Before starting to make any of my work, I’ve already visited a location at different times of the day and during different seasons, gathering sketchbook studies, photographic notes and written reflections, which are used when I start a new painting in my studio. This research allows me to get acquainted with the subject and the emotions that it evokes. Memory and reality merge and allow color and texture to come from many instances rather than one specific encounter.
Come into the presence of still water, charcoal and acrylic on wood panel, 15¾ x 14" (40 x 36 cm) On the outskirts of Skibbereen town there is a field with a stream running alongside it which floods when the River Ilen is at high tide. This hidden, out of the way place is one that I visit regularly on my walks. The ominous reflection of oncoming unsettled weather in the still water of this flooded stream is what this painting is all about. The astounding beauty of the vivid blues and peach tones turning to dark as the water pools gently and silently from under the bridge, the only sound being a dog barking in the distance.
To ebb and flow with the sea, charcoal and acrylic on wood panel, 15¾ x 14" (40 x 36 cm) At certain very low tides, the River Ilen is reduced to muddy sand banks with the river running through narrow channels. I wanted to capture the oozy, sticky, silty mud which has tiny rivulets cutting through the riverbed and where rocks covered in green seaweed sit waiting for the tide to come in. I love that this underwater world, normally covered, is exposed for a few hours allowing me to capture the colors, textures, smells and sounds of this beautiful, hidden place, transporting the viewer to the riverbank, looking across to the fields on the other side.
Extreme use of light and dark are an important part of my practice, and I use a mix of drawing and painting to extricate hidden meanings within the subject matter. I work predominantly with paint brushes on gessoed solid wood panels with charcoal and acrylic, using a limited palette of cadmium yellow deep, yellow ochre, permanent alizarin crimson, cadmium red, cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, payne’s gray and titanium white, loosely layering color and texture, then deconstructing by scratching, sanding, washing off paint, placing marks or paint over the entire piece, reworking it until that something magical happens in the relationship of artist, subject matter and medium.
A rose-tinted view, charcoal and acrylic on wood panel, 19 x 14" (48 x 36 cm) I never have to travel far from my home in West Cork to find inspiration; I’m very lucky to live in this beautiful part of the world. In A rose-tinted view I am trying to capture the essence of the delicate balance of nature in a place where the river meets the sea, the rare blue of the water only visible in certain light and at certain tides, the cool and textures of the stones as they lead the eye to the hills in the distance where human-made gorse fires smoulder.
A Liminal place, charcoal and acrylic on wood panel, 19 x 14" (48 x 36 cm) Across the water from Skibbereen Rowing Club, which sits on the Riven Ilen, there is a very steep hill which I have painted many times and in many seasons. In A liminal place I am responding to the ethereal beauty of the river, the otherworldliness of the farmland’s immaculate reflection on the river’s slow moving tidal water, which creates a sense of mystery for me in a place that may seem inexplicably familiar. I wanted to use this rural landscape as a way in which to convey themes of memory, place, seasonal change and the fragile yet powerful force that nature is. This piece was selected by the RHA, Dublin for its 190th Annual Exhibition.
Janet Murran plein air painting in one of her favorite spots on the banks of the River Ilen.
Resolving, exploring, working diligently, pushing the boundaries of my process, materials and knowledge as a painter, I strive to reveal a hidden beauty that may have gone unnoticed or unseen, allowing the viewer to experience a “known” place in a new and fresh light. Nothing gives me more pleasure than when my finished paintings invite someone to look at the landscape around them with a greater appreciation. —