Work In Progress 2

Work In Progress Step 2 

I am taking my time with this pastel doing it in stages and spending time at each stage just having it beside me in the same room, so that I can allow it to tell me what needs doing.

It is amazing how a painting speaks to you, is it not?

So here we are after two sessions of working on it. Hopefully today I will complete it.

Again I remind you this is not an attempt to portray realism but rather to capture the essence of the place.

This alley leads to the small harbour of South Queensferry. The harbour is the placing of setting out and coming home. For so many brides it is also a place of setting out. Many brides and grooms walk down this alley to have wedding pictures taken with the famous bridge in the background. Brides and grooms setting off on the journey of married life, it seems appropriate.

I have pictures of my own daughter on her wedding day taken at this very harbour.

I have another blog at.  Hands

A Work In Progress

A Work In Progress

I mentioned the other day the painting that had been sold twice. What I forgot to mention was how I had come to paint the original.

Somebody had been married in South Queensferry and a friend wanted to give them a gift that would have some meaning. I painted the Vennel ( For those over the pond this is a small alley between two buildings). I did two versions of it one in pastel and one in acrylic.

As is often the case with such works the person never got back to me on it. Probably I had not met his requirements. I felt at the time that I was now left with two paintings. As things turn out so often, and you have heard the tale both sold. Another girl who also got married saw the painting on my website and wanted to purchase.

As you know I agreed to paint another similar painting but trying to ensure both have enough differences to make them all original as works of art.

It is never easy doing a painting twice. I have a help in this case because I have a beautiful picture of the bride and groom not far from the spot where I am painting. I can feel they’re joy and I can see the kind of day it was.

So I have added to my blogs today the work in progress. I think it is doing ok, but I am so hoping they will like the finished work.

This blog is linked to my other. Lets Get To The Heart Of The Matter




  


Tools For The Job

Tools For The Job

My life has been somewhat hectic these last few days hence my absence. I have been very busy with my new garden plot. I sold a few paintings, as you know, so had to gather them together and have them posted off.

I have been trying to organise the hanging of my three abstract paintings, Vivaldi – The Four Seasons. To add just a little more excitement to the melting pot, my son has suggested I move out of the little space I have where I paint. He is about to move premises  with his new and up and coming law firm, it seems there is a possibility of my renting a unit next to his as an art studio.

This would mean my taking my art much more seriously. It would mean my having to paint more often and consistently. It would mean me having to be much more organised in the selling of my art.

It would also mean that I have a better place to display my work and a wider variety of people might be able to see it.

All in all a frightening prospect. It looks like it may be going to happen though.

Am I good enough? We will soon find out once and for all.

With all this going on I have not painted for a few days.  The picture on today’s blogs is one of my new gardening tools. As you can see they are the old traditional wooden handled kind, I felt at first sight they were for me. They are a bit like an artists brushes, they become a part of you.

Back to painting. This might be my first opportunity to combine both. This might make a nice little still life. What do you think?

This blog is linked to my other.  It All Comes Round

Bridging The Gap.

Bridging The Gap.

This is the last of the three paintings I sold in the last week or so. This one it seems I have in fact sold more than once. I seems it has sold from one of my hanging places and then somebody wanted to purchase it from my website.

The couple that wanted to purchase it did so because they had walked down this lane hand in hand on the day of their marriage. The lane leads down to the harbour a popular spot for brides to have their wedding photographs taken. My own daughter did just that.

I have agreed to do another version of this painting for the couple. It will not be identical, no two paintings ever can be.

I am not in the habit of painting the same painting a second time but in this case, because of the story behind it , I am looking forward to the challenge.

This blog is linked to my other.  I Am Losing My Marbles

Iona

Iona Beach Looking Towards Mull

This is the second of three paintings I sold last week. I will not go into too many details about this sale because it has been purchased as a gift for a very special person.

It seems that the island of Iona is a special place for two people and one is giving the other a gift of my painting.

I feel happy about this for more than just the sale of the painting.

I also love this spot having lived there for a year and swam from this very beach.

I hope the painting brings some of the joy of the place back for them.

This blog is linked to my other.   The Secret Box