05:0./;a couple of weeks until the day I was choosing a frame.
Looking at it with fresh eyes, I decided I could not live
with the bright blue colour. I still couldn’t see the people
swimming, but the whole thing reminded me of a big
swimming pool; the blue was just overpowering. I decided
to use some of my folk art knowledge to ‘antique’the
project. I applied a thin layer of dark brown paint mixed
with retarder over the whole painting, and then proceeded to
rub it back off with a sponge to reveal just the main image.
My husband watched me from a good viewing distance, and
when it looked done from there he said, “It’s finished! Don’t
do any more.”
That painting took pride of place at the entry to my studio
until recently, when I closed the studio to concentrate on
producing my DVD series. It now hangs in my dining room.
It has been my most admired and ‘commented on’work and
it is amazing the different things that different people see
in it. One lady said she could see a big eye in the middle
where the gold is. After she said that, I could see it too. I
still can’t really see the people swimming ... but I’m sure
they are there.
My long-term goal is to produce a complete DVD
series that covers all aspects of painting and drawing for
those people who (like me) prefer to learn from home.
And I would like to produce artworks for some travelling
exhibitions to complement the DVDs.O