David Curtis
The Stable Block – Sandbeck, oil on board, 7x10in (18x25.5cm). This is an end-of-the-day subject. So often, for some reason, your last piece of the day might just be the best. I think it is a carefreeness of attitude where that creative buzz occasionally surfaces. Strong vertical and horizontal features always assist compositional values
Quite often, it is easy to lose sight of enticing subjects in one’s immediate locality. In my case, I have used the garden at Gibdyke House as the basis of the rural theme. Rather than the tidy manicured effect, the garden is a more comforting, chaotic mix of mature trees, pond and a bit of ‘shed land’ including chickens, dogs and cats. The house is 17th century and set in rural Nottinghamshire. All very conducive to the painter’s eye, I think. The village church is just visible through the tree mass some 100 yards distant.