I’m afraid I succumbed. I had to take a break from sketching in order to begin an oil painting of Peranga, the charming little town “out West” past Toowoomba, where Chris and I stayed for a short visit in January. I’ve been itching to paint the place ever since. The sky went on like a dream and the painting is steadily developing toward the foreground.

I used to listen to Radio 4 whilst I painted but I grew tired of the modern idea of a good radio play and for a considerable time now I have taken to listening to audio books. I went through a science fiction phase – loved Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” read by Michael York – and returned to many old favourites I had read as a child; I laughed with Bertie Wooster and Jeeves and tried Agatha Christie (without enjoyment). Having discovered Michael Connelly’s “Harry Bosch” detective books and, spent many happy hours, weeks and months getting to know and love our hero, the books ran out and I moved on to “The Lincoln Lawyer” stories by the same author…until they, too, ran out.

Recently, at a loss, I turned to YouTube AudioBooks  and found something else of interest not altogether new to me – “The Psychopathology of Everyday Life” by Sigmund Freud – well, I did Psychology A Level! Unfortunately, the reader was rather monotonous but the content was absorbing and I found myself thinking throughout, “So glad I’m not mad after all!” (which probably means I’m a bit cracked).

Now as I look at my unfinished painting of Peranga it amuses me to think that I painted listening to the writings of Freud. I wonder if the windmill, yet to be painted, will have any phallic symbolism? Or the fence posts in the foreground? Or the grass stalks? That will be for the viewer to decide when the painting is complete.

And finally, in response to a request from Bob Crotchett, one of my avid blog readers, I shall leave you with a link to Tom Waits singing “The Piano has Been Drinking”, which I hasten to add has not been the inspiration for any of my paintings so far.

50+VIDEOS PLAY ALLMix – Tom Waits: The Piano Has Been Drinking -1977YouTube

Without studio distractions

The Peranga landscape