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This is the third painting of this theme, I could paint a dozen more and never get bored, all totally different like Freda Kahlo's 48 plus self portraits all unique and presenting a different mood to the viewer. At first glance my first painting of 'Look On The Bright side' may appear a sad or lonely painting but it is far from sorrow, me as a boy in a row boat alone, my town submerged under water my world and all I knew has vanished but I'm in the sun and fishing. Happy days, the shark which may mean danger is veering away and all the fish are homing in on my baited hook, danger is passing and better times are approaching. That painting is in New York and I miss it as much as the passing of a loved one. The second painting 'Look On The Brightside #2' was commissioned for a client on Hollywood Blvd close to Sunset Strip and I painted me in the row boat closer to the foreground and altered the blue hues to represent an early morning atmosphere ( a new day ) a fresh start another chance at living. This third work deviates slightly & maybe even says more with me in the row boat collecting my unanswered messages. The same theme is carried on in 'Fledglings' As a child I had so many questions, so many unsolved puzzles, everything was complicated, it still is but with the passing of time I learned to live with it and accept the usual reply  " That's the way it is " images of the the other paintings can be found under the 'sold paintings' tab "

 
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 I picked this little frame up some time back, I like the carved moulding and the mellowness of the wood but the narrow format limited my usual style of art, it seemed more appropriate for a marine painting rather than a portrait. So keeping with the ' water ' theme I painted the bathing house sparrows in water colour. Sparrows feature quite often in my work, I love their communal family attitude and how they all work together. In this scene two sparrows enjoy their daily ablutions while the third watches out for danger. He doesn't lose out as he soaks his feet he flutters his feathers and exploits the water droplets that the other two rain down on him.They do the same thing while feeding at my bird table, two feed and when the other panics that all the seed and mealworm will be scoffed he flies in and one of the diners takes up his sentry duties on the nearby fence post.

 
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Finally completed some artwork for the forthcoming LEAMAC open competition. Anyone interested in seeing some great art should drop in at The Town Hall Long Eaton on Saturday or Sunday 16th & 17th February in the new year, you wont be disappointed with over 250 entries to view. There is an option to enter one artwork with ' water ' as the theme and Ive gone (over board) on the subject and to date painted one in oils, one in pastels one in acrylics and another in water colours. So I need to decide which to enter in the themed category and I may as well enter the others in their respective medium classes.  I will post them all on this blog and hope for some feedback.  This one is 'Bathing Belle', time permitting I can add a different painting each day.