D'avant nature

ça ma toujours gêné ce mot "d'après nature" parce que ce n'est pas après, c'est avant et pendant que tout ce passe; puisqu'ici, comme nous le disions, c'est la nature en formation, de même que ce n'est pas après le vent, c'est dans le vent.

                                                                                                                       Jean Bazaine

 Pleasantly dark and cloudy, to start with, with threat of, but no actual showers. Rather balmy (18°), though feeling colder because of high humidity and southern breeze. Think I saw a trio of leverets, dallying in the crepuscule.

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Geweltete Welt

De toutes façons le dessin est un monde à coté. Ce n'est pas une prise de possession, ce n'est pas du tout une prise. Le monde existe-t-il d'ailleurs, sinon 'mondifié' (geweltet)? dit Heidegger. Un dessin c'est un monde en soi, aux racines innombrables, et qui puise sa force et sa présence à travers l'homme qui le réalise, mais bien au delà de son corps et de sa vision immédiate.

Jean Bazaine

Meteorologically and biologically speaking - as is my wont - a rather uneventful morning. Low-water, flowing. Half moon waning. Calm weather, if on the fresh side. Few animals, two of the human species, from 6:30 on, but at some distance.

Saw a wagtail. 

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Strange atmospherics

I can't foresee the end of my pictures or drawings. I keep on working, and trying to do them in the hope of finding this result which to me is surprising, more surprising than finding an Easter egg as a child.

Frank Auerbach

Raining as I set off at 4:30, but dry in Zeeland.

Quite a lot darker than yesterday upon arrival (5 o'clock). Slight wind coming from opposite direction to yesterday's, so NNW. 

Extremely humid, though amazingly, the ink drying very quickly. Strangely contradictory phenomena: wind turbines turning quite busily, yet almost no wind where I sat (mosquitoes gathering under umbrella). Wind turbines pointing NNW, yet clouds slowly coming in from SSW. Thunderstorm forecast, with rain and lightning, yet only hazy almost-mist. 

Very quiet, apart from the constant bickering by black-headed gulls. 

Hares frolicking at a safe distance.

Six white turtle-doves land on the beach.

At intervals, groups of 15-20 swifts head towards the water and start skimming the surface. Since there is virtually no surf today, they are perfectly mirrored in the water.

Good day.

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Ways Of Not Getting It Right

There are a million ways of not getting it right ... you're most likely to get it right when you're least self-conscious, when you've given up any hope of producing an acceptable drawing or painting ... because then you're permeated wordlessly by the influence of the thing you're painting.

Frank Auerbach

Surprisingly cool breeze from S-SW. Had to lash umbrella to chair again. Very humid. Full moon (-1) in cloudless sky. High water: spring-tide. 

Found some more ways of not getting it right. 1000.008, and counting.

Hope for more weather tomorrow. I'll be back...

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Seehund revisited

At five o'clock, nearly high tide. Virtually no wind. A glorious mother-of-pearl dawn. As I reached the top of the dike, my eyes were met with the spectacle of a white four-master sailing ship, followed by a black one.

Agree whole-heartedly with David Hockney's point, that a photograph never conveys that which charmed the photographer into taking the bloody photo in the first place. It's an illusion, a cultural delusion. The camera has only one eye, we usually have two - when we care to use them.

Disagree with Hockney's use of the word 'depiction', 'to depict', which suggests, or better, implies, that there is a pre-existing, extant, exterior reality, awaiting to be 'captured', 'depicted'.

 "Der Welt ist nie sondern geweltet," says Heidegger.

Saw a seal swimming along the surf, eastwards.

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