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A herd of prize Hereford cattle at the top of our village inspired this painting. Here I wanted to achieve a portrait of a cow who was totally at home and at one in her environment. The sun is setting over the distant soft hills and in doing so unifies both cow and landscape in the same golden amber glow. These handsome fellows are equally at home in the pastures of rural England or grazing the great plains of the United States. -
It’s been some twenty years since we last visited inspirational Venice. Earlier this summer we were fortunate enough to visit once again en route to a long-awaited hike in the Dolomites. We had a special few hours early in the day in Venice before the tourists flocked into the city. Venice just oozes such a special unique quality; you couldn't be anywhere else on earth. This scene shows the young gondolier taking an early morning customer through one of the narrow canals running south from the Canal de Cannaregio. The sun is hitting the east facing wall whilst the west walls remain in partial shade, with subtler hues contrasting with the illuminated facade on the left. In the composition the viewers eye is led up and right into the distance before retreating down the canal and out via the outstretched oar in the bottom right corner. -
The starting point for this painting came from discovering a Victorian wooden spirit level and an old model yacht in my favourite antique shop. Having lived in the Hebrides for some years, I created the narrative around the turquoise waters off these beautiful, wild isles. The sea chart depicts the Isle of Islay waters and the photo shows Machir beach, also on Islay and on the chart. The dominoes and jacks evoke childhood memories and in the background is the blueprint for the yacht construction. The shipping forecast was established some 150 years ago. It has been broadcasting on BBC radio since 1925 and I believe it brings a special quality to the spoken word on British radio. The area forecast from the met office has to follow a strict pattern and the order is always wind direction and speed followed by weather and finally visibility. For this painting the forecast would say… ‘Hebrides. South westerly 1 to 2. Slight. Mainly fair. Good.’
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Beckstones Art Gallery
Greystoke Ghyll
Nr. Penrith,
Cumbria CA11 0UQ
Tel: 017684 83601
enquiries@beckstonesartgallery.co.uk
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