Unnamed Sentinel

I do hope nobody here was affected by the wicked Storm Doris.

Avoiding the clutches of the weather, I took the excuse for a rather more leisurely drawing than I’ve been doing of late, spending several hours here. It’s something of a wind back to a very early post of mine, actually, looking at Norton Marsh Drainage Mill now over eighteen months ago, so there’s little in the way of ground-breaking experimentation. Happily, though, in the echoes I can see signs of increased confidence, not least in the fact that I chose to sketch a mill face on this time! I should hope so too, really…

I was taken by the frosty reference photograph, which goes back to the 1920s. I know nothing of the mill’s profile – it’s just branded ‘The Windmill’ or ‘old mill’ – other than its whereabouts: the village of Potter Heigham. It was curiously attractive and inspirational for that, Doris or no Doris, so I’m sure I’d have got round to this eventually.

Noting the off-centre position of the mill in my drawing, moreover that there’s really not all that much excitement behind, I did wonder about an alternative portrait, allowing the mill to have undisputed glory. While it does afford that, I think the vast and remote landscape does just as much, if not more, for the mill’s presence.

The enjoyment gained from this suggests it was an itch, and one that essentially scratched itself. The pursuit for a happy medium (fun) will continue, you be sure of it!

• Art
• drainage mill
• drawing
• history
• Norfolk Broads
• potter heigham
• windmill