My ‘Streamscapes’ – images of water and light – originate in and around the River Dove in the Peak District National Park and although created in camera, they are sometimes mistaken for paintings. Many of these “Streamscapes” are drawn from two tributaries. Individually and collectively they show the influence of geology, the passing of the seasons, the character of the day, the legacy of rain and the energy of the water. With a slow shutter, the surface of the water softens. Light shows as abstract scribbles and paint-like splashes. Form, features, colour and texture are all part of the images, but they are first and foremost about the light on the water, the way that this combines with its movement, and the emotions that this invokes. The images have local relevance but also a broad appeal given their intrinsic beauty and the importance of water to us all.
Rushes blackened under a blanket of snow regain the air.Afternoon sun decorates the water’s surface with trails of light. Bankside grasses cast a dark shadow.Liquid turquoise and aquamarine – how appropriate a description for the colour of water, though this is far from the ocean. The colours make me think of glass paperweights; the soft and slightly voluptuous forms and texture are almost jellyfish-like as the water pulses downstream.Autumn sun draws lines across the limestone, the water reflecting blue sky and pulling earth shades from the rcok belowOn a clear day at the end of the year, low sun penetrates usually dark places. Multi-stemmed alder jostle for a view of themselves in the River Dove. Stems and branches intermingle, fault-lines and fissures on polished blue marble.A series of freezing nights have added their drama to the days snow showers. Trailing grasses dangle flares of ice down to the stream, snow covered rocks have crinkled toes and, in places, the waters surface carries a film of ice. Under a grey sky the stream is rust-stained and vivid, the apparent warmth of the rock at odds with the snow and ice. Small bubbles of air borrow from the shapes in the ice above as the water traces a hasty path between the rocks.By early June the alder are not quite in full leaf and gaps in the canopy still allow light through to the river. A light breeze stipples the water blue from the sky and green from the bankside. Dark shadows drop from the trunks to complete a piece of natural impressionism.Submerged grasses seem strangely colourful as they dance in the current while the sun plays on the water’s surface.The burnished silver of the stream shimmers in the breeze. Reflected branches fracture the surface sheen.After the rains, the bottom of Biggin Dale runs wet. Water in the shadow of the path assumes cooler tones as it greets the Dove.
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