Towards Enlightenment

Towards Enlightenment

This painting is very similar to a previous painting I did. That one was called, “The sands of time move ever onward.”  It sold on the day of painting it.

Another person who liked this painting mentioned it to me the other day. He was so sorry he had not managed to purchase it. He went on to describe the people walking away on what he saw as a desert trail. If you remember there were not really people there but the feeling was.

Hid enthusiasm caught me, and made me do some thinking. As I walked home from that discussion I thought about walking with the sun behind. I began to think that if we want enlightenment we have to walk towards the light not away from it.

As I thought, this painting the next in the series of I do not know how many there might be flashed into my mind.

While listening to some African drum music and using my fingers I painted in a frenzy of paint. I took the paint straight from the tubes onto my fingers and mixed it on the canvas.

Is it finished? I am not at all sure. Is it good? I doubt it. But it does say what I was feeling and thinking so it speaks to me.

I offer it humbly to you.

This blog is linked to my other.     Echoes

Do No Look Back

Do Not Look Back

Yesterday I visited the place where this painting is hanging for sale. I have to say that I like this painting very much. I like the loose interpretation that i have managed to capture. I am happy with the end result with the limited palette used.

I added a nice mount to it before framing it in a modern and very complimentary frame. All in all it looked good hanging where it was.

Before hanging in places I print a little descriptive label and indicate the price it is on sale for. When hanging I make a reduction in the price. Whoever buys it will take it with them. I will not have to package it or post it. I will not have to use paypal and pay them a commission.

So you can imagine I was bit surprised to note that somebody had stuck a little  note on the painting offering to purchase at a one third reduction.

I have always tried to make my art affordable, that has been important to me. I have on more than one occasion given away a painting.

Now I ask you my blogging friend should I have felt insulted? I am full of mixed feeling on this one. I am sure the painting is worth every bit I asked, and some people have said it is worth more.

The horns of a dilemma indeed.

This blog is linked to my other. It Is Not Just What You Know

Handel- Water Music

Handel Water Music.

I have been painting nothing much except abstracts for ages, with the exception of the painting I did recently for the bride and groom. That of course was easy to do because I was doing it for somebody who I knew wanted this picture.

I immediately reverted to form, back to painting abstracts. Maybe things will change after this my black day. I say more about that on my other blog. Maybe in my next phase it will be all seascapes and landscapes, who knows?

In the meantime here is my latest abstract.

I showed it to my usual group of friends, most of whom prefer me to paint, "Things that we know what they are." One friend in particular, if he sees me with another abstract, says, "Before you even show me you know what I am going to say."  Yesterday when I showed them, his words were different, he said, "Would you believe it Ralph, I rather like this one." Now that is something. The other person said he thought it was possibly one of my better works.

I can recommend, having a group of friends whom you know will be honest with you about your art. We can all post art on places where the only comments ever made are wonderful. In fact I once, recently got an email from somebody telling me they were not going to post my comment because it was not a good comment, but it was critical.

There is nothing better than some honest judgement, good and bad. Like my old friend often says to me, "Ralph, if i had painted that at school I would have been given the belt."

I give you this abstract and the tittle tells you what I was listening to while I painted so no more needs to be said. I am open to all comments, good, bad or otherwise.

Have a good day.

Since writing this blog and posting, the painting has been sold. I virtually sold on the day it was painted. I seems that now and again I get it just right. 

I say more about good about bad days on my other blog. A Bad day? Not At All

The Tempest

The Tempest.

Some time ago I painted a number of paintings in this scheme of colour. I used a variety of textures and ways of creating texture. 

I did a series of three, this large one and a small one. 

I liked all of these paintings but it seemed maybe I was alone in that. 

Then the three small ones sold. Now this the larger one has sold.

I think maybe there  are paintings that people want to live with for a while before deciding that they like them. In my case people need to see them hanging for a bit before they are convinced. 

In this case the sale came on the very day I was about to move it to another spot. 

Everything comes round in its own time. I speak of this on my other blog. Everything Comes Round

The Finished Painting

The Finished Painting

Well here it is the finished painting. I am aware it is not detailed look at the alley. I am aware that it is not a representation of reality in terms of that famous bridge. Then it was never meant to be any of those things.

This was a painting like so many of my landscape and seascape paintings, it was an attempt to capture the feel and the mood of the place.

Do I like the finished painting? Yes I do.  Does the bride and groom I told you of like it? I do not know. They are aware that it is finished and I would never want them to feel they had to like something just because it is. I have not heard from them so I will leave it.  Who knows it may be just like the first two versions, in a year from now somebody may like it.

Since writing and posting this blog I have had a lovely email from the bride I spoke of telling me that she does indeed like my painting. I do so hope that in years to come they look at this work and remember that wonderful day when they set out on the journey of marriage together. 

My next painting? It is done and gone you can read about that on my other blog. 

Little Unattached Moments