In the final hours of 2022, here are six of my favourite paintings created in my studio this year. One for each month from July.
July
Setting up the Pitch
Earlier in the year I was cultivating an interest in combining architecture with scenes of street life. Buskers have always intrigued me. I don’t paint outside very often but it usually attracts interest, but music attracts attention before you’re anywhere near.
August
Under Construction
Construction sites are fascinating, and the one at Battersea Power Station has been in progress for 8 years. This is one of the last structures to be created in the complex.
September
St Pancras Kings Cross
St. Pancras and King’s Cross stations are a stone’s throw apart. It’s puzzling why two large stations should have been built so close together, and yet they were.
St Pancras looks the older, with its ornate Victorian brickwork and railings. Just look at that name sign, in wrought iron. Atop these magnificent gates with spikes and curls aplenty. No feature is considered beyond the scope of decorative detail.
October
Castlefield Canal
Wandering around the Castlefield area of Manchester, you can’t miss the canal and the numerous bridges that intersect above it. Signs of an industrial past remain. My usual preactice is to meditate and blog about the paintings I create.
These later paintings have not made it through the system yet, so look out for them in the new year.
November
Motley Tower
This and the October painting were created as a pair. The reference images were taken close together.
The title was inspired by the graffiti on the nearest tower. You can see it just above my signature. I wonder what it means? Knowing how people’s minds can work, I really hope I’ll not regret that curiosity.
December
Victorian Destinations
My final offering for 2022 is Victoria Railway station in Manchester. Appropriate given the number of travellers at this time of year. If you are one of them, I hope your journey was free from disruption and if it wasn’t, hope your return goes smoothly.
And with that we conclude the selection. I wonder what I’ll create next year? Although I have some ideas, there is an element of mystery, which is what keeps me going. so please share your thoughts of memories of any of the areas included in these paintings, especially if you’ve worked at any of them or made a significant journey starting from Victoria or Castlefield.
Wishing you joy filled celebrations and every success and happiness in 2023 and if you’d like to share the journey, let me keep you informed.