Thursday, July 05, 2007

Just Looking

Quite a number of years ago I sat on my sofa with a bemused expression on my face while a friend told me what he saw in my painting. “It’s like a journey, see there is a bridge and ...” and I don’t remember what else he said, but he liked what he saw, so much so that I gave him one of the two copies I had made of the painting (the original hangs on the wall in my parent’s bedroom).

©copyright, 1999, Verilion

As I wandered home today I decided to take some pictures of interesting things.


I noticed that there was a rash of sandwich/wrap/salad shops that have opened up that seem to signify the end of the traditional two hour French lunch. I noticed the model shop with the train sets in the window and the antique shop with all the Art Deco lamps, and then I looked on the other side of the road and felt like I had just stepped back a century. I’d never noticed this shop before and yet how many times have I walked up this road?

I was getting into this exercise now, so I knew what I wanted to take a picture of next. It’s been intriguing me for months. I thought it had been removed from the cemetery, but as I waited to take the picture, I realised that the workmen were coming from the building around the corner that’s being knocked down, or rebuilt – it’s kind of difficult to tell. So I suppose this is part of the façade that they are going to preserve. I can’t wait to see exactly what it looks like. I wonder if I did ever see it, but just didn’t perceive it.

Again I knew what I was going to take next when I realised that the ivy was hanging low over the wall. When did it grow? I walk this way home everyday and again I wasn’t aware that there had been an ivy growth spurt. And the trees, I never look up into the trees.

But ahh, he’s still there. Maybe he’s a little remainder of the squat that was across the road but which is now sealed with breeze blocks.

So that’s why I got back to thinking about that painting. I know what it is, I had spent months working on it, planning it, trying out stuff, I knew what it was. I was so into it, I couldn’t see anything else and it took someone else telling me something completely different to ‘look’ at it again.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

I completely and utterly love that painting, V, it's brilliant!

Unknown said...

Hello AV&A. Thanks, I'm glad you like it, this is actually a colour photocopy. I went through my folder properly for the first time in ages yesterday. I was actually looking for something else, but I remembered it really differently.

Rick said...

I like the painting, Verilion. I'm curious about the materials you used, in the large-size pic it almost looks like a kind of tile or mosaic. (BTW, although I'm genuinely curious, please don't get the impression that I actually know anything about oils/paints etc.!)

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful Verilion, a really vivid and wonderous piece. The tiled effect, the colors and it is utterly amazing how so many things can be seen in one painting, in one photograph, in one piece of art -- be it by others or even ourselves (at different stages in life).

Unknown said...

HI Kyklops, it's actually a water colour, but I used that gloopy stuff that you peel off afterwards to get the lines/tile affect. There are actually more purples and greens in the original which didn't come out in the photocopy. I'll have a good look tonight though!
And GT that's what I like about art really, the fact that it's open to so much interpretation. You kind of forget that sometimes when you are doing. Also I like the way that drawing and painting makes you look at stuff differently.
This piece is kind of influenced by Hockney's swimming pool stuff.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful painting, Versilion. And I enjoyed the stroll through the streets. :)

Unknown said...

Isn't it weird how we do remember things so differently - but the nice part is it makes the rediscovery something of an adventure!

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