This painting is one of a series of five I produced after a rather strange enforced ‘dry spell’.  I say enforced because I had no control of the impact a phenomenon had at one time in my life.  This phenomenon affected the vast majority of people throughout the world.  It was 2019 and we were overpowered by a dreadful disease that killed millions and was a threat to every one of us.  A ‘lockdown’ was imposed banning society from leaving their home except for bare essentials. People dealt with this traumatic period of 18 months in their own way.  I began by setting up a facebook page with ideas for activities for young families to do at home.  I didn’t realise at first, but the shock had removed any sense of my own creative spirit.  I dredged from my memory things I used to do as a child to help others to cope with the strange suffocating situation whilst doing nothing to help myself.  The restrictions made upon us to not leave our home weirdly impacted on my desire to go to my studio in the garden.  I was frightened to go outside the house!  The restraint further impacted on my physical movements.  Making big marks on a big canvas with oils or acrylics with wide open arm motions was quite out of the question.  Expressing myself with large gestures just wasn’t going to happen.  I felt too suffocated with fear.  Thankfully, things began to improve and after a year, I decided I had to make an effort to get back into painting.  However, I still couldn’t take that walk all the way down to the end of the garden – not really that far as it happens when I look at it now.  Anyway, I set myself up indoors with my watercolours and started very gingerly to paint.  The Naze Tower is a prominent landmark in Walton on the Naze where I live.  It stands tall and proud and has been there for many years standing precariously on a cliff that is treacherously falling down around it.  I chose this subject to represent my return to painting; I must now stand tall and show I had the same strength to survive the catastrophy that surrounded me.  It was the perfect start back and was followed by four more watercolours of local scenes; Naze Cove, Promenade, Projecting Pier and Hungry Gulls.  I was back!

Winsor and Newton watercolour on Bockingford 300gm NOT

15″ X 11″