Railway Street, Bridgnorth
I have the honour and privilege of being invited to restore some of my father's (slightly eccentric) paint finishes at Railway Street using the one and only photo I have of the front of the house for reference. He lived there from 1983 to 2000 during which time his creative construction and decorative skills transformed the house into a labyrinth of wonder. A daunting but also exciting adventure, following in his very skilled footsteps. The last time I was there was with my son Oliver in 2000. Complements to Karolina and Jason Harte who have done a fine job balancing the original character of the house with the requirements of a holiday let which opens this April 2021. An excellent blend of Dad's and their eccentricity combined. It will be a different animal to the house I remember- and I look forward to toasting its new incarnation. Paint brushes packed and ready to go- I hope I do him justice- the excitement is palpable...
https://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/attractions/2021/03/15/gallery-dracups-cottage-soon-to-open-in-bridgnorth/?fbclid=IwAR22Gnm52narkWY_QYmNGGKMGSQigEx9wqxCiA5R_UwUspWJKcU0vTZH2VI

Orders are coming in, and prints are going out. I am delighted with the faithful reproduction I'm seeing. Its very hard to reproduce watercolours due to the subtle tonal changes. And I'm finding it hard to distinguish these from actual watercolours. Partly because they are Giclée prints which means they have an archival durability at exhibition quality and because they are same-size reproductions (actually, a little larger) so fidelity is maintained. This makes sharing them even more delightful as they can be framed and hung as if originals.

I remember as a child, being fascinated by the names on those tiny tubes of watercolour paint. Somehow mystical associations came up for me. Half squeezed and wrinkled or brand new and swollen, I would read the labels pasted on the front as if they were some sort of secret insight into my father's magic. Rose Madder, Sap Green, Cerulean Blue... It is, in fact an alchemical thing, this painting process. Now, well into his future, seeing the dry pigment sitting on the thick paper it seems more than just a picturesque depiction of the world. With the passing of time, these watercolours  are paradoxically embedded with both mystery and insight at the same time.