NOVEMBER’s BLOG
Revisiting the Sophia Series of paintings from 2023
I was camping on the Costa Vicentina, making many sketches of the extraordinary coastline bathed in it’s pink silvery light. I had with me a small book of poetry by Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen – much of it appearing to describe so beautifully the very coast I was drawing. As a result I decided to use lines from her poems as titles for the oil paintings that emerged from those sketches.
Here is one from 1947’s Dia do Mar, with a translation by Colin Rollison with Margaret Jull Costa.
As ondas quebravam uma a uma The waves were breaking one by one
Eu estava a só com a areia e com a espuma I was alone with the sand and with the foam
Do mar que cantava só p’ra mim. Of the sea that was singing just for me.
Through sketching I find the composition, searching for the rhythm of the rocks/ land/ sea and then in the process of adding colour - making colour dance - I look to find the point of equilibrium where a moment in time is kept alive. For me, the point of painting land or seascapes is not about photographic representation (any camera can do that) but about attempting to capture the intangible in light, line and substance.
A couple are below, more can be seen on the 'coast' page. https://carolacolley.com/portfolio/coast
And four are currently on show at the iconic 4Elementos Gallery in Olhão ,
Rua Capitão João Carlos Mendonça nº 27, OLHÃO
MEIO-DIA, UM CANTO DA PRAIA SEM NINGUEM : Sophia Series. oil on canvas
MAR SONORO, MAR SEM FUNDO, MAR SEM FIM : Sophia Series oil on canvas