Enfolding Love.

Enfolding Love.

I wandered empty paths

And tramped ore’ lonely dales.

The hands of time moving ever onward

As the sun chased the clouds across the sky.

The tramp of foot echoed the beat of heart.

Enveloped in natures bliss.

Alone was I on path and life

And felt the desolation.

But each little bloom of daffodil

And celandine

Smiled my way to cheer me down the miles.

I saw a tree majestic.

Head reaching high to catch the racing clouds.

As I walked, it stood

And held me in its its grasp.

Down through the years

On sentry stood.

I saw the rocks

Beneath its feet

Its roots embraced and held on tight

Caressing in love

Protecting each other.

Deep Enfolding Love.

Life moves ever onward

The path of life on forward march

The journey could be full of fear

But to know that love enfolds,

chases every tear.

To be held by one

In deep enfolding love

Makes the step grow light

And the way a path of joy.

This blog is linked to my other.  Try Again

Cat On The Prowl

This painting was one of my first attempts at painting a tiger. The tiger is an animal that hold me in its grip. Such power and beauty. It makes me so sad when I hear how they are year by year decreasing in number.

This painting was one with a story behind it. I hung this pastel painting in one of the inns I hang in. A young man told me that his wife was in love with this painting and he was determined to purchase it for her. Every time I saw him he asked me not to sell it until he had enough money to buy it.

Sadly with all the greatest of intentions he would save some money and then he would have a day when he would spend it all as a customer of the inn. I knew that he was not in a well paid job and that having this bit extra was a great temptation to him.

I thought and thought about it. I offered to let him pay me in very small instalments and reduced what I was asking to the cost of the framing. I only ever got one very small payment.

I decided to give up. I replaced it on the wall with another of my paintings, wrapped it up and sent it home to his wife.

I never ever did find out if he told her he got it for almost nothing but I do know she was very pleased to have it.

She has had it for a few years now and says it still makes her happy.

This blog is linked to my other. Chasing one thing after another.

A Good Feeling

A Good Feeling

I was always concerned about these paintings, as some of you will remember. I felt I had made a good job of these and that I should make a special effort to have them sold and hung together as one work of art.

I had them framed and had made arrangements to have them hung. Then I began to have second thoughts about them. I kept looking at them and asking if I had over estimated the worth of these.

In the last week two things happened that have made me stop and think again.

The first is that my son has opened a new office and he has taken the four paintings to hang there.  He has made the decision for me and I feel very proud that they are where they are. I hope you agree with me they look well in the situation.

The second thing that happened.  I was visiting a little village in the Lake District. It had a gallery, and of course, I had to visit. As I looked at the works there my wife commented on the prices and also went on to say that in her opinion some of my paintings were of equal quality. The person in charge of the gallery came over and spoke to me. He asked if I was an artist. I informed him I painted. He said he suspected that from the way I was looking at the works.

As I was about to leave he asked if I had a website he could look at. I gave him my card. The next day I got an email from him. He himself was an artist and produced some fine works, but he said he thought my art was good. He then went on to say that I was selling it far too cheaply. Praise indeed I think.

It is always good when praise comes from the places you least expect it.What Are You Waiting For

This blog is linked to my other.  

Dreams and Travels

Dreams and Travels

There are some abstract paintings that come to me from the music I am listening to at the time of painting. There are others that come from something I have seen that aroused in me a deep feeling that I wanted to share. Yet again there are others that seem to paint themselves. I see the paint tubes and feel drawn to certain ones. The palette chosen, the painting takes a life of its own.

The more I think about this the more I realise this to be true for me, most of the time. The one constant in all of my abstracts is the desire to convey mood and feeling.

This painting is one that falls into the latter of these three. I had painted using this palette a few days earlier and that painting had stirred some interest and had sold on the day I painted it. It seems that this palette was speaking to something within, so I went with it again.

There was no music this time, just an idea of some thoughts I had been having in one of those moments in the middle of the night, when you are half awake and half asleep.

This abstract has already been commented on by a few friends and I have been interested in the thoughts and ideas. They seem to fall into two differing ideas. I will not say any more about that , because I never want to impose my, or others thoughts on the abstract.

At present I am on holiday among my mountains, well not mine, but some of the mountains I love. I always have much time to think while running. My thoughts have been much on the number of people who have asked me about abstracts. Some who are trying them for the first time, others who, have painted before but like the idea of tying them to music and feelings.

I am thinking that maybe I will try to gather my thoughts together and along with some descriptions of my painting process produce a small document on the topic of, Abstract Painting With Feeling. Would love you thoughts on this.