“What you looking at?….”

 A sigh of relief as the painting is finally complete.

Its been an eventful journey, one that has taken me through a range of emotions that I didn’t think possible whilst “simply painting”. I have certainly learnt a lot from painting in oils, it is such a beautiful medium to work with; both in its original and diluted form it has a rich buttery texture which is a delight to blend. Drying time however is another matter, my style lends itself to “glazing”, this is a technique where the pigment is diluted with turpentine and the fresh colour applied on top of a dried earlier layer. Each “layer” of colour allowing the one beneath it to “come through”; this technique is time consuming and requires patience though the effects are well worth the effort. its opaqueness is both a delight and a frustration. I discovered that the earthy pigments dry quicker than the dark greys; something I hadn’t allowed for with the cow on the left of the painting. Still, some fourteen months later I am pleased with the outcome. There have been times when I had to walk away, frustrated with certain elements of the painting, yet with a fresh pair of eyes a few days later the challenge became exciting once more. A particularly difficult challenge were the eyes on the “black cow”, originally their positioning and shape just didn’t work. My wife Mel, who is both my greatest fan and critic came in one evening and looking at it said “those eyes don’t look right”, she was of course correct and so I spent several days researching and sketching until I found “the look” that I was after.

I was like a child seeing something new for this first time when I finally applied the varnish, opting for a gloss finish, the layers of colour I had persevered with over the months “popped” and came alive. Whilst this is nothing new to me I cant help but be excited at this precise moment, its almost as if this clear, silky substance is the “elixir of life”.  Excitedly I called Mel to watch, as I applied the first coat of varnish over the eyes and coat of the cows…….she was astonished to see them “come to life”, a big beaming smile formed on her face and I was excitedly transported back to my inner child like self, applying the varnish with vigour and care, chatting excitingly.