Capturing the Crimson Coast: Why Sidmouth’s Red Cliffs Dominate My Abstract Landscape

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Looking out over a sunlit Sidmouth bay in East Devon, one is often met with the beautiful sight of turquoise waters turning to a soft shade of pink as it reaches the shore. This pink hue is created by the red stone of the local coastline. Down at the waters edge the beach is dominated by the striking red cliffs laid down millions of years ago, dating back to the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. They are vulnerable to the elements and subject to many cliff falls during winter storms, when the sea becomes a burgundy broiling mass. The large rocks forming Sidmouth’s sea defenses have become a major feature of the landscape here, as well as the iconic Esplanade and Jacobs’s ladder.

Moving away from the popular esplanade the cliff path winds upwards from Connaught Gardens to peak hill where you are met by its beautiful far reaching views of the coast. A little inland is the area known as Mutters Moor, an area of lowland heath, rich in  wildlife and local flora. Follow its ancient tracks and take in the breathtaking views across the Otter Valley. This area is steeped in history and legend and is said to have been inhabited by Stone age man. Thousands of years ago the ‘seven stones’ monument was thought to have stood here, before allegedly being dug up and moved to the Bicton Estate. In the 17th century legend has it, the Moor was used by the infamous Jack Rattenbury’s smugglers gang. Surrounding the moorland are a series of winding paths through Sidmouth woods, a wonderful place to be explored throughout the seasons.

As you continue further along the coast path with its varied terrain you will reach Ladram Bay where the distinctive sea stacks rise from the cove. These once formed caves and arches but have been subject to erosion over the years. Continue on to the coastal town of Budleigh Salterton which marks the beginning of the Jurassic Coast.

All of this rich topography, history and stories surrounding the area creates a feeling of connection to the past and the land. These things are key to inspiring my abstract landscapes, in which I aim not to represent in a realistic manner, but to capture for you the feeling of being in the landscape, the turning seasons and the connections with the past, as well as my own connections and observations as I interact with this place and time. I walk daily as part of my practice sketching, taking photographs and often stopping to observe whatever catches my attention. This then feeds into my work back in the studio where my paintings unfold intuitively becoming a melting pot of ideas and memories. I am also driven by the materiality of the paint and other materials I use. By this I refer to the ways I can experiment with the materials to achieve different effects and feelings.

You will notice that the colours I use are very much linked to the surroundings here, with earthy hues being central to my work, burnt sienna, raw umber, venetian red, yellow ochre, alizarin crimson are always on my palette, as well as a variety of blues and greens to mix the colours of water sea, sky, rivers and ponds. I usually begin by  staining my canvas to produce a vibrant glow. I work in many thin layers creating depth. I also like to have some of the early layers  showing through the work both to preserve luminosity and to show you the viewer the history of the painting unfolding. I like working in both acrylics and oils, but I always use acrylics in the first layers so that I can create in a flow state and respond quickly at this stage to the marks I put down. The work becomes slower and more considered (i.e. more looking required) as it progresses. I use a variety of tools and methods such as scrapers, palette knives, brushes, stencils and also some mixed media e.g. charcoal, graphite, collage etc., as the variety of marks produced in this way can help to bring abstract work to life. I use professional pigments and mediums from trusted brands to ensure the longevity of my work.

Nature related art is a great choice for your home. The earthy colours of many of my pieces can help to bring a sense of warmth to any space. Modern landscape, coastal seascape or wild life art is very grounding, giving you a sense of calm and linking you to nature even when you cannot be outside in that moment. Owning a contemporary or abstract art work for your home or office means that you are free to place your own interpretation on the painting, a little piece of Sidmouth and the South West, that captures your own special memory in way which feels modern and thought provoking.

There are endless inspirations in this area of East Devon I call home. My daily walks bring to my attention a myriad of fleeting moments which I sketch, photograph and store in my memory so that I feel I can never tire of expressing what I see and sense through painting.

You can explore original works and prints currently available on my website, where there is a faq and/or contact page if you would like more information. You can also follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/j.ensorpaint/ and DM for enquiries. If you would like to stay in touch please register for email updates on my website.

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Biophilia and Art

Biophilia means a love of life or living things and refers to the natural tendency of humans to affiliate with nature and life outdoors, as defined by the American Biologist E. O. Wilson.

I feel it’s a particularly pertinent area given current  issues we face through global warming and climate change, threatening the health and preservation of our beautiful planet.

It is also central to the art I make, which is influenced by the countryside around me here in East Devon. Walking in my local area gives me so much inspiration from abstract landscapes to the small details of trees, plants, streams etc, which often reveal miniature, intricate and colourful ‘worlds’. We have beautiful woodlands around Sidmouth, such as Harpford wood, where you can follow the old railway track closed since 1967, down to Tipton St. John. Equally you can wander over one of the pebbled heaths like Aylesbeare Common, home to a myriad of wildlife including the Dartford Warbler, Nightjars and rare butterflys.

Albert Einstein said ‘ There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle’.

Engaging with the natural world through art is a wonderful stress buster, promoting calm and sensory experiences. Looking at nature inspired art, photographs and organic objects and images, can give a boost to mental well being and help us to reconnect with the natural world.

Artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Paul Cezanne, Yayoi Kusama and Vincent Van Gogh are a few examples of famous artists, who repeatedly investigated nature inspired themes through art.

If you want to invest in a new painting or print to create a calming vibe, nature inspired art could be your perfect choice, whether this be natural colours, organic shapes, landscapes, flower or fruit studies, the choice is yours.

Staining or underpainting a canvas

There are a few benefits to staining a canvas i.e. painting out the entire white surface before beginning an image. To start with it acts as a warm up both physically with the act of mixing and applying a colour, warming up your hands, wrists and arms and mentally in conquering the plain white surface and sometimes overcoming any creative block you may experience from time to time.

Secondly staining the white can help to read colours better as they can often look different against a white background. Remember your background will shine through the early layers of paint that you lay down and you may want to leave some small areas exposed, so you will need to choose your stain according to the look that you want. You could choose a bright colour or an earthy tone depending on your style of painting. I personally like to use a neutral earthy pink tone, a bit like 'Potters Pink' which I mix using titanium white, with burnt sienna and a small amount of raw umber, this gives a nice warmth to my paintings . Whatever colour you choose try to use a mid tone, as this will help you to judge the darks and lights in your painting more easily.

I tend to use acrylic paint mixed with a small amount of water for the under layers as it dries quickly and I often like to work over a dry underlayer. However, you could also use oil paint diluted with thinners, such as Jacksons low odour thinners or similar. This would work well if you wanted to use a rag to sketch your image into the wet paint and would allow wet into wet painting over the top.

To apply my underlayer I first wet the canvas with water using a spray bottle.

Then apply my slightly watered down paint to the wet canvas using a flat wide brush or a sponge applicator to coat the whole surface and sides. This is just the first layer so don't worry if the paint seems thin at this stage.

Please refer to my materials page for the items I use in my work.

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