marc brown - news

Post archive

+ A Challenging Week (05/02/2012 - 14:31:23)

+ January leaving with a bite (31/01/2012 - 10:16:55)

+ Winter returns (17/01/2012 - 10:10:14)

+ New Year - New Projects (10/01/2012 - 15:44:14)

A Challenging Week

Well it's been a challenging week in and out of the studio with freezing temperatures and severe weather warnings. In the studio, the cold has considerably extended drying times with the temperature hardly reaching into double figures. On the beach, it has been the wildest conditions of the year so far with near gale-force winds sweeping in from the continent whipping the sea into a frothy maelstrom. It has given me the opportunity to add some interesting textures and images to the Sea Chronicle project (click on the Sea Chronicle tab and follow the link). It certainly gets the adrenaline coursing through the body.

January leaving with a bite

This morning I put my swimming gear on with a slight hesitancy. Perhaps it was the 'shock and awe' headline I saw on a front page on a newspaper the other day warning us that a real danger of death will be brought to our shores by an icy visitor from deepest Siberia. Or perhaps it was just due to staying up late last night to watch 'Rosemary's Baby'. In any case, it did seem especially dark and foreboding as I approached my usual starting point.

Most of my swims this year have been relatively calm. Many of the photographs deceive the viewer with calm rippled water and clear skies, suggesting a summer dip perhaps, rather than a steely ice burn and 'ice-cream head'. Today, the last day of January, was a return to more typical conditions that you would expect at this time of year on the East Coast. A biting easterly wind was whipping the sea up into a lively mass of breaking waves and currents. The east wind has a very particular smell - metallic and heavy with saltiness - it seems almost sticky, coating nostrils and lungs, permeating clothes and hair. And usually, the east wind is the most reluctant of them all to move on. I expect the next few days will be a constant challenge to get out and get in, and perhaps occasionally having to pay heed to the volatile mood-swings of a briny god that is the North Sea.

Winter returns

It was one of the coldest dawns of the year so far today (-3 degrees on the thermometer), and everything was wrapped in a glittering icy coating. Not deterred I set off for the beach as the light was growing in the east. After all, there's not any difference in the temperature in the sea, it's just the getting in and out which is a bit more noticeable.

Today, the conditions were almost identical to yesterday - bright and cold with plenty of vapour trails hacking across the sky. The photo below seems to capture the icy feel of the sea...

New Year - New Projects

First of all, thank you to all who helped to make 2011 one of the busiest years yet - one of the reasons for not sitting at my computer tapping in news and posting new work. Last year saw several notable developments, both in my work and personal life.

One development was a desire to paint a series of landscapes, mostly in a square format. These proved extremely popular and completely took me by surprise. I have continued the series into this year and have been building lots of new research for future paintings. It literally has increased my subject matter by 100%. I will be adding some examples from last year to my gallery very soon.

I also moved into a larger studio/workshop which has proven to be a huge positive for my work and given me the ability to function much more comfortably and efficiently. It really is a home from home.

On a more personal note, the sponsored Mount Toubkal trek back in October raised over £6,000 for an electronic walking frame for the Queen Alexandra Hospital Home in Worthing, which has already been purchased and put to very good use indeed.

More recently, I have started a new visual project that will eventually form a record of every swim in the sea for 2012. I have been swimming all year round in the sea for the last two years, and thought it might be an interesting project to document it in photographs. I have been swimming in only my trunks (in some pretty awful conditions), but this year I have treated myself to a shortie suit which I used for the first time on New Years Day. You can see the regular updates for this project by visiting the 'Sea Chronicle' page and following the link. I tend to swim on days when I'm not running, so roughly every other day (give or take!). This morning I was joined by a large bull seal, which you can just make out as a dot in the distance on today's post. It was much closer than it appears in the photo, but to save squinting too hard at the screen I have included a close-up below.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2012.

Trek Update

I have spent the last few days recovering and reflecting on one of the most memorable adventures I have ever had. Looking back, I was somewhat naive about what was about to unfold over a few days in Morocco, a land of heady excitement and sublime calm. The landscape mirrors this unusual character too, with huge flat wide-open planes that suddenly explode into gargantuan rocky hulks, slumbering like craggy ancient monsters.

The route to the village of Imlil where we began the climb was swift and dusty, snaking steadily upwards through the increasingly dramatic and rugged landscape. After a brief greeting and shaking of hands, we set off, slowly and carefully in the footsteps of our Berber guide Mustapha, through the luxurious green canopy of hazelnut trees which would be the only vegetative cover we would experience until our return. "My speed good for you?" Mustapha asked with a warm reassuring smile. It did seem unusually slow, but as we would realize further up, the leisurely stroll would stand us in good stead.

After passing numerous hikers and locals (October is the busiest month of the year for climbing Toubkal), and a brief stop at the Muslim shrine of Sidi Chamharouch where a reinforcing lunch washed down with sublime mint tea was enjoyed, we stopped at the Neltner refuge for the night and pitched tents next to our guides. That evening, which was one of the most unforgettable experiences of the trip, we joined Mustapha and his companions in their tent, where we chatted while the muleteers prepared and cooked our evening meal and drank more mint tea. After talking and laughing we turned in for the night, and once tucked up in our tents, I drifted off to the faint sounds of native chatter and soft singing.

The second stage of our ascent began at 4am the next morning, and after eating a swift breakfast, set off for the summit with only our tiny head-torches punching through the cold and dark. Climbing in the dark is a surreal experience - concentrating only on the illuminated pool of light in front of your feet, and only aware of the vast rocky landscape because of the faint hum of fading moon. It didn't seem long before the huge towers of rock behind us were gradually being bathed from the top down in a rich deep claret glow from a rising Saharan sun. Within an hour of our final push for the summit, my body showed the first signs of reacting to the rapidly thinning atmosphere. Pangs of nausea and dizziness began to creep up on me, and a slight panic came over me at the thought of getting this far and not making it to the top. However, after a brief rest and drink of water, it's onwards and upwards.

Arriving at the summit at pretty much bang on 8am, a feeling of overwhelming emotion came over me. A combination of sheer relief and thinking of Stuart - the reason why we were all on top of the highest mountain in North Africa at 8am on a Tuesday morning - rendered me speechless. However, I had just one more personal quest to complete at the top, as in my rucksack was a ring made with a chunk of bright amber which was picked from a sunny North Sea shoreline on Midsummers Day and which was intended for the hand of Serena, my girlfriend of 14 years(!). After a rather wobbly rendition of a verse of a favourite song (on one knee) the magic words "of course" sealed the moment.

Helped every step of the way by the incredible generosity of all who kindly sponsored me, I had made it to what felt like the top of the world. Those few days in Morocco with such inspirational companions, and the sights, smells, sounds, tastes and characters - far too many to put in words here - will live with me for the rest of my days.

Charity Auction Update

A very big congratulations and THANK YOU to Fiona Hotston-Moore who sent the winning bid of an extremely generous £650 for my painting 'Furrow', of which 100% will go towards my sponsored climb of Mount Toubkal for the Queen Alexandra Hospital Home. I would like to thank all of you who sent bids, especially Jon Hadgraft who came in a close second place. I feel moved by the generosity and scale of the response, and indeed, have felt a surge of excitement as the climb draws near.

Anyone who wishes to donate can still do so by visiting my JustGiving page:

http://www.justgiving.com/Marc-Brown

Thank you all.

Summer arrives...

Yesterday began like most days, with a dawn walk with my dog across the marsh to the beach for a run and a swim. The recent spell of fantastic weather has provided lots of opportunities for getting out with the camera and capturing the delights of an Indian Summer (see photo below).

The Toubkal trek is fast approaching, and I would like to thank all of you who have sent bids on the painting so far. I have been quite amazed at the response and the generosity of the bidders. Anyone who wants to send a last-minute bid are welcome to do so before midnight on Monday.