'Samuel's Mill'

A high quality giclée print, professionally produced on solvent 220gsm matt premium paper. Image size 12" x 9" or 16"x 12", and the print is signed.
 
The scene is set in Marple, Cheshire, England. The title of the painting was named after Samuel Oldknow, who was responsible for much of the development of mills and warehouses for the cotton boom 200 years ago. The building, now offices, sits on the Peak Forest Canal. The painting was finished in April 21, title “Samuel’s Mill”
Why this scene? I wanted to capture this beautiful spot along the Peak Forest Canal in the north of England, which is quite local to where I live. I have walked and cycled this towpath countless times over the years with my family, and still fully appreciate how lucky we are to live here, I even rescued a dog from the canal a few years back. But it has a calming influence on my mind. 
I have tried to capture the warehouse framing the natural beauty, which I hope the viewer of the painting will pick up on and feel the peace, tranquillity and harmony between mans industral past.
The canal and warehouse in the painting are steeped in history. The title “Samuels Mill” refers to Samuel Oldknow who was a cotton entrepreneur in the late 1700s. He was responsible for the building of several cotton mills and warehouses around Stockport, Marple Bridge and Mellor in the north of England, and so I wanted to capture in my realism style the history in the different coloured stonework in the building and the repairs to the gable end. This was certainly a challenge for me, which contributed to over 70 hours of work to complete the painting.
Samuel Oldknow was also a major sponsor in the construction of the Peak Forest Canal, which served as a way to transport his merchandise. In the painting, a narrowboat has just passed through one of the chain of 16 locks enabling the boats to descend/ascend 63m. The overcast day is typical of mid-summer here, the light is weak and I tried to capture the dark dense foliage along the canal towpath and the varied greens reaching out for light. On the right side of the painting, wall climbing Boston Ivy is in stark contrast to the dark overgrown privet hedge in the background of a slightly neglected garden.
 
I have tried to create depth in the painting, by leading the viewer along the tow path, through the varied greens of the trees passed the mill and beyond. 
 
I hope you enjoy looking at this scene as much as I did painting it, thank you.