Phew! Some of my canvas compositions can be more of a marathon than a sprint. This original Winchester painting certainly tested my endurance. I’ve painted plenty of scenes from the East and West, where there are natural viewpoints in the landscape, but this one took a view from the South of City. The vantage point is an imagined one, somewhere above the water meadows and the area around St Cross. It looks along the Kingsgate Road that leads towards the Cathedral.
Despite the level of possibly confusing detail there is a nice zig-zag of houses. It’s definitely not 100% accurate to the lay of the land, but you can follow from Kingsgate Road to St Swithin’s Street; and back along Southgate Street. I captured a timelapse (mostly of the back of my head) where you can see the picture build.
The colours follow a traditional formula… with stronger hues in the foreground, fading away to muted blues in the distance. But it feels particularly obvious in this one, that I’m as much a drawer (if not more so) than I am a painter. The line work does a lot of heavy lifting. Yet it still feels correct and I do like the feel of the piece. I continues to amaze me how unique each artwork can be (despite how many Winchester paintings I’ve worked on!).
Huge thank you to Richard and Rachel for commissioning this (for their trust, patience and space to follow my instincts with the composition). It was a delight to deliver the canvas to its new home and see the intended hanging space. I think it’s going to make a lovely feature and I hope the family continues to enjoy it in the years to come. Here’s a photo of the installation.
If you’d like to discuss a commission you can drop me a line. I also have a private commission guide with general information on available formats and an estimate of cost.
