Happy New Year!

Welcome everyone and a very happy (if belated) New Year! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas :)
As I've just managed to complete the assembly stage of possibly my most challenging commission to date, my own New Year has definitely been one to celebrate. 

Commission assembly-stage sketch, Jan 2013

Can't tell you what it is that makes one commission straightforward and another problematic, only that sometimes I can't for the life of me figure out how to tackle something that should be no more complex than any other painting.
This most recent commission has been through more development than almost anything I've ever done; I simply couldn't make up my mind how best to approach it and sketched literally dozens of alternatives before I was satisfied. Thankfully the clients were angels and trusted me to sort it out!
Perhaps if I cared less, if I didn't put heart and soul into every commission I undertake, then maybe they'd take less time and cause less heartache. Thankfully, like this one, they generally come right in the end!
So here's a sample of the commission to date (those of you who know the area may recognise featured Leicester landmarks) and as soon as the entire painting is completed and I have the client's approval, I'll be pleased to tell you lots more about it and about the clients who commissioned it. 
Onwards and upwards into 2013.
Happy New Year one and all!