The Story Behind 40 works that changed my career (29, 30)

NUMBER 29- St Paul's Panoramic View

St Paul's Panoramic View, 44" x 20", Oil on Canvas, 2011 (Commission)


I was pleased to get this commission for two reasons, the first being, I just really love St Paul's as a building, I think it is architecture at it's magnificent best! Then secondly because it came from the fact that the client had seen my painting of The Royal Crescent and loved the way I handled the paint in various degrees of thickness, that they had the confidence that I would be able to take on St Paul's in the same manner. The client was very detailed with exactly what they wanted, they had an image stitched up from google -maps, it had where they wanted a bus, a taxi, the people, the New Change building etc. To really get me absorbed into this work, I must have taken up to 500 shots of the whole St Pauls area before coming down to one which I produced a sketch from, once the client saw the sketch they were pleased and I went on to complete it.

The final email I got from them read thus:

"Dear Adebanji,

We finally picked up the painting on Thursday as we have been so busy. It was great to see it with our own eyes, and we are very pleased with it. Keep up the good work and I hope we meet again.

Kind regards,

R & S"

It's not every time that one gets a commission that really suits one's passion, but this one really did!





NUMBER 30-After the Rain , London Streets

After the Rain , London Streets, 30" x 24", Oil on Canvas, 2011


If I could, I would say this is my best painting till date, but I can't, I believe the best is yet to come! I think it encapsulates everything I love in a painting-Crowded figures, movement, reflections, bold colour and subtle greys. I did it for the Affordable Art Fair Exhibition last year at Battersea and it sold straightaway!

The client took the time to email me these few words

"Hello Adebanji,

We bought your picture "After the Rain" at the Affordable Art Fair and
I just wanted to let you know that we are absolutely thrilled with it.

Good luck"

Now, when a client is thrilled with a painting, it pays more than the money!!

SPECIAL QUOTE
"Decide what you want to do with a particular painting, Keep it down to one thing and communicate that thing so strongly that even the man who couldn't see properly would feel it was done!"-Adebanji Alade