confines. I liked the colours of the dead grass mixing with the new. And I particularly liked the wild affect of the whole composition.
You can see a Bishop's head with Mitre as part of the spiritual light reflected within the water; lower centre. This face just appeared as I was painting the stream or brook. I didn't knowingly paint it in. Interestingly, the name of the valley of which this ditch is a minor part, translates from the Welsh of Cwm Mynach to Valley of the Monk. So it seems strange that a Bishop’s head should appear with a valley name associated with the ecclesiastical.
Fortunately I was carrying a small sketch book on my dog walk along with my pocket camera. So I made quick pencil sketches and I took a few reference photos to capture the overall scene and its light.
Many people would not give a ditch a second glance but some can be quite beautiful in their own right as I have tried to show with this particular one.
The painting itself took many days to complete as it was all built up in layers of acrylic glazes on specially prepared paper.
Each layer had to dry before the next was applied.
The location of this ditch is a couple of hundred yards from the Maestir road along the B4337 nearer to Cribyn than Lampeter in Ceredigion.
Uploaded
March 28th, 2016
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