
I suppose this is an essay on optimism and was taken from a trip we recently made and which I documented in an earlier blog. Someone had brought a kite along and we sat on a hill and in the breeze a few of the group had a go at flying the stunt kite.
I had left my sketchbook in the car so I took a few photos, and this is of Rob having a go. I actually liked the movement and arching in his body as he fought to keep the kite aloft – a triumph on this blustery day. I painted it in a blocky expressive way to convey the energy of the scene.
It reminded me of a statue on the canal close to where I live to commemorate the cutting of the first sods of the Leeds to Liverpool Canal and shows a Navvy bursting out the ground into the sunlight as if he was coming up for air.

Other figurative work is available for sale on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com
I love your painting – and the sculpture is great too !
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Thanks Margaret. The statue always makes me smile when I pass – it`s like a rocket being launched from an underground silo.
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Fantastic acrylic painting, Graham! You seem to switch up mediums with ease and confidence!
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Thanks Tiffany. When we were in full flow I played around with different media in the life sessions I went to. It was a great learning ground with nothing to lose and I also had the observational and drawing experience as well. Cant wait for them to start again.
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Nice painting of the kit, I like how you have colours in your shadows and enough darks, it looks like one of those days where a storm could blow by at any minute.
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Yeah, I got caught in a couple of showers that day – once when I was doing some painting.
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Wow!
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