Ideas

Sometimes paintings come as a vision, fully formed, out of the blue. Sometimes they need coaxing, an image needs to be shuffled, and shaken down through layers of thought. I'm planning to enter paintings into an exhibition as part of Broadway Arts Festival on a theme of reflections. My friend Jocelyn gave me a collection of vintage gold leaf, folded in brown card, and in little square tissue leaved books. I've been thinking about reflective objects and the glint of gold for a few weeks, with shiny things laid out on my studio bed waiting for an idea to come, but I couldn't  get a clear image to form for either an oil or a watercolour, then a few days ago I had a stomp down to the village and back in the rain and decided to just paint my favourite subject, a title of 'The Gilder's Jacket' came to mind and then suddenly I had it ! my reflective gold theme all captured in one painting. Now it's out with the yellows, umbers and siennas and on with the painting!.