Beggar's Fair

If you are reading this, you are most likely viewing my painting of Beggar's Fair, Smartphone in hand, having scanned the QR code beside it, and wondering what you'll see.

For your trouble, let me tell you a little more about this painting...

Its Beggar's Fair, 2023, and I have my paintings on the railings nearby. I wanted to capture this courtyard scene, but one photo couldn't provide everything I wanted. My idea was to capture how different people were responding to the live music. Some were watching, one was filming on a phone, and others were engaged in chat or else staring into their phone screens oblivious to the scene.

The painting has two source photos, taken from slightly different angles, which makes merging them tricky.

The left photo contributed mainly a few elements that were out of frame on the other shot. These were transformed to suit the other angle. Trickiest was the canopy over the seating area in the top left.

Some of the figures were altered - such as the logo patterned top of the foreground figure and the bright top of the figure behind.

Other figures, such as the older gentleman were removed to allow more of the background to show through.

The band also presented an issue, as their instruments couldn't be made out in the original photo (once printed), so these had to be made up in the painting.