James Lynch
Footpath Through the Flax, Spring, 2023
Egg tempera on gesso panel
19 x 25 in
48.5 x 63.5 cm
48.5 x 63.5 cm
'It’s a place I know well, but in June last year it was suddenly transformed by blue flax. Each small flower blooms for just one day, but over a fortnight...
'It’s a place I know well, but in June last year it was suddenly transformed by blue flax. Each small flower blooms for just one day, but over a fortnight collectively they have a startling intensity. An ancient footpath to Low Ham church parts the waves in the sea of blue. I sat on the end of the field and made a drawing. For the painting I added ultramarine pigment to the traditional gesso as the ground to enhance the colour of the flax. The painting is made in egg tempera, using egg yolk and water with raw ground pigments as the paint, and the colours built up in many glazes and layers.' - James Lynch