Vauxhall On The Thames

The story of a painting......

This painting evolved. It evolved from an idea that I couldn't quite resolve. The resolution of the idea came from a completely unexpected source. That resolution became the very reason that this painting found it's new home many miles from these shores.

This page contains the story of a painting, the painting that became Vauxhall On The Thames.

The photograph that inspired. Used with kind permission of Mr Steve North (Actor & Director)

A sketch. An idea unresolved.

Some sketches, but not quite a fully formed idea.

Where to begin with a story about a painting? I'll start at the beginning.

A few years ago my wife and I had been staying in London for a concert and decided to combine that with a stay over to do the tourist thing in our own capital city.

Along with the usual bits plus the National Gallery and Embankment walks, I had taken along my mini sketch book in case some ideas for a painting might turn up. I sketched from bridges, from the embankment itself, Trafalgar Square and many other places. Nothing really lit my fuse as I think I was more focussed on enjoying the break with my wife.

Fast forward a little while and an old friend of mine, Actor and Director, Steve North, who also happened to be a friend on Facebook posted a picture. He'd taken it at St George Wharf, Vauxhall Bridge, on the Thames looking down towards Battersea Power Station.

I loved the picture he'd taken, inspiration had struck. I was reminded of some of the sketches I had made the previous year. A couple were very near in position of reference to where my friend had taken his picture.

I looked out my sketchbook, found my scribblings and realised that Steve's picture gave me the resolution of the ideas I had when out sketching. I hastily sent Steve a message asking for permission to use the picture as the inspiration for my painting and he happily gave it.

Now it was back to London to get painting.

Staying briefly with a friend in London presented a great opportunity to get the easel and the paints out to get to work on the piece that had been inspired by Steve's picture. I got lucky. Having come back at a similar time of year I was able to get an evening with very similar light conditions. My goal wasn't to recreate Steve's picture completely but to use it as the inspiration. It was going to be a couple of sittings over a couple of evenings to get what I needed.

The one important detail I wanted to recreate was the ferry coming into the wharf. Unfortunately it didn't appear on my outing so I used a little artistic licence to enhance the boats that were present at the time and I had Steve's picture for reference so I could make a stab at it. I managed to get the canvas covered and give myself little to do at the studio and probably the happiest bit was being able to get that sky right in front of me.

The first sitting, a happy start.

The second evening's work. More blocking in and a chance to enhance the sky and actually see a very similar sunset to my initial inspiration in Steve's picture.

I just had to move the sun and the reflection over a touch to make it work. The only things to do back at the studio were some foreground work and some work on the river. Nearly there........

The second sitting.

Finishing.

Once back in the home studio I could enhance some of the darks, deepen the foreground, and work on some of the smaller highlights having already grabbed the initial vibe I wanted from the painting sessions at the bridge.

After that, it was a case of drying time. Then a good varnish and all ready for framing.

Once done, the framed, finished painting was listed on my site for sale. If you had told me then what was to happen next, I would never in a million years, have believed you.

All done and ready for a forever wall to hang on.

A twist in the tail.....

Once a painting is finished it goes up for sale. As the painter of the work I obviously have no idea who may purchase the piece despite having my 'ideal collector' in mind when I finish it.

In the instance of this painting I don't think I ever could have imagined the context in which someone in the world would find my work, and it would be, literally, the exact piece they were looking for.

As we all know now know, a pandemic hit the whole world in 2020 resulting in the 'Lock Downs' across the planet that affected us all.

The lock downs restricted us all in so many ways, not least of which was the ability to travel.

And here's where the Universe decides to intervene in an amazing way.

I received a communication from a lovely lady living in Michigan, USA. In it she told me she had found my painting and would like to purchase it. So far so good.

And then she told me 'why?' my painting. Remember this is lock down, and we have no idea how long travel restrictions will apply.

It turns out that my lady from the US also has a flat in a building in the UK. Actually the flat is in London. Indeed the flat is in the Tower at St George Wharf.

Unfortunately lock down was turning out to mean that she had no idea when she would see her flat again, and more importantly she had no idea when she would be able to enjoy the view from her flat in the Tower.

The view?

The view depicted in my painting........... St George Wharf being right beside where I had painted it from.

So that painting sits in Michigan, a present to the lovely lady's husband to remind them both of the view they enjoyed so much when in London.

The Universe is really an amazing thing and sometimes a painting can become so much more than a painting.