The Blue Whale

THE PAINTING

That blue whales actually exist seems impossible to me. I've seen them in the wild but still struggle to accept their reality as I live my day to day life. For me they have become something of a symbol of all that is unknown and unknowable in the universe. A sort of wonder.

I'll often sit in the morning in my garden overlooking the sea in Ventnor, mug of black coffee in my hand, and imagine these unseen giants swimming by. It's now a sort of meditation for me, imagining all the unseen mysteries below the surface.

This picture began as a traditional sketch and watercolour painting which I then photographed and tidied up in Photoshop. Next the paint brush comes back out and gold is added, and the gold text written by hand. 

HOW WE MAKE THE PICTURE

We build everything ourselves in the gallery. The image is printed on the very best archival matte canvas, hand coated in a matte varnish we import from America, and then left flat to dry for a few days. This means the picture can be cleaned with a damp cloth, and the great thing about a matte finish with no glass is that you have no distracting glare or reflections. It's a much more direct experience.

Whilst the print is drying we can get on with making the stretcher frame and the tray frame that the finished canvas will drop into. The tray frame is then hand painted.

Next the canvas is stretched over the stretcher frame. After that, we carefully paint the canvas edges with several coats of the same paint used on the tray frame, so they match perfectly. Then we assemble the canvas and frame, put a hanging wire on the back, and attach a Certificate of Authenticity. Finally Neil signs the piece front and back adding the title and edition number.

We use the very best materials, and I would expect my pictures to look exactly the same in 100 years. They won't fade in our lifetime. 

BUYING OPTIONS

This picture is available as a framed stretched canvas and comes in two sizes.  A shipping charge of £35 is added at checkout.

Large Stretched Canvas Framed in a White or Dark Wood Tray Frame: £495

Limited Edition of 150

Framed Size 122cm by 71cm (canvas 114cm cm by 63cm)

XL Stretched Canvas Framed in a White or Dark Wood Tray Frame: £750

Limited Edition of 50

Framed Size 163 cm by 93 cm (canvas 155 cm cm by 85 cm)

Canvases can be rolled and shipped abroad unframed. Please get in touch for a quote.

Feel free to call Neil on 07957 473693 with any more questions, or email us at neil@neilwilliams.co.uk