October

This painting was mostly a mistake, or created via a slice of serendipity. My initial idea didn't quite go to plan so I 'whited' out the element I was unhappy with (the section in the middle) and then sat with it for a few days wondering what to fill the space with. After discounting about a hundred other ideas, I settled for autumn leaves, it is the season after all.

'October' Acrylic on a box canvas 24" x 12"

The Reason

A spark of inspiration whilst on the train travelling to Southampton and the Isle of Wight

The Setting

The train. The view out of the window and the reflection of the window on the opposite side of the carriage.  

The Inspiration

The dark, dense, wooded trees on one side, the bright, open fields on the other. Reflections. Juxtaposition. Contrasts.

The idea was to paint the woods I could see out of the window of the train, and the reflection of the windows opposite. Running in the white band - before it became white - were bright 'windows' showing an open field. In the painting you could, therefore, see both sides of the train at the same time. I wasn't happy with the contrasts, or the style, or the field, or the picture in general. I think I might try again but I need to think the idea through more carefully.

I didn't want to lose the painting though as I thought the left over 'woods' had potential. The added autumn leaves, were my way of rescuing it. A happy end, to a good beginning and a slightly torturour middle.