Harry Boardman

I walked around Windsor and Eton in 2009 sketching and taking pics of the scenery as kids went to school looking like a scene from Harry Potter. This little spire/tower grabbed my attention, perfect for a little painting. A bit of snow clung to shadows on rooftops in softly colored winter light.

Heather had to be in London and Windsor for work. It was a whirlwind as I went with her for the initial 4 days of the trip. We saw London in a rare snow storm where the city mostly shut down for a day. Windsor was wonderful; loaded with great architectural details and tons to look at. I had started a series of drawings of chimneys and roof details shortly before the trip so kept focusing there.

Big things are afoot! I’m laying out panels for a bunch of new big paintings. I’m not sure what will go on the smaller panel but the other 5 will be:
Turkeys on a trail at Pennypack Trust in winter
Local architecture
Cactus garden
Expansive farm in Quakertown
Golden hour at a huge gorgeous local barn

Been wanting to make more large works so this is a good start

We found this super cool spot in Iceland where tons of huge ice chunks bounced around where salty ocean water mixed with fresh water from melting glaciers. I could have sat there for days watching it the never-ending activity.

Then I started to paint this and asked myself, “what shape is an iceberg?”. I like to understand the shapes, colors, and shadows of what I’m painting but there really isn’t a great way to wrap my head around it. Eventually I found a path to making it all make sense. It fits into an idea lots of artists embrace which roughly says growth is in the work…you just have to keep making art and it will make sense in the end. There’s something to that.

I love industrial subjects as a break from typical landscape subjects. Industrial structures are like abstractions waiting to be found. Intersecting lines, blocks of shadow, gritty surfaces, the landscape beyond, all make for really interesting and exciting pieces. I’ve included this building in bigger scenes before but haven’t painted this isolated portion.

How do you feel about industrial subjects?