I’ve been very much occupied with a very special commission which has needed careful planning, many changes, discretion and a fair amount of patient work , and prevented me from writing a blog during February! I recorded various stages of the progress and this is the first stage completed with some colours laid down:-
There are still a few adjustments at this juncture and I must confess I have struggled considerably because of the constantly changing light and lack of sunshine in the last two weeks as my deadline for completion rapidly approaches. The colour reproduction in the last photo is slightly deceptive as on the original the green of the trees on the hillsides can be seen, yet the righthand side particularly the beach it too bright! This has now been adjusted and using a glaze and a little cobalt violet hue on the beach, background hillside and water, the area has been darkened.
The picture has now been handed over to my son in law, Jason Knight, for his special 50th birthday as a present from his wife Trudi and also Christine and me. The view is a very sentimental spot for them as it is a regular holiday walk from their home in Mexico which they have been unable to travel to this year due to the pandemic.
Art seems to have grown as a hobby during the lockdowns and the media and social media have been swamped with people showing their efforts. Creativity has shown itself in so many different ways and TV programmes such as Portrait artist of the Week, Grayson’s Art Club and Drawers Off have stimulated interest in participation. These series and the Zoom technology used have enabled the population to display their talent; they also helped many of those suffering from isolation, mental health problems, boredom and gave them something positive to do in their lives.
I have also been thinking about our friend Elizabeth Mitchell D’Anna who is the owner of two London galleries that I visited regularly and have been associated with for some years. Like everyone involved in arts and entertainment her businesses have suffered enormously from the various lockdowns with very little help from the Government in this terrible situation. The galleries (La Galleria, Pall Mall, https://www.lagalleria.org, and The Royal Opera Arcade gallery, https://www.roa-galleria.com are re-opening again next month and I really hope that she and her family will be able to recover from the enormous devastation that has taken place over the last year.
I’m taking a short break from art for the moment but will resume when April starts.