AFTER THE RAIN... (My new poem inspired by Ewa Wikström Akvarell's painting...)

 After The Rain…

(Inspired by Ewa Wikström Akvarell’s painting…)

The clarity of the dwelling and the boat with its two amber buoys, 

Resting in the shallows, contrast markedly with the mists

Surrounding the parched slipway and outcrops of rock, peering

Above a myriad of pastel turquoise, light russet and sky blue of the brume, 

After the rain…  

The protruding fingers of land lie like reptilian heads with baleful poise,

Basking in the shallows, whilst the beached vessel lists,

As if hauling itself clear of the dull, greenish waters, fearing

The vaporous murk and hidden evil in the gloom,

After the rain…

Pete Ray…

24th February 2026…

The peace of this painting is palpable…

And yet those reptilian heads of land add threat somehow and they pull at the imagination…

The thoughts of The Sand Martin...

‘At first glance this painting seems like a blur of sea, sand and surf, yet with a boat and a building quite clearly painted.

The small boat is mid-centre of the picture and moored half-way into water with bright orange buoys catching the attention. The colour of the buoys is in contrast with the mostly pastel tones that comprise much of the painting along with darker blues and browns. 

The way the water is painted and the angle of the boat and buoys seem to suggest that the boat, if not beached, lies in very shallow water. 

An almost white sandy beach beyond leads via small hummocks of raised land towards a very well defined property beyond. 

There seems to be a slipway of sorts but this may a walkway.  

The building could possibly be a smart house with white walls and a pale orange roof. The sturdy construction and the sharp pitch of the roof give the two floors extra height and a significant appearance. 

The bright white walls are most certainly eye catching. This beach side property is in an enviable location.

Further into the distance one sees what seems to be shallow water and further still white surf on the horizon. 

The painting of the shallow water, the blue tones of the sky and some of the land have a hazy appearance as if one is looking through a heat haze perhaps. In this way the colours merge beautifully and delicately to create wonderful shades and tones with shimmer and a subtly light texture. 

One is drawn gently into the warmth and calm of the foreground whilst the drama of the surf in the distance brings life to the painting, creating a very appealing vision of this sea view.’

THE BLACK SEA AT NIGHT... (My new poem inspired by Ivan Aivazovsky's painting...)

 The Black Sea At Night…

(Inspired by a painting from 1879 by Ivan Aivazovsky…)

A full moon peeks through a dirge of sky laden with threat,

Bustling its lunar gleam between masses of black cloud, 

Prioritising itself by its domination of an upcoming storm

And casting a poignant light upon an ocean, pallid green and  susceptible…

Dwarfed by the enormity of the scenario, a masted vessel rocks yet

And wavers silently beneath the morose, grim and furious shroud 

Of raincloud, shifting and drifting in the relative calm 

Of a sinister, approaching squall, alluring as it is contemptible…

Pete Ray…

24th February 2026…   

The artist seems to add beauty to threat, oppression to calm and excitement to tranquility…

The thoughts of the inimitable Sand Martin...

‘A ship moving through the sea in the dead of night is a beautiful image and leads to quiet contemplation. 

As the moonlight illuminates clouds above, it is reflected upon the surface of the sea, thus lighting up the midsized ship. 

The pleasing proportions of the night sky to the sea are ideal. The white moon almost in the centre but high up in the top two-thirds section of the painting draws attention to the dramatic sky. 

One senses the movement of the clouds that could possibly hide the moon at any moment and darken the silver green tones of the sea hiding the ship from sight.

One wonders why on such a night there are no lights illuminating the ship itself. Thoughts of illicit cargo, law enforcement, or enemy action requiring stealth and secrecy enter the mind. 

The bright moon has other ideas and illuminates like a colossal floodlight.

The sea around the ship appears to be fairly calm although in the forefront of the painting higher waves are apparent as if rocks or a shoreline are nearby. 

Perhaps an imminent storm is about to disturb the calm sea. 

Despite these questions and thoughts the painting achieves a dramatic calmness by the use of a limited palette mostly of black, blue, green and white in various mixes, into a really stunning composition.’

ROUSING STORM ROUND SANDSEND'S GROYNES... (My new poem inspired by Sue Nichol's painting about Sandsend, near Whitby...)

 Rousing Storm Round Sandsend’s Groynes…

(Inspired by Sue Nichol’s new painting…)

The rousing array of yellows, blues and strips of amber

Complement the wild, seething North Sea, boisterous

And aggressive, its white tips flicking in irritation.

Rising at the headland in a belligerent siege, it breaks on umber

Rock, pummelled by the tousling tide, turbulent and cantankerous,

Surly and objectionable in a chilling demonstration…

The watching groynes hold their ground doggedly,

The worn stumps of glistening wet anchored wood

Holding their ground in a regimented display of permanence. The wild and stormy sky, daubed egg-yolk yellow, its swirls violently

Formed captures the chaotic beauty of nature’s truculent mood,

Whilst the stunted sentinels endure, break some water and survive the malfeasance… 

Pete Ray…

23rd February 2026…

Love Sandsend and love the groynes…

Before I visited the place, I had already written a poem about a Sue Nichol painting of those very same groynes…

The Sand Martin appreciated the painting too and commented:

‘This vibrant colourful painting of a dramatic coastal scene demands attention. It features a wild sea, a virtually sheer cliff-face and such a sky.

The sea is remarkable, appearing to lash out as if trying to reach upwards for the sky. It looks like a rage as sharp spikes of water edge the furious waves, vividly painted in bright blues and yellow along with deeper shades of green, white and reddish brown. 

Perhaps the darker colours show sea bed disturbance, swishing and swirling upwards to the surface. 

It reminds me of a crazy brain with a myriad of thoughts crashing into the mind and trying to find release out into the world. 

By contrast the six sturdy groynes hold their ground firmly like well organised people surrounded by the discombobulated who feel frantic. 

The smoothness and colours of the steep cliff contrast beautifully with the colours and textures of the ocean. 

The use of oil paints gives the painting texture, dramatising the forms, particularly of the waves.

There is reassurance in the blue of the sky and evidence of sunshine, offering a happy and bright feeling, although the shape and direction of the clouds indicate that a strong forceful wind is blowing. 

The yellow and blue is reflected in the waves as livid seahorses crowned with white surf lunge towards the coast and the base of the ominous looking cliff. 

One could feel frightened of that sea but the groynes in the foreground offer reassurance that one can keep calm whilst all around is chaos, disorder and madness. 

This wonderful painting evokes an emotional intensity, reminding one of the awesome powers of Mother Nature…’

WELLS-NEXT-THE-SEA WITH A PERVADING MIST... (My new poem inspired by John Tuck's painting...)

 Wells-next-the-Sea With A Pervading Mist…

(Inspired by John Tuck’s painting…)

Tethered boats niggle idly upon Wells’ full tide, their

Moorings stable upon a wharf wall, stern and weather worn.

A mesmerising mist smothers the quayside, pervading,

Probing, infiltrating and luring with its propensity to seep

And mystify, fading the weak sunlight to peach and buff 

At its upper reaches, then sidling between red roofs to where

The old granary stands as testament to industry. The haze permeates the forlorn  

Gantry, supported by spidery legs, once used for the loading  Of malt onto vessels bound for breweries, then the smog wriggles free to creep

Across the channel onto the marshes, amongst wading birds and samphire grass, hardy and tough…  

Pete Ray…

22nd February 2026…   

I love Wells…

Hope to be there in a couple of weeks…

The painting sets the scene with some fascination…

(Malt is grain, made to germinate by soaking it in water but it is then prevented from further germination by drying it with hot air. This process is known as ‘malting’…)

The thoughts of The Sand Martin...

‘This exquisitely painted picture depicts a scene of three or possibly four small boats on the water near the wharf at Wells -next –the- Sea.

Two boats are moored on the wharf itself. The boat in the foreground is painted in red and white and focuses the immediate attention. Close by a blue and white boat is also moored and further along in a similar colour is a rowing boat with one occupant. It is the only clear movement in the picture. 

The colours of the boats are bright compared with the overall pale delicate colours and ethereal style that dictate a calm and quiet feeling. There is a soft glow in the smooth sky as pale yellow and apricot colours blend imperceptibly into soft pale grey blue tones that are reflected beautifully into the water where there is barely a ripple. 

The sea and sky would almost merge together if it were not for the wall of the wharf and also buildings in the distance all painted delicately in pale misty grey tones.

The feelings of peace this evokes are in contrast to the once very busy quayside when malted grain from the granary was transported by sea to the breweries. Now it appears as a sleepy dreamy place of recreation and leisure. 

It is an idyllic scene with soft muted gentle tones where boats, wharf and buildings almost merge into a Heaven on Earth and Sea…’