Living and working in Bradford on Avon, you might think Serena would paint it all the time. After all, it’s right on our doorstep. We have the River Avon, the old stone buildings, the bridges, the hills and the beautiful countryside surrounding the town. There is inspiration everywhere.
But, as I regularly remind Serena, she doesn’t actually paint local scenes nearly as often as she should! We have a running joke about it! Whenever one of her Bradford on Avon paintings sells quickly, I can’t resist saying, “See! I keep telling you — you need to paint more local scenes!”
Seeing the familiar differently
There is something lovely about seeing somewhere you know well turned into a painting. Bradford on Avon is full of those little moments that can catch an artist’s eye. The river looks completely different depending on the light (and the height of the water!), the old honey-coloured buildings glow in the sunshine, and an evening sky can transform the whole town into something much more atmospheric.
Even somewhere you’ve walked past hundreds of times can suddenly look different because of a particular reflection, shadow or combination of colours. That’s often when Serena starts thinking, “I could paint that.” Although thinking it and actually having the time to paint it are two very different things!
It’s not about copying what you see
Serena’s paintings aren’t simply trying to reproduce a photograph, she paints how a place feels to her. Colours might be changed, buildings simplified, details left out and the light exaggerated (always with some added colour!). The finished painting is her interpretation of the place rather than a photographic record of it. And this is probably why she sometimes resists my suggestion that she should paint more Bradford on Avon. Serena much prefers painting something that has come from her head and heart, rather than sitting down because I’ve told her that another painting of Bradford Bridge would probably sell!
A town full of inspiration
The wonderful thing about Bradford on Avon is that there really is no shortage of inspiration. The river, the bridges, the old streets and buildings, the hills, the trees and the countryside all provide endless possibilities. Then you add the changing seasons and the light, and the same view can become an entirely different painting. And when one of those paintings finds a new home, it’s particularly satisfying. Often the buyer recognises the view straight away. Perhaps they’ve lived here for years, walked along the river every day or simply fallen in love with the town during a visit. The painting then becomes more than just a picture. It becomes a little piece of somewhere that means something to them.
Here are a few of Serena’s Bradford on Avon paintings — the town we are lucky enough to live and work in.
