There's no point me lying about this, I'm absolutely delighted with this, and I think it's the finest direct watercolour portrait I've ever painted. Every now and then you get to paint something where you think - blimey, I must be making some progress. This is one of those.
A change of pace here. I wanted to do another full page picture, and I liked this subject. I was particularly taken with the silhouette of the masts and the rigging, and I think that's probably the best thing about this picture.
27) Grasshopper
Amongst last year's 30x30 I painted a rather nice wasp, and so I fancied doing a different inset this year. Hence the grasshopper. I've never seen such big grasshoppers as they get in Spain in the Alicante region.
28) Menai Bridge
I can't do a set of pictures and not have at least one bridge in it. The beautiful Menai Suspension Bridge - the world's first - is Thomas Telford's masterpiece, and justly loved as a great Welsh landmark.
29) Zoltan Speaks
No idea what prompted me to paint this, maybe I heard the name Zoltan in passing and it sparked a memory of the Tom Hanks film.
