I painted this in 2004 after my first visit to the Lake District. Merice and I stayed in Keswick on our 25th wedding anniversary – I even surprised her with twenty five red roses waiting when we came down for breakfast. This is therefore a ‘happy’ painting as it brings back happy memories of our time there celebrating a special occasion for us. That set me thinking whether anyone else would see it as a ‘happy’ painting? Is it possible that the positive energy I put into this painting can somehow influence a viewer? I think it can and does. Every painting contains a little bit of the painter. The emotions are bound to affect the outcome of your work – so if you are feeling happy and settled then surely the resultant painting will have a positive and happy feel to it. Conversely then if things are not going so smoothly that will be reflected in the work too. A classic example of this can be found by comparing the serene paintings by a happy and contented John Constable while his wife was alive with the darker, more sombre nature of his later work after his wife had died. The painting itself is a fairly simple but classic view from the Lake District as the sun starts to set over Lake Windermere. I used some masking fluid for the shore line and painted the shapes in ‘wet on wet’ just allowing the colours to run and mix together. Anyway there it is. I would be very interested what you think and whether it makes you happy too. Let me know. Glenn
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