AMATEUR ARTWORK: 2002 to 2005
Please note that all paintings listed by Artist Codes 0000 to 0020 were painted prior to my turning professional. I started to number them in this way not in any particular order, then realized that if I was to be a professional, I needed to have a proper coding practice. So I decided after these 21 pictures that I would have four-digit Artist Codes, the first two digits representing the year, and the second two digits the order in which I either painted or sketched the artworks (not necessarily completing them at the time), i.e. “1023” was painted in 2010 and was number 23 of 23 paintings started during that year.
0002 Yellow Daffodils
Botanical Illustration. Artist Code: 0002. Completed March 2002. Original. Water colour. Hand cut Archival Mount size 15″ x 21″ SOLD at St Mary’s Church, Comberton, Christmas exhibition, November 2018.
Having taught my self to paint from the age of seven, I decided in 2002 to apply for entry to learn Botanical Illustration with the University of Cambridge, who run courses from Madingley Hall. I spent the next two years doing three courses, two of ten-weeks’ duration (2 hours, once a week) and one of five weeks, to learn the craft. My tutor was Georita Harriott, who proved to be my inspiration for turning professional, as she was most encouraging, and a very good teacher.
What can you say about one of the world’s most beautiful spring flowers? It was my first attempt at botanical illustration, after the ‘leafy’ preliminary practices in the class, which, when I have passed on, may hopefully be termed, ‘my earliest [professional] work’!
In the Language of Flowers, the Victorians associated Daffodils with Chivalry, Faith, Honesty, Forgiveness, Rebirth and New Beginnings. Coming up each Spring as Daffodils do, it is easy to accommodate Victorian reasoning.
Poem:
YELLOW DAFFODILS
Trumpets with a silent call
Burst petals six from crinkled shawl
On slender stems stand tall and proud
And brighten duller days of cloud
What can we say on such a sight
‘A golden daffodil delight!’
