Home is where the heart is

A few weeks ago I went for a walk with a good friend in an area that is new to me although I lived there for about a year, not that I remember it particularly well. I was all of three years old at the time!

Of course it interested me to see it, since its a beautiful part of the rolling hills of East Staffordshire, and seemed to be filled with lots of fields, and trees and hedges with the odd village here and there and some stunning houses dotted around. My grandparents used to live in that area which is why I am familiar with it and more than happy to explore it again.

My friend was an excellent guide and we had a perfect day for it, walking amongst bluebell woods and along quiet country lanes. After dinner she and I went for another walk, which was supposed to be a short one but ended up being a few miles longer than I expected which meant that it was getting dark before we returned. Not that that bothered either of us, we are both country people and used to being out in twilight which is my favourite time of day. Particularly on a clear night, as this one, when the air is clear and you can see the trees silhouetted against the deepening blue sky and the odd star appearing overhead. I always take my camera on days like this, and had taken lots of photos earlier of the sunlight through the trees, creating dappled sunlight and back-lighting the spring leaves. And took some more as the twilight fell about us.

When I down loaded my photos a couple of days later there was one in particular that I liked and knew that it would make an excellent painting, infact the idea for the title came to me whilst I looked at it, always a good sign!!! 🙂

Last week I started work on it, and can now show you the photo I worked from, and the finished painting which is done in acrylics on a 16 x 12 inch block canvas with some texture within the paint.

The tree silhouetted against the sky was what appealed to me, with the pale pinks and blues of the sky behind. But I also liked the light of the house beyond it, it looked so welcoming. So it was that that gave me the idea of the title of the painting, but the house had to be moved with a bit of artistic licence over to the other side of the lane! It balanced the painting better. Other than that the painting is the same as the photo except I have really zipped up the colours making them more vibrant! Black is black, but colours can be enhanced! The main colour was in the sky, and I only had to hint at colour within the purple grey of the lane, and the late yellowing light on the grass of the verge and hedge.  I wanted the house to have all the lights on, as if the viewer is returning home after walking the dog, or driving home after a long day. Either way, you know that the house is full of laughter and family, and love, and the minute you walk through the door there will be welcome greetings and a fire lit, and you can relax with your  happy family around you. The title that inspired all of this? … why its…. “Home is where the heart is”. Of course.