Last Rays and Haystacks

 Last Rays and Hay Stacks

Last Rays, oil on canvas board 30cm x 40cm

Continuing my thoughts about the line,

"Of skies and scarecrows, haystacks, hares and pheasants,"

Philip Larkin, Here, 1961,

I made a series of sketches of haystacks, and a study in oils.

Oil Study

Haystack, oil study

Watercolour sketches

Working Methods

I find it important to make an underpainting first to define my tonal areas before starting on a new oil painting.

Tonal Underpaintings:

I find that this process helps the finished result, particularly in areas of deep shadows,

see details of "The Hay Barn" and "Last Rays" below:

The Hay Barn

 The Hay Barn

The Hay Barn, oil on canvas,, 71cm x 91cm

The painting "The Hay Barn" was inspired by these words from Larkin's poem "Here":

"swerving to solitude

Of skies and scarecrows, haystacks, hares and pheasants,"

As I travelled around the low lying landscape east of Goole I came to realise that since the date of the poem (1961) a lot of aspects of working the land still remain unchanged. Ditches are dug, fields are ploughed, the harvest is brought in. Although the machinery used is larger and more refined, their purpose remains the same. The traffic and noise of the M62 and A63 seems far away.

I made a watercolour sketch of the hay barn to capture the light effects of the evening sun on the bales of hay before I painted the final version. The sun was low in the sky and long shadows fell across the scene. It was still, quiet and timeless. 

Watercolour sketch

I continued to make my way around the area, sketched and made studies of places where I felt a sense of "solitude".

Oil study:

Watercolour sketches:

Pencil sketches:

Charcoal sketch:

A Harsh-Named Halt

 A Harsh-Named Halt

A Harsh-Named Halt (Oxmadyke Crossing), oil on canvas, 76cm x 101 cm

Detail

Larkin writes about

"swerving through fields.

Too thin and thistled to be called meadows,

And now and then a harsh-named halt, that shields

Workmen at dawn;"

This description typifies the landscape lying east of Boothferry. The railway line speeds through the flat countryside at this point, and there are a number of crossings which Larkin refers to. Oxmadyke crossing lies to the south of Gilberdyke, an area Larkin knew well - as we know from his photographs. The railway buildings and crossings along the route all follow a similar design. There is an eerie feel about them, especially as a lone train passes through and the barriers descend. 

I made a small watercolour sketch of the scene before I moved onto the oil painting. It was late in the day and the evening sun cast long shadows across the road.

Sketches

Further down the line as the train approaches the station of Brough, passengers would see a glimpse of the Humber as they pass through the fields "too thin and thistled to be called meadows".

 

Photos, Boothferry Bridge: old and new - memories and nostalgia

Photos, Boothferry Bridge: old and new - memories and nostalgia

My painting, Traffic all Night North, depicts  Boothferry Bridge. The old images below show the hazardous river crossing before the bridge was built. 

The bridge crosses the River Ouse, between the East Riding and West Yorkshire,  north-west of Goole. Prior to the building of the bridge all crossings were by ferry.  The next nearest bridge was at Selby. It was easier to cross the Ouse than the the Humber Estuary.

The bridge was opened in 1929. The Act of Parliament for the building of the bridge in 1925, gave priority to river traffic. This situation still exists, though there have been some attempts to change priorities. Over the years there have been many queues waiting to cross the bridge whilst a ship sails through, as seen below in the photo taken in the 1960s/70s.

On opening, the bridge was the furthest crossing downstream of the river, cutting 25 miles (40 km) off the journey south to London from Kingston upon Hull. 

However, as traffic increased, there was need to relieve congestion and the M62 Ouse Bridge opened up to the east of Boothferry Bridge in 1976 (see below).

Over time therefore, this place has been an important and strategic location. My painting aims to capture a sense of time and the character of the place at dusk.

Maggie Taylor, Traffic all Night North,2022,  oil on canvas

http://asselbyparishcouncil.co.uk/boothferry-history-2.aspx

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13082990

http://eastyorkshirehistory.blogspot.com/2019/07/butterflies-and-history.html