2022 in Pisticci…I was inspired by my painting…..

I never thought that I’d be saying that. I’m often inspired by other people’s paintings; regularly in fact.

But this morning I was sitting outside having a coffee and checking out my latest painting on my phone. It wasn’t finished and I was wondering what to do next.

For years I’ve been trying to paint like somebody else. I’ve tried and tried to change my style. I thought it was a bit childish and not very exciting and lacked any feeling. ( despite having sold well over 1000 paintings… have lost count.)

It’s only just this year that I gave up trying and decided that I am what I am and started to feel happier with what I painted.

I’ve always liked to think that I was a working painter. In that I was happy to have a go at anything anyone asked me to do and that I would do my best to make a good job.

The painting is finished now.

This is what it looked like this morning

This morning as I was looking at it critically I started to appreciate what I liked about it.

I particularly liked the ugly wall underneath the church . Then I liked the shadows on the white houses.

I think maybe I looked at with new interest. I like pleasing people and the first version of this painting has already pleased the lady who lives in the house with all the flowers and now I think it will please someone else. That’s a good feeling.

I think I paint “happy” paintings. There is already enough misery and tragedy in the world without me adding to it.

I might have been a little influenced by reading the news from Ukraine.

So I started painting today more contentedly, because I felt that although I can’t do everything, I can do this and that matters.

Today I also paid the last part of my water bill….for now, and went to the farmacia. And just as importantly I got some exercise……and some photos.