Fire Escapes – Original Painting

It’s taken me a while to “meditate” on this painting. Fire escapes was created in 2012 when I was exploring more abstract architectural views.

It’s still one of my favourites. I love these old fire escapes. They are quite common and you’ll find them tucked away in alleys all over Manchester. Like in so many cities of any age and in the UK.

This one is in the Northern Quarter, and I was as much taken with it as I was with the old faded shop sign, George Makin & CO. I had a friend with the surname Makinson and I saw a similarity in my head.

Fire Escapes was created in the days when I hand drew everything without tracing. Fire escapes was something of a headache to draw, but I’ve never been more pleased with the result.

The drain pipe was another feature that turned out well, with weathered paint and brickwork providing contrasting colours, it all came out well. My painting process is reliant on a large amount of serendipity. To start with, I may guide the paint but then it develops a mind of its own. So, I’m always grateful when the finished results exceed my expectations.

Backstreet ally of Manchester with a rusty old fire escape by a peeling sign. Scene of urban decay with bricks and rusty ironwork.

Creation: Masking fluid is painted onto watercolour paper to create an image. This is covered with a watercolour wash and covered with clingfilm. The picture is further developed using acrylic inks once the film is removed. The masking is removed after several layers are added and allowed to dry. Revealing the final picture.