My wife’s father recently sold up the family property out Barossa Valley way for a sea change down south. An intrinsic element of the property was a row of almond trees that lined the track up to the house and for this reason the sight of almond blossom, as fleeting as it is, holds a special place in my wife’s heart.
One particular winter when her and the kids (back when there were two) were wandering down through the long grass among these almond trees I took a number of photos which we have always loved.
She’d been making some fairly unsubtle hints recently about how she would like a small painting to remind her of her old home and as I have been enjoying painting these value studies, I thought I’d paint something based on the photos from that day to see how it might turn out. There were interesting tonal things happening with the grass and the blossom itself really seemed to pop against the grey sky so it seemed like a good candidate.
I didn’t tell her I was going to paint this so when I showed her the results of the nights work, she got all emotional and claimed was perfect – exactly what she was after.
Love seeing something I have painted instill the emotion embodied within a place, or a person, or even a feeling that I am trying to convey. If I can achieve this, I am happy.
