"Now, picture your happy place...." The house upon a hill Painting

I made this painting following a recent need for solitude and aloneness. I've always been a creature with hermit tendencies and recently have found myself craving my "Happy Place." This term, for me, comes from meditation sessions that I attended whilst at University back at the end of the 1990's. The meditation leader would ask us all to go to our "Happy Place," a place where we felt safe, relaxed and at one with ourselves and our surroundings. This painting is just one of many happy places that I "go to" when my mind is feeling cluttered and overwhelmed by the demands of modern life, consumerism, greed and the tragic inhumanities that seem to be so commonplace in the corporate greed of 2021. The unimposing house is isolated in a rural landscape, somewhere I would be alone- but not lonely. I chose to set the painting at night, further emphasising the idea of quietness and solitude. A simple home, away from The World, a fire in the hearth and a full and glorious moon shining over head. Serendipitously, after painting the smoke arising from the chimney I noticed how it bore a resemblance to the form, grace and ethereal beauty of Matisse's ballerinas dancing off into the night sky like guardian angels. I thought back to my university days for further inspiration for the style of the piece and immediately the works of Paul Klee came to mind, his desire to paint with the "innocence of a child, or the wonder of a traveller entering a new country for the first time." Colours are kept to a palette similar to that found in the mid 1950's, a time of Enid Blyton, railway children, lashings of ginger beer, innocence and simplicity, rolling landscapes to explore, rather than virtual ones to get lost in, such is the case today. This artwork is done on a stretched canvas, I draw the lines in pencil before painting them in black paint, I then fill the cells using block colour, making sure not to be too fastidious regarding the edges, giving the painting that childlike quality that's in-fitting with the notion of a Simpler Time and a certain carefree attitude. Finally, I hand make the frame using reclaimed pine, I leave the frame as raw wood to further emphasise the importance of natural, honest materials. Hooks and chain are included so the painting is ready to hang. The artwork is signed and numbered on the reverse- this being number 1 in this series. If you would prefer, I can also add a signature and edition number to the front of the canvas. Many thanks for taking the time to view my artwork, Paul Whorlow

Painting:Acrylic on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:20.5 W x 24.2 H x 0.7 D in

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