Evenin' Constable

There are certain painting that have become iconic. You do not need me to list them as they will be in your mind by now. This is certainly one of them. Well not actually this I hasten to add...not my painting of course but the original - "The Haywain" by John Constable RA. However even the most loyal follower among you will have to concede that my painting has something missing..... well yes the haywain...it's not there. Has it not yet arrived you may wonder, or has it already passed? Neither. I painted this as part of my 'Inspiration' series. You all know that the original was painted in oils and I use watercolours- so it was a bit of a challenge to try and recreate the scene. I decided that trying to paint in the haywain might be a bridge or really a cart too far, so left it out and concentrated on the landscape. I was pleased with the result even though I say it myself. I called it "Haywain Unplugged" and because the original is so iconic everybody knew what I was on about (well that and MTV!). That would have been the end of the matter had I not heard a very intriguing tale. Apparently Constable added the haywain after he had done his original painting. Now whether he had it in mind all along or whether he decided the painting needed 'something' to finish off I don't know. What is known is that Constable, who was busy in his London studio, had to get to his cousin to supply him with drawings of the cart so he could transpose it onto his canvas. Maybe, just maybe Constable's most famous painting was as incomplete as mine at some stage!