Most of my painting career was spent creating conventional landscapes in watercolour or oil which were generally acceptable and sold reasonably well but as I grew older I became restless, and wanted to tackle more challenging subject matter so I switched my focus to portraits, more complex figurative work and abstracts. My first fairly large scale work was composed of a figure, a life study, landscape and an element of still life and because of my love of music I chose a very evocative, poignant and heart-breaking song about a relationship which has failed where the writer’s partner has fallen in love with someone else. The title of the song is “Go, Leave” and the songwriter, Kate McGarrigle, says in the second verse “go, leave, don’t come back, no more am I for the taking, but I can’t say my hearts not aching; It’s breaking in two.”
Here is the link to the song on which the painting was based.
In my last post I mentioned a retirement present which has now been delivered to the lovely couple who spent most of their lives helping others as Salvation Army Officers (Christian Ministers) in various parts of the country. This double portrait shows them in the 1980’s when we first knew them. They are a wonderful example of selflessness who have influenced so many and devoted their lives to serving others through their ministry – good friends, full of fun with a great sense of humour and a couple who supported us during difficult times we had when I first encountered a sustained period of ill health.
At the end of the month, and having completed the above portrait, I opted for a complete change of direction and decided to start work on two new landscapes of scenes in Cornwall which evoke memories of many wonderful family holidays and trips to Cornwall during my childhood and teenage years. Based in Falmouth and St Austell we visited many of the local tourist attractions and two of my favourite areas are the Helford river which flows into Falmouth harbour, and Kynance Cove one of the beautiful and rugged spots in the far west of the county, not far from Lands End and the Lizard. I prefer working on at least two paintings at the same time, as if one goes wrong I can switch to another for a while, then go back with a fresh eye and correct or adjust the other. I like a varied work session too, particularly if I have decided to spend a large part of the day trying to be creative. I also become bored or frustrated sometimes , so it’s extremely satisfying to keep working and feel that I’m making progress, albeit in an unplanned manner! More next time.