When I first started painting there came a time when I finally thought I painted something worth keeping. I painted the view looking across the bay towards Mentone. The Mentone Hotel is the featured building on the rise. I can't remember what happened, perhaps I accidently kicked sand onto the paint or repainted an area that I was not happy with, but eventually I painted the sky about six times, and I was never as happy as I was with the first sky I painted. It's probably been on my mind for nearly four decades so recently I decided to repaint the entire painting but using the old one as a model. I took some tracings and retraced the basic forms onto a new panel of the same size and redid this version. I'm fairly happy with this one and although the initial sky was blue, I liked the idea of a grey sky since there can be just as many wonderful colours on a grey day as there is when the sun shines brightly.
I've aways loved Vermeer's work and his View of Delft must have had a big influence on my choice of site.
Grey Sky over the Bay, 2020, oil on panel, 35.5 x 45.75 cm
Mentone, 1980s, oil on canvas board, 35.5 x 45.75 cm
Vermeer's View of Delft, 1660-1661, oil on canvas, 96.5 c 115.7 cm
