Fishtown

Fishtown
Watercolour on Paper
54.5cm x 35.5cm (21.5" x 14")

Elaine and I visit Brixham whenever we holiday in Dartmouth. It is a small fishing port and holiday town in the south west of England.

Historically, Brixham was divided into Fishtown (on the coast where the fishermen lived) and Cowtown (on the hill where the farmers lived).

Last year Sky Atlantic showed a 10-part documentary about life in Brixham called Fish Town (see http://skyatlantic.sky.com/shows/fish-town). This is where I got the idea for the name, but I’ve called it Fishtown because it is usually written as one word.

This picture has taken ages. I started it at the end of November and finished it today. While I’ve been working on it, I’ve started and finished four other paintings (Blakemere Moss, Beach Huts, Snowy Lane and Ye Old Dog and Partridge).

The little details take forever. Initially, they are quite therapeutic, but as I get closer to the end, there is a nagging desire not to do anything to spoil the picture.