Hop on a bus

[Peter Insole]

I am not sure how to best to say thank you everyone for your kind comments. Each time I write a line, I read it, then delete it. So I will just pop the pictures on and perhaps try again later?!



There was no easy way or shortcut to depict the road surface either! Like the raindrops on the windows, each grain had to be drawn individually! It is perhaps little wonder that I go a bit potty sometimes?!



So for a bit of light relief, I had a few leaded lights, roof slates and chimney pots as well as loads of privet leaves to do!



There is another story attached to this part of the picture:

As memory fades, I needed to make several trips down to Ilford, searching first for the preferred location, then for appropriate details like surviving architectural features and information on the original street furniture for this picture.

My "day job" takes me around Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex and I get to meet quite a few folks of all ages, sometimes regularly, but mostly on a casual basis. On the first Monday following my last trip I met a gentleman in Sudbury that I had worked with on a few previous occasions. During a mid morning break, he asked me this question:

"Are you doing one of your railway paintings at the moment?"

"No, this one is a view from the front seat and over the bonnet of a London RT bus" I replied.

"Whereabouts?" he enquired,

"Cranbrook Road, Ilford",

"Ah, yes", "North or South?

"Southwards, midway between Gants Hill and Valentines Park",

"Yes, I used to go to school by bus on that route"... He continued... "On the left, there is a big house, right on the corner of Holcombe Road. One of my school chums lived there and I used to get off at the request stop and have tea with him and his family sometimes"!

Small world innit?!

I had often noted that house with it's more mature gardens, all those years ago, and had chosen that particular request stop location as my viewpoint!



On another occasion during the time I was working on this picture, my wife and I attended a vintage vehicle rally and spotted this perfect little Ford van. My good lady insisted that I photograph it, as it's registration carried her name! This pic is a huge magnification, so picking out DEB 941 was a bit of a "one hair of the brush" exercise!

Being right handed, I always start a picture from top left and then work towards bottom right. That way, I avoid the risk of accidental damage!

So now for that fascinating cab...



There are reflections in glass going on all over the place here. I don't seem to be able to escape from doing bricks and mortar either!



The distorted view in the mirror was a bit of fun to work out, and a "one hair..." job again!



And it finishes with a bit of the aluminium handrail us kiddies used to hold on to as we stood, knelt or sat on that much prized front seat!

Pete.

 

[Dog Star]

Reminds me of the time when I took my three Boys to the Bluebell by train and we got a RT from East Grinstead to Kingscote. Brought back memories of when I was young and a trip on route 156 was much sought after. Anyway, the lads were around ten years old at the time and wanted to ride in the front seat upstairs... until I pointed out the bell pull on the lower deck! Thankfully the conductor and driver were cheery souls and we were the only passengers - that bell rang most of the way back to Grinstead on our return journey.

 

[Osgood]

This is all quite surreal. I now have no idea where reality stops and illusion takes over. Yet this is not a photograph - somehow it is far better than that.

On a recent visit to the National Portrait Gallery to see the BP Portrait Award exhibition, I encountered several pictures done in a new-to-me painting method which came as close to a photograph as one could ever imagine was possible. Yet I did not like them as much as those which perhaps slightly stylised the image, or maybe left something to the imagination.

I can't yet work out what it is about these pictures (tube train, RT bus) that makes me prefer them to the real thing. You seem to have introduced a magical character or atmosphere to these scenes in some way. I'd love to see these pictures in the flesh - do please let us know if they are to be exhibited.

And this (despite the one-hair brush) is all coloured pencil?
With paint one can mostly re-cover anything which needs amending, but what about pencil? Is the secret not to make any mistakes?

If you don't mind me saying, the revelation that your partner is called DEB 941 makes me begin to wonder if the 1972 film 'Stepford Wives' might in fact have been a documentary?

 

[Peter Insole]

Thank you Os, I suppose it would be an unsatisfactory answer to say that I have no idea where my style comes from?! But there it is! Perhaps it was my struggling attempts to imitate photography, and the naively youthful notion that was the ultimate "realism" goal, that ended up leading me further away!

I like to consider "distance" - the one thing that I discovered photography is completely incapable of doing!

The pictures are mixed media, and yes, there is only very limited scope for correction! I find it almost impossible to multi-task, so when I start on every picture, I HAVE to have an absolutely clear image in my head of the WHOLE picture, and work without interruption. If I am distracted by another task, I frequently forget most, if not all that I originally had in mind!!! That is mainly why I am surrounded by so much unfinished work!

Maybe I might get started again soon on another big picture. I do hope so?!

Pete.

 

[Simon]

Stunning images all, most especially wonderful is the cab with the fantastic collection of reflections. The aluminum handles are sublime and as someone who spent their early years in London and was taken on buses a lot it is all fantastically evocative.

Genius seems an inadequate description of your work to me, wonderful artistry whatever you call it.

Simon

 

[Peter Insole]

Thanks ever so much Simon. I'm afraid that when it comes to managing and marketing I'm a complete **** though!

Feeling that this picture might have a wider appeal than my usual work, I asked my photographer to do a "Giclee" print run. He took an extra digital photograph of the picture, and after working it up to standard (post production I think it's called) printed two proof copies.

The prints were absolutely stunning. I have never yet seen any of my work so beautifully reproduced!

Several people had expressed a firm interest in buying them, so I felt confident that even if I only managed to sell a minimum of three, that would cover the cost of setting up, plus starting work on the next image.

Fool! All but one baulked at the £120 price (that included "Archival" backing and mounting), so I was lumbered with a debt that I couldn't repay.

Although I was relieved that the photographer didn't pursue the debt, as he would have been fully entitled to do, he simply deleted all the files instead.

All I am left with is the original 5" x 4" transparency. The problem for me now is finding someone else who is capable of digital scanning to a sufficiently high standard for an even half decent Giclee! and making sure that I can afford all the up front costs first!!

I'm not at all sure where to start?!

Pete.

 

[Osgood]

….Fool! All but one baulked at the £120 price (that included "Archival" backing and mounting),……...I'm not at all sure where to start?!….

It is tempting to suggest the only fools here were those who baulked at the asking price, but that might be most unfair as perhaps they simply did not have the funds available. I hope you will try again. If you can find a way to organise another batch, here is one sincere pledge to purchase a copy! And this despite London / its suburbs / buses / commuting not being my favourite topics!!

Maybe 15 years ago, following a direct approach to him by letter, I was invited to spend a day perusing and selecting a few images from Colin Garratt's vast 35mm slide collection to be made into large prints. The opportunity to just look through these was a wonderful privilege, and I have some beautiful wall decoration as a result. At the time and his team were really struggling to come up with a suitable means of marketing his collection to interested parties like myself who might wish to hang a print on their wall. They eventually came up with a solution. There must be a suitable solution out there to suit your requirements too.

Some artists choose to market their prints through the Guild of Railway Artists website, as well as having their own more direct outlets (in fact this is where I found a couple of very low res. images of your station pictures). I recently took a chance on a print from this website by an artist whose work I was unfamiliar with, and was very happy with my purchase. But low resolution images are not the best means of persuading people to buy.

For bus-specific subjects, how about investigating what opportunities might be available through an appropriate museum - for example the London Bus Museum at Brooklands? There is also the main Brooklands shop here selling a few very high quality items. I wouldn't be surprised if you could reach a fair few folk who would appreciate the quality of your work and be in a position to make a purchase. Many museum shops are lacking in high quality items, choosing (no doubt for sound commercial reasons) instead to stock only fast-moving budget items. I reckon they could be missing a trick or two.

My guess is that people who are presented with an opportunity to look closely at an actual displayed print (e.g. in a museum shop) and appreciate the quality might be far more inclined to pay a premium price for a premium product than if they were looking at low resolution images on a website.

Tony

 

[mickoo]

Already pledged my support for a Stratford booking hall print and later one of the tube station arches, no idea what it's called.

MD

 

[Peter Insole]

Thanks for your replies Os and Mick. I have got a bit of a hill to climb. Getting over a whole load of bad experiences, albeit mostly of my own making, has taken far too long.

I confess to procrastination, preferring to concentrate on Bagshot and Love Lane lately, (one for income and the other for sanity!) and apologise for putting all my promises on hold.

There is probably no better time than now to put my skates on?

Pete.