'Helmsley Walled Garden' and ‘Pots and Plants’

Someone once sent me a little saying in an anonymous ‘share a special part of a poem with a stranger’ project. It went something like this...

In the darkest part of the dark night - the light comes.

At the time I tossed it to one side dismissively as somehow not coming up to the mark in the profundity I was seeking. However, it stayed with me and came to mind again when I made the arduous journey from ‘Helmsley Walled Garden’ to ‘Pots and Plants ’.

I have struggled with the Helmsley Walled Garden painting for over two years; Spent hours and much paint on trying to get it right. It has been finished several times, but I was never happy with it. The bonfire came to mind, I lost faith in my ability as a painter.

I was eventually reminded of what I teach my students. “You must sometimes destroy what you are most attached to in an image to make it come alive.” It was only when I did this that the painting began to have vitality and strength. How greatly is painting a mirror of life. Authenticity in painting must come from deep inside, never from the surface. This new image has surprising new marks. It is clean and fresh alive and dynamic.