It's the Derbyshire Open soon. If was was going to enter I'd need to design and paint a painting fast. The painting must be about Derbyshire so I decided to brainstorm ten ideas one night and pick the best. Some were difficult to stage or complex to paint (one, Joseph Wright's Head in an Airpump was particularly impractical) but a few fitted the bill as both artworks, pretty things and practicality.
I chose the idea above, which I'll explain because it's a bit obscure there. It's man's head like a mountain and it's crying a waterfall. This represents the mineral water that Buxton is famous for. Now see this...
The colours and general design were inspired by Bolsover Castle, with the head being browny and the landscape greeny. I grabbed a face photo and made the rest up. Painting is now in progress.
When mocked up I realised that the painting was also about the ear infection that I'm being treated for. This long term problem saddens me, primarily because I feel rather let down by the health service, taking over a year to get this far and even now not getting a certain official diagnosis. However, I am confident that I'm finally on the mend. In these circumstances I like to think that fate is at play, and that this great painting, perhaps destined to win an award! is and was the ultimate reason for my health difficulties.
Onward! I'll post images when the painting is complete, which will be within four weeks.
