33 Chigwell Rise Proposed Roof Plan

33 Chigwell Rise Proposed Front Elevation

33 Chigwell Rise Proposed Ground Floor Plan

See plan below

Looking into the past.

Looking at old paintings, some going back more than twenty years is quite sobering. Back then I thought they looked OK, and anyway there was always tomorrow. Back then I could not see what to do with them. A painting tutor would say something like ' a good beginning', and I would be offended, or wait for a fuller reply which was never forthcoming, and I would move onto something else,  over-eager as I was to make a start on that , only to reach the same impasse of a  lack of finish or problems left unsolved, never to reach a solution.

Now I look again, and I can see a flat, weak area of paint, know what to do,know how much work has still to be done, but not have the energy, drive, or time to do anything about it.

How much rubbish have I painted which, with a bit more effort and intelligence, could have been rescued from mediocrity?

One thing is clear, however, namely how dreadful and inadequate was my so-called art-education.

Stirling Road 10 years ago

The image below is of the view from the front of Stirling Road, a small painting , acrylic on board, which has been lying around the house for years, unloved and unnoticed, except by me. What interests me is that this scan flatters the original somewhat. The original is now looking very tired, the top left-hand corner of the Daler board is dog-eared, and the whole thing needs refreshing, cleaning and varnishing.The original has an area of flat black inside the shed on the right, which shows as a wonderful Prussian Blue on the back-lit screen, which in turn plays off against the equally vibrant orange of the tree on on the left-hand side.In short this computer image has a powerful sense of light, space and airiness which I , sadly, did  not create.

Twenty Years On ( with apologies to Alan Bennett )

I have just hauled this painting ( pictured below) out of the loft, and taken it down to the studio for restoration. It looks dreadful.. The glowing colours  are no more, and it is grimy, dusty, and flat.Worse, 20 years on,  it looks crude, clumsy, and amateurish. What I saw in it all those years ago God alone knows. However, the plan is to re-stretch it and have another go. I can't wait. It should be fun, which is the spirit in which it was painted in the first place.