Someone has asked if I have ever been abroad to paint. The answer is yes, I've painted in the Dordogne, and in Assisi and Florence, and some years ago I took my paints with me on a Nile cruise... 'Mud Brick Village and Ancient Tombs' was painted at one of the many places where we dropped anchor en route from Aswan to Luxor. I was attracted by the washed out, dusty atmosphere and sense of timelessness of the place, and the image of the ancient tombs cut into the hillside, which now provided shelter for the living. The painting was subsequently exhibited at the Mall Galleries, London, at the Annual show of the New English Art Club. Unfortunately, the painting didn't sell, so a couple of weeks later I made another trip to London and collected it. That done, I visited the National Gallery, and deposited the painting with the cloakroom attendant, which left me free to wander the building without it appearing as though I'd surreptitiously lifted a priceless artwork from the hallowed walls I then went to Trafalgar Square to have my packed lunch, and do a bit of sketching. This is what a Landseer lion looks like, when you're attempting to wield a pencil in one hand and a cheese sandwich in the other. My work done, I set it down while I poured coffee. Presently, a shadow fell across the sketchbook. I heard the dull clunk of a coin and saw that 50p had been dropped in my lunch box. My first reaction was 'Hmm! Is that all my work is worth?' My second reaction was 'If I can keep this up, I might earn my rail fare home!'
Sadly, I didn't. But I did go home with my painting under my arm, able to tell all my friends that not only had my work been displayed at the Annual exhibition of the New English Art Club, but that it had also been accepted by the National Gallery. And to enjoy a few moments of adulation, before explaining that my brief loan of a painting to the National had been in exchange for a cloakroom ticket. On reflection, I'm pleased that Ancient Tombs didn't find a buyer at the exhibition, because it now joins a selection of pieces that I have painted over the years, each of which holds a very special memory for me. Ancient Tombs was drawn in charcoal and 2b pencil with watercolour wash, on a tinted Fabriano Ingres paper. Landseer's Lion was sketched with charcoal pencil and a subtle smudge of cheddar!
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Judith Key
Judith Key is a Norfolk based artist, working in watercolour and pastel. She has exhibited with the Society of Graphic Fine Artists and New English Art Club at the Mall Galleries, London. Her paintings are in collections worldwide. Categories
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May 2018
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