Nostalgia

I am by nature given to nostalgic phases. As a young boy I used to live within 100yds of the London Midland and Scottish Railway line. My brother and I would sit on the embankment and watch the locomotives thundering up the line. I loved the sound of the big pistons and the smell of the smoke with bits of burning black coal. Occasionally we would place an old penny on the track and recover it after the loco had passed. The resultant mishapen brass pressing would be an item to cherish. We also used to go down to the "sheds" where the locomotives were kept and maintained. As young boys we were often treated to cabbing, that is being allowed on the platform of the engine by a kindly fireman or driver while she was fired up. This was in the days before health and safety.

Anyway later in life I taught myself basic engineering and did make some working model steam stationary engines and boilers. I always felt steam engines were a living thing.

You can now see that I find them to be a good subject albeit I rarely get to see one these days.

The painting above of the Gwili Railway is sold. Today was spent with grandchildren and collecting my mom from the home. Tomorrow I will be painting in the gallery.