Catherine Morrisey
Painting
I love painting scenes of our local woods along the river. My view from a kayak is unchanged from the early days of London. I paddle the same stretch of the Thames that John Labatt and his friends rowed in 1860 in their London Boat Club.
The trees on the riverbank are green and shady. There are turtles on logs, water lilies, yellow irises, geese and goslings. I am inspired by the brushwork of Chinese landscape painting, the colour of the French impressionists like Pierre Bonnard, and the thin washes of David Milne’s landscapes.
Painting is my way to tell you a story. Kayaking along the river, time stands still. The sky is reflected in the water, a heron flies by. He croaks and circles back. We are both floating in space. Then there is sudden symmetry. This is where my painting wants to take you.