BLOG POST what its all about

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BLOG POST what its all about

This morning I was reminded what art is all about. 

 

I delivered a commission yesterday morning to a very happy couple, imagine my surprise when I had a knock at the door and found the couple on my doorstep, the joy in her voice, the sparkle in her eyes and the love for the piece quite apparent would have calmed an army, to feel and witness a persons absolute joy for something that an artist has created, that is what art is all about.

 

If that were not enough reward for one day, What a gorgeous day today was, a sprinkling of rain, more due like than rain, settling on you and warmed from the slow passage to earth, I could quite understand why everything looked so green and alive, glowing almost, even, down through the stone walls that dominate the town and contribute to it’s much loved other name, The auld grey town.

 

In my revelry I could not help but to notice a couple, , either due to their lateness, or, as the umbrellas would suggest, fearing their smart suits should get wet, both he and her, rushing along the pavement. Imagining that perhaps it was raining more than I was enjoying I looked around to find not a single soul with an umbrella.

 

My ponderance regarding this avoidance to tarnish ones best clothes, for that they were, led me firstly to imagine all that they were missing in the world, eyes down with nought but a damp pavement to enjoy, and secondly how odd some folk live their lives, an afterthought for those that have little or no rain in their lives either to wash or drink led to a prayer and I quickly returned to thoughts of art and folk.

 

Remembering that I had several hundred fotographs of people going about their business during last summer when people and their habits took me on a long and sometimes scary journey of capturing people in the street, I should add that the scary part was that not everyone was particularly enamoured by some guy poking a camera in their faces, unsurprising but fortunately got away with little more than a somewhat aggressive stare.

 

I have set about creating a series of gouache paintings on 200gramme paper, it is almost card like with a slight texture (a tooth to grip the paint) and supports a wet paint with ease.  Other than a bit of a play a few years ago I had not actually used gouache for any particular work, for this series of works however I remembered the quick drying, (and bad mixing of colours) qualities of the medium and the colours that I felt would work well on my chosen subject.

 

After working recently with both oil paints and acrylics the gouache was so much quicker drying, and bad at mixing than I remembered, once an adjustment was made in my coming to terms with its qualities the first piece is now underway.

 

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