Painting a virtual break
Challenge of painting a virtual break to share with family
ROD SHAW used his creative talents to turn the disappointment of missing out on a family holiday into a positive.
The 58-year-old Loughborough artist was looking forward to a two-week break in Cornwall. But that had to be cancelled as it coincided with the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown.
So he set himself a challenge of creating a virtual Cornish break by producing an appropriate daily sketch in a bid to console himself and other members of his family.
And that has now resulted in him raising £1,500 for MIND, the mental health charity.
Rod told the Echo: “I dug out my sketchbooks and photos from many previous visits to the county and set to work, experimenting with different styles of painting. Then I sent photos of the paintings, one each day, to family and friends. “The paintings seemed to go down well, and I was asked if they were for sale.
“Altogether 50 people were interested so it then became a friendly bidding war for the 14 paintings.
“The bids that came in exceeded my expectations.”
Rod, who was educated at Loughborough Grammar School and returned to his home town after working for an art gallery and framing workshop in Bath, explained that he wanted to do something useful during the crisis.
His art was the perfect outlet as he is currently shielding due to a health condition. He was inspired to support the charity’s emergency appeal to help people deal with the impact the pandemic is having on mental health.
Rod added: “I have had a passion for painting as long as I can remember.
“My dad was an amateur painter and I have a photo somewhere of me ‘helping him out’ when I was about six. That was 50 years ago. I later found out that the area of painting I had worked on had been painted over!
“Around this time, I asked my parents if I could have a painting-by-numbers set for my forthcoming birthday. Instead I unwrapped a pack of acrylics and, sensing a mild disappointment at not having received what I was really hoping for, they said ‘we thought you could paint your own pictures’. I thanked them, somewhat belatedly, when I graduated with a degree in Fine Art from Newcastle University in 1986.”
He says he enjoys ‘the beauty of the natural world in all seasons. I mainly turn to the landscape as a source of inspiration for my paintings.
“Touring Britain and Ireland over many years, from the Western Isles in Scotland to the creeks and coves of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, as well as locally, I find there are endless possibilities for painting by exploring the way in which the landscape is transformed by the fleeting effects of light and weather.”
After finishing his paintings, Rod has been able to work from home.
He is resources development manager for WEDEC (Water and Engineering Development Centre) based at Loughborough University.
The centre is primarily concerned with water and sanitation in low income countries, picking up contracts for international agencies including the World Health Organisation and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
“Although the subject matter is very different from my painting, it is also fascinating,” he says.