A Chip Off the Old Block

The inspiration for “A Chip Off the Old Block” goes back maybe ten years. My late mother had been sorting through some old photos. Amongst them was one of an elderly man sitting on his back doorstep. A young boy, presumably his grandson, takes a cheeky draw on his grandfather’s pipe. Behind them in the shadows is the wheel of a laundry mangle used to wring out water from the washing.

We were both fascinated by this picture. We did not know for sure who the people were, but we surmised they were distant relatives of my father. The photograph was probably taken in the 1920s.  It is interesting both as a piece of social history and as a touching portrait.

When Leamington Studio Artists recently held a drawing competition, I remembered the photograph that had so long lain forgotten. When I dug it out, I discovered that, in fact, the image was incomplete. The snapshot had been crudely taken, so that the left side of the man was completely cut off! Nevertheless, I was convinced that this would be a good subject for drawing. So I went ahead, filling in the missing details as I imagined they might have been. The picture was a delight to draw with its strong shadows and bright sunshine.

I was doubly rewarded when “A Chip Off the Old Block” won first prize!

Medium: Pastel Pencil and Carbon Pencil on Sanded Paper (cream)
Dimensions: H 435 mm x W 330 mm
SOLD

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