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| The finished painting – Yewbarrow by Wastwater. |
A week ago today, David Powell-Thompson and myself attended a public event in the Coronation Hall, Ulverston organised by BBC Radio Cumbria and Up For Arts. ‘A Picture of Cumbria’ was presented live on radio for the morning which involved members of the public contributing towards a ‘painting by numbers’ display created by Reeves’ artist Geoff Tristram of one of my photos chosen by the BBC.
The idea behind the event was to get locals inspired to the scenic delights of the area coupled with provoking an interest in the arts. I’m pleased to say the event went extremely well with people of all ages grasping a pot of paint and painting a selected area of the canvass with brush in hand.
I have to admit, it was thrilling to see one of my photos come to life as a painting, all from the efforts of the general public. I was immensely proud to say the least. It was also nice bumping into folks sharing their thoughts on my recent film ‘Life of a Mountain: Scafell Pike’.
Three hours rolled on by and eventually the painting was completed as you can see above. Wonderful! What’s happening to the painting now? I don’t really know at the moment, but I’m told it will be doing a tour of schools within the county.
You can listen to the show HERE on iPlayer which includes a few pieces with me talking with the presenter Kevin Fernihough and David Powell-Thompson.
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| After I painted the first number, David followed suit. |
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| Families joined in painting in parts of the display. |
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| Slowly but surely the image came to life. |
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| Was a packed house at one point with folks queuing to contribute. |
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| Almost finished! |
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| The original photo – Yewbarrow by Wastwater. |
TERRY ABRAHAM 