Sunday 8 May 2011

Through a Window (Through a Window)

Through a Window (Through a Window)
Watercolour on Paper
24cm x 34cm (9.5" x 13.5")

This is a view looking through two windows of an old building in Gunthorpe. If you cannot work out what you are looking at, you are in good company. I had to show Elaine the photograph I used as a source before she understood the painting.

I took the photo after we had been to the Black Horse at Caythorpe (A perfect English country pub). So maybe I was working on a higher intellectual plane.

I know it’s a strange choice of subjects, but I’ve got it out of my system.

I painted the picture at one of Tony Slater’s (http://www.tonyslater.co.uk/) painting days with the Shelford group. The subject of this workshop was Doors and Windows. He provided his customary excellent advice and good humour. This time he even lent me his brushes, which was beyond the call of duty.

One of the things that I enjoy about painting with the group is that I feel pressurised to get some paint on the paper before everyone else is on to their second painting. It forces me to make spontaneous decisions about a painting instead of having another cup of tea and thinking about it.

I really rushed into this painting and I learnt a lot from my mistakes. If I ever feel the need to paint another view through two windows, I will use a completely different approach.

4 comments:

  1. Mark, your prose is interesting and entertaining and I enjoyed reading about this picture as much as looking at it.

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  2. Jane,

    Thanks for noticing the writing. I appreciate it. Sometimes it seems to take as long to write the post as to create the picture.

    All the best,

    Mark

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  3. OK - I might be really dim here, but it's a picture looking through a window (which is seen reflected) of a window ?

    Chris

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  4. Hi Chris,

    The view is of old brick building. You are looking through one window into a room and out of a window on other side of the room into a garden. You are looking through old glass, which is distorting everything.

    Cheers,

    Mark

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