It always amazes me where painting can take you; creating a “new piece” is always a journey of discovery. This piece has had its highs and lows, the sheer scale of the painting has brought a number of challenges, the greatest being the time it takes for each glaze to dry between applications. I am finally on the detail part now which is always the fun part. Another of the challenges faced has been the bitter cold weather which hasn’t helped the drying process. This project started out in our dining room whilst my garden studio underwent an extensive period of insulation, plaster boarding and the addition of a new floor before painting the walls and ceiling bright white to improve the light inside. It still needs the pot belly stove fitting to “fuel” the need for copious pots of tea but at last the temperature inside the studio is bearable now.