back to the coast: the lavender marsh at Thornham

Old tree stumps and sea lavender at Thornham, North Norfolk, oil/mixed media, plein air, Vivien Blackburn


Whilst looking out a large sketchbook (A3) to work in this morning I came across this plein air painting I'd forgotten about.

This is the salt marsh at Thornham in Norfolk, when the sea lavender is in flower it creates this lovely mauve haze over the vegetation with its millions of tiny flowers. The tree stumps were once part of a wood that has been swamped by the sea and are worn, grooved and weathered to pale ghosts.

There is a salt marsh harbour here on the main creek accessible to boats only at high tide.

other paintings of Norfolk:

http://vivienb.blogspot.com/2008/12/north-norfolk-photographs.html
http://vivienb.blogspot.com/2007/08/seascapes-for-next-show.html

Comments

Robyn Sinclair said…
I've never heard of Sea Lavender but obviously once seen, never forgotten. Beautiful picture, Vivien I love the silver of the old wood with the lavender and then the amber of the stagnant water. Wish I'd been there.
2:02 pm
vivien said…
thanks Robyn :>)

Individually it isn't anything special but en masse it creates this lovely haze of lavender colour over the marsh
2:05 pm
lmp said…
Gorgeous. I love your sea paintings so much.
2:54 pm
Genie said…
Lovely painting
3:23 pm
Making A Mark said…
Really lovely Vivien!
3:23 pm
Anita said…
Not heard of sea lavender either. Love the sculputural quality of the tree stumps.
4:09 pm
vivien said…
Lisa, Genie, Katherine and Anita - thank you :>)
4:10 pm
dinahmow said…
Thank you for the memory, Vivien! I grew sea lavender (limonium) at my former garden because it reminded me of the saltmarshes. Doubt it would survive here!
8:05 pm
Jeanette Jobson said…
I really like this Vivien. It gives such a feel for the place. I'd never heard of sea lavender before either, I'll have to look it up.
12:26 am
vivien said…
Dinah It's an everlasting flower isn't it? one of those you can dry.

Jeanette, thanks :>) , it isn't especially beautiful in itself, just when you get a lot of it across the marsh but it makes a lovely haze of colour then

- and the samphire (a kind of edible plant/seaweed that grows in the salt marshes) turns areas red at certain times of year
12:39 am
dinahmow said…
Yes, Vivien, it looks a bit like statice and does dry well, though its leaves are not "pretty."In cultivation, softer shades and cream are available.(If you have access to copper beech, try standing some leaves in glycerine then using them with the dried lavender.Very Monet!)
3:18 am
vivien said…
I've done the beech with glycerine - but mixing it with lavender would indeed look fabulous!
3:04 pm
Brian McGurgan said…
This is really beautiful Vivien - lovely color and great line-work and composition. My kind of subject matter, too - old stumps in a bog!
2:18 am
vivien said…
thanks Brian :>) - it is your kind of subject - you'd like it there
6:26 pm
vivien said…
thanks Brian :>) - it is your kind of subject - you'd like it there
6:26 pm
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