A friend of mine saw my "Colours of Sardinia" picture before I gave it to Ennio and Anna. She loved all the bright, clear colours of the Mediteranean island and commented "I wonder what the colours of Widnes would be - just a dirty grey town?" This friend is originally from Widnes which was an industrial town in Lancashire, England, with lots of chimneys belching out black smoke and soot all over everything and everyone. While it is not quite like that today, it certainly doesn't boast the lovely bright colours of Sardinia!! Well, that comment was like red rag to a bull, lol, and I love a challenge!! So I set to work collecting images of industrial Widnes and matching the images with black and grey fabric pieces. As a contrast to all this black and grey, I found a photo in a magazine of a brass plaque which says:
On Widnes Station
In 1965
Paul Simon
Wrote the Song
Homeward Bound
So the only other colours on this picture will be dull gold albeit brass. I have ordered some brass cog-wheels from someone on Ebay so it will be a bit "Steampunk" as well. Here is my blank canvas.....
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| This will be a surprise combined birthday and Christmas present for a girl who has everything. I think she will like it as it was her own tongue-in-cheek comment that started me thinking. The photos shows the Runcorn-Widnes Transporter Bridge which my friend's grandfather worked on, an old postcard of the smokey chimneys of Widnes which says across the bottom "Widnes with the lid off makes the sun hide his face!" and lastly, a steam freight train pulling into Widnes Station. Even the two floral pieces of fabric are grey so I think I will have a lot of fun with this one. Stay tuned........ |
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