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Reflections
- The story of the painting
This painting was a personal challenge. Some years ago my wife
and I were making use of a Rover ticket to travel throughout Devon
on a Summer Sunday. Having traveled from Okehampton to Moretonhampstead
on a coach, then across Dartmoor on the Transmoor-Link to Plymouth
and by rail to Gunnislake, the final leg of our journey was to
return to Okehampton by bus.
The bus was a 1960s double-decker
run by the Western National Preservation Group and had been lovingly
restored. It had spent most of its working life in the Totnes
area.
Taking a seat at the rear of the
upper deck I hardly noticed the brilliant white gloss finished
ceiling, full of reflections of the interior and the surrounding
ground outside.
That was until another passenger
boarded the lower deck, then, wow! The slight sway and rocking
of the vehicle set all these reflections into movement. To me
they become almost fluid like, as water on oil or mercury when
released. These distorted images became animated. Shifting, only
slightly, gracefully, shimmering then in a second they were still
again.
It was at that point I decided
it was a real challenge to capture that image in a painting. Taking
only one photo at the time, it was not until I made a start, sometime
later, that I realised I did not have enough information about
the interior. So a couple of years later my wife and I returned
to Okehampton to ride the same bus for the whole day, making notes
and sketches - much to the delight of the crew for the day.
Objects like the cigarette ‘stubber’
take on a new meaning. Complex forms, textured surfaces, the chromium
finish and the precise lettering make this object worthy of closer
inspection.
The window vents, stair well mirror,
handrail fixings, bell push, upholstery detail and patterning
in the Formica seat backs, all need attention to successfully
portray this unique interior.
You might say would it not have
been easier to have made these studies at the garage where it
was stored? No, because the light in the garage did not replicate
the full light reflectance experienced in the car park on that
summers’ day.
I chose the title, not only because
of the obvious visual clues in all the interior surfaces, but
because the passengers who are sharing our journey were also taking
the bus for pleasure, so adopt a relaxed posture, aimlessly staring
out the windows or checking journey details on the timetable,
in no haste…probably reflecting on the day’s pleasures!
The painting itself took about
eight weeks to complete and is in oil on board. The frame was
stained to match the interior green and gilded with silver leaf.
Size 44” x 33”
The painting is sometimes titled
“Reflections on 2019”. This is a reference to the maker's
number of the bus.
David Fisher, October 2007
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