The Mirage

The Mirage

This painting came to me as I listened to Holst, “Planets.” This music has a dream like feeling to it. I remember the first time I ever heard this work. I was living in a commune in Edinburgh. The idea of the commune was that for every student in the commune room would be made for another person in need of some help on the road of life. We were indeed a group with high ideas and I am sure many were helped by the project. I was sharing a room with a young lad and we sat one night listening to this music. We were each describing the pictures the music stirred in our imaginations. From then on every time I hear this music I see castles in the sky, the Venice of my dreams but not reality.


The day I painted this was no different other than I was using paint and not words to create the mirage. The painting sold to one of the staff in one of my hanging places. After it was sold my wife had mentioned that it would have looked well in our living room. Now this was a challenge because very little of my work hangs in my own home. Another similar work was produced and hangs in my living room. My son then wanted a similar one for his office so another similar one was painted. I very seldom paint similar paintings but the music inspired three very different yet similar works.

The painting was done in acrylic on canvas. It is 40”x20” so a substantial work. I often feel I should put that music back on again and have texture to hand and see what happens.



This blog is linked to my other where this artwork is used. It was used because the blog is about having dreams that never find time to become reality. It can be read at:-Time Waits for Nobody