Original artwork description:

I was so struck by this image. I was taken by the image of a Dad with his young daughter, lovingly looking at her as she eats her chips while also interested in her use of fork for eating the chips when he wasn't bothered to use his own fork, ploughing in with his great fingers instead. Perhaps he is feeling guilty for not showing a better example!?
I was also taken by the glimmer of sun light hitting his head and the back of the neck and head of the women sitting further up the bench.
Then I was struck by the pathos of this scenario. Was this a Dad being a "weekend Dad" with his daughter, was he separated from the mother of the child?
Then I thought about the woman, was she alone this weekend because her children were with their father somewhere else. Suddenly the scene was shot through with possible pathos.
Hence the title "Dad Time" which may reflect time spent with a weekend Dad or simply the joy of spending time doing stuff with Dad more generally. Perhaps the woman is even watching her kids in the distance play with their Dad?
The scene was by the beach at Port Eynon in the Gower Peninsula, Wales. A beautiful village and tourist area used by locals people and tourists alike.
The scene was difficult to paint with most of the image in shade, with only light on the tops of two of the bodies but this blue shade contrasts nicely with the warmth of the scene.

Materials used:

oil painting on cotton canvas

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