Harriet Halstead – South Norfolk
Harriet’s work depicts turbulent seas and marvellous trees; oils and watercolours drawn from Norfolk and Cornwall.
Visit Harriet’s Studio
In the studio I have attempted to create something more summative in my pointillist works. The subjects are places I have spent many hours studying. The interaction between the individual dots of colour, changes as you look closely or step away from the picture. Up close you have dynamic abstract interactions. As you step back they merge together to suggest the landscape. To me this reflects the way we see things, which is not at all photographic but more interactive and mobile.
I most enjoy drawing and painting from landscape and in particular Cornwall where I was brought up and my family still live. The Yare Valley is now our home and the open marshes and wonderful trees, together with our amazing garden here, also provide subjects for my painting.
The changing light, the weather and the seasons, which constantly transform a familiar place, fascinates me. The forms of plants, trees and rocks deserve attention so I like to work directly from nature.
The sea and the patterns to be found in moving water have been a major preoccupation of mine ever since I discovered Leonardo’s water drawings as a child.