This scene is of the magnificent steam ship, the SS Great Britain, which is moored permanently at Bristol Docks. I was commissioned to paint this view taken from a client’s photograph. It has great meaning, not least as it marks the start of a collection of paintings that he would one day like to leave to his children.
A stunning photo, with masts reflected in the water, and a blood orange sky rising gently above the historic funnel. My challenge was to do justice to this iconic scene and this heartfelt commission.
To avoid the painting becoming ‘saccharine’ or ‘chocolate boxy’, I decide on a particular approach of spontaneous, gestural mark making – all over the canvas – with strong, bright colours – magenta, orange, geranium red, pthalo green.
After sufficient drying time, I then work on the canvas again in a second phase of mark making trying not to think of the end result yet, but enjoying the liberating feeling of splashing on the paint, and seeing it run in whatever direction it chooses.
It’s now time to scale up the scene onto the pre-worked canvas.
I liken this phase to how a sculptor chips away at a block of stone, being careful not to take off too much too soon. I find myself nibbling into areas, trying to extract information without loosing the marks underneath. For this painting not to appear ‘chocolate boxy’, I needed to retain some integrity to the marks underneath. In a way, it’s allowing the marks to dictate certain areas, as the brain has the tendency to tidy things up, but I want things to stay fairly messy.
And there you have it. ‘Sunrise over the SS Great Britain’. I’m delighted to say, my client was thrilled with his painting, and I consider it a great privilege to have been asked to paint it. I hope you’ve enjoyed this creative journey, and if you’d like to consider a commission, please feel free to message me through the ‘contacts’ page.