"Cottage in the Snow"
Original watercolour
by
Glenn Marshall
http://glenn-marshall.artistwebsites.com/featured/cottage-in-the-snow-glenn-marshall.html

Twas Christmas Day in the workhouse...no it wasn't...it was a cold December morning in Gallery Forty-Nine, Old Town,  Bridlington.

It was freezing  and I was contemplating a long day that would culminate in a music and poetry evening at the gallery followed by a long ride home to York probably in icy fog. Now - music I could probably cope with but poetry! And to make matters worse my dear wife, who was manager of the gallery, had decided that we should make an effort so I would have to change into something 'suitable' for the evening entertainment.

Although I had a lovely studio in the back room of the gallery my demeanor was hardly suited to any worthwhile inspiration.

Fortunately I had a visitor.

Margaret is a friend who took me under her wing and as she knows what she is talking about in all matters concerning art, her advice was (and still is) always welcome.

She suggested that I paint a simple little painting of a cottage in the snow.

She even assured me that it would sell!

I set to work and slowly as the painting developed, I warmed up. I wanted to make the cottage warm and inviting in contrast to the coldness all around. I used a lot of colour on the snow itself to give the impression of reflected light  leading to this lovely warm, safe haven.

Guess what... Margaret was right...the original painting sold that very same evening and since then has been my number one bestseller in prints and cards.

As for the dreaded evening. Well it was great. The gallery was packed with enthusiastic supporters and the performers were brilliant. Pete Bolton, the musician, has become a friend since that evening. But the real revelation was the poetry. To hear it read by the author just exactly how she imagined it was a mesmerising experience and opened my eyes to be more receptive to other forms of art, and even the ride home was safe and uneventful.

"Optimism doesn't wait on facts. It deals with prospects. Pessimism is a waste of time" - Norman Cousins.

Lesson learned.