96
DONALD SMITH
My painting is a study based on Samuel Palmer's
watercolour 'The Magic Apple Tree' 1830. I regularly walk
the Darent Valley from my home in Horton Kirby along
the river to Shoreham; Palmer's visionary 19th century
compositions are constantly evoked by the coloured
parcels of land, hedges, tree-lined paths and livestock of
the contemporary rural and agricultural landscape from
the top of the curved hills, sweeping down to the river. I
was attracted to the striking colour of 'The Magic Apple
Tree', and how the composition breaks that colour into a
series of simplified shapes and forms, reinforced by the
structure of the trees. Also, how the muted, modest scene
in the foreground is contrasted with a strong sense of the
power of nature suggested through the bold colour and
form in the background. My paintings are highly-coloured
geometric abstractions that might be associated with
the urban landscape. This has been challenged in recent
years by the power of the landscape surrounding me
and its ever changing palette. I was first aware of Samuel
Palmer through his influence on the British modernist artist
Graham Sutherland; contemplating Palmer through my own
painting, here, has offered me an opportunity to directly
confront and confirm the potential of the Darenth Valley
and Samuel Palmer as lodestones for my future work.
Colour/Space
Oil on linen
40 x 30 cm
@ D O N A L D S M I T H S T U D I O
