Progress

The painting is now at that dangerous stage; so close to being finished, and so easily ruined beyond repair. Making matters more difficult I am starting to doubt the concept. Is it working? Can the two parts be made to relate to each other?

One option I have toyed with is introducing a single red poppy into the bottom right corner (where there is writing currently). The idea is to connect the red poppy with my daughter's red sunhat. But I don't want to 'over use' the poppy metaphor.

A second idea is to colour one of the small photos that have spilled onto the ground with some yellow - again linking to my daughter in the top panel. Will this be too subtle?

I still intend to write Thomas Paine's quote through the black strip. This should soften the otherwise harsh black line.

So many choices still to be made, so many potential disasters!

Progress so far

With only weeks to go before I need to ship the canvas to Cassino, the painting is coming together. I am happy with the top portion. Some will recognise the islands off Whangamata beach (detail shown above).

Hauturu or Clark Island is accessible by wading at low tide and is popular in summer months for rock-pool fossickers and kayakers. Whenuakura, sometimes known as Donut Island, sits about a kilometre east of the southern part of Whangamata beach (Otahu Beach). Tuatara roamed on Whenuakura until fairly recently. Whenuakura Island has a large collapsed blow hole which has formed a small beach inside the island - hence the alternative name.




The challenge ahead is ensuring the two parts of the painting work as a cohesive whole. I have a few ideas on how to connect them; you'll have to wait a few weeks for the next instalment .