It's All About Colour

Painting is all about colour. There is no painting without colour - even if it is in black and white - although some would say that those are non-colours. Design, compostion, theme or subject are superimposed on colour. The following two paintings are purely a response to colour.
This of course opens up the whole discussion about what is art -more on that later.

Verdure

Orange Catalyst

Inspiration

What inspires us to paint a subject? There are a thousand answers for a thousand artists and a thousand paintings.
I had an inspiration several years ago when I saw an elderly man in France. He was walking downhill between houses on a village road. He had on a coat that had fit him at one point, but now he was very thin. He had an old slouchy hat. He had a small poodle on a leash which looked as old as he was. He appeared to have come out of a cafe. It was very poignant. What was his story? Was he alone and lonely? Was he going home to his wife? Was the dog, his best and only pal? The idea was to do a painting that captured the mood of the scene and all it's questions for the viewer. Since then I have done the "Old Man and Dog" in about six paintings in many guises and environments. I think he will be with me forever.
My current "old man" is a "dandy", and the "old lady" in the painting is after him - thus the title "The Pursuit of Happiness". I had seen him a couple of times, always looking smart, with his knee socks and hat. He was still jaunty in spite of obvious arthritis, which forced him to walk with bent knees. He looks attainable in the painting, but finally turns away. Perhaps his mind is elsewhere. What would happen if the old lady caught him?

                                              The Pursuit of Happiness