Westminster Bridge and Houses of Parliament Painting

Updated: I am updating this post at the very end of December 2021 to test a few things on my new blog.  Although I did share my painting Westminster Palace and the Houses of Parliament back in the summer  of 2020 it is worth updating if only to remember this painting as one of the highlights of the year in 2020. Now we are in 2021 and I can safely say this painting of Westminster Palace and Houses of Parliament still makes me feel very joyful when I look at it.

Times are still very uncertain. Back in July when I first created this we were looking ahead to better days and more ease of travel. Instead, it’s been the reverse, We still hope for a better day for all. But it does seem like one endless year… characterized by covid, living with covid or getting past it and be very careful.

Westminster Bridge and Houses of Parliament, London

I was so happy to do this painting of Westminster Bridge with the Houses of Parliament.

Every artwork I create is an experiment, started to see what would happen if I tried the idea in my mind and always allowing for flights of fancy. And as always I wasn’t sure I could paint this iconic view of Westminster Bridge. That is probably why I’ve been putting it off for not months, not even weeks but… years.  It has been and still is a very stressful time. I have been spending ever less time on social media,  and it’s been good for my health. Creating art takes me into into another beautiful and friendly realm away from the madness. This is also the first painting that I’ve sold when it was still a WIP, an amazing feeling.

Back to my painting… of all things, a follower on Twitter provided the inspiration… by posting a photo of a painting of the HoP by Monet. Now, his Houses of Parliament paintings are out of this world. I’ve gazed at them many a time on the rare occasion I got to see them live at the National Gallery. I was inspired to take a shot at not only doing this painting but taking it in my own direction. It was challenging but that’s the joy of painting, allowing my own expression. And it’s the only one quite like it. I will be painting it again because each time I do so it will be different.

Departing from the Reference, Seeing differently

A photo reference can be a bit tyrannical, dictating what the camera sees so it was important for me to depart from it as soon as I could. And yet, I know the detail of architecture very well (also the history from a few visits) so I initially got a bit caught up in trying to get it right. In the end though I wanted an Impressionistic rendition and that meant the detail was not the main focus, on the contrary lack of detail would be key. As my reference was taken on 2017 there was scaffolding on the Elizabeth Tower. I didn’t want that, so I completely left out that and anything else I felt didn’t add to my painting.

This painting made me feel very happy… can you see that in my happy sky? It’s important during this very difficult time to keep your mind focused on things that are uplifting and positive and do you best to avoid things that are negative… that means most of social media (did you know doomscrolling is the new thing?) and other online forums. Choose carefully and always listen to your intuition.

Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament is a beautiful painting and is available in the Artstore as a canvas and framed print and in a wide range of sizes from small to extra large, shipped directly to you as a canvas, framed, metal or acrylic print. mAnd on my portfolio site where you can get an array of prints, home decor items and keepsakes. As always if you have questions about buying any of my pieces simply send me a note.

In my next post I am going to share another of my sales in its new collector’s home! It looks SO awesome! I love seeing my art in my collectors spaces, it’s really special. And on another note… I am building something great for my art collectors and fans!

Peace and Love