15″ x 12″ soft pastel on Winsor & Newton Tints paper
This picture languished unfinished for five years. I had struggled to capture the dog on the end of the woman’s lead, and was caught in a frustrating cycle of drawing and brushing off, drawing and brushing off … I had always hoped and intended to finish it, more than anything as a tribute to the wonderful Sooz (known over on the Soft Pastel forum at wetcanvas.com as Khadres), whose gentle virtual kicks up my backside encouraged me to do so much creating that I would never otherwise have done, including this pastel. Sooz died in 2006.
Five days ago, I pulled the painting out and prepared to put the finishing touches to it. After several days of struggling just as I had done before, and a mood darker than any I have felt in a long time, inspiration struck. Turning my problem dog into a small boy has enabled me to release myself from the pain of an unfinished thing, and to finish Sooz’s picture.
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I received a comment on this painting from Deborah Secor which means a lot to me, because she has totally understood why this finish made sense to me. She wrote: “I love the addition of a child running toward us instead of the dog, E-J. Excellent, and sort of a fitting statement, all in all. There’s always another generation running out of the mist, in some way, after all!”
Oct 06, 2009 @ 15:49:20
Amazing! What wonderful colors and mist! And I really like the boy! =)
Oct 06, 2009 @ 23:57:46
I love the colours and the composition, really evocotive. I'm drawn in, it reminds me of somewhere I used to live when i was young… great work!
Oct 08, 2009 @ 10:39:57
Stunning. So glad you could finish it off, and the addition of the child really led me into the image. Sometimes you need to head in a totally different direction. I love the outlines in the mist too, one of my strongest visual memories is the coastal walk to Dunstanburgh Castle on a misty day – the ruins sort of faded in to view. Your picture reminded me of that. Thanks.
Oct 08, 2009 @ 21:46:57
again, beautiful and the time spent on it gives it life that would not have shown through, had you finished it earlier…it is almost a timescape, from the mist of the past apparating into the modern town's charm…(Kip)
Oct 19, 2009 @ 03:41:13
Beautiful harmonious colours!