‘Hold Fast’ was a painting named after one of my most favourite sayings.
A nautical term from a bygone age, the words hold fast were often tattooed upon the knuckles of sailors devoted to a life at sea. A reminder to keep a firm grip on the rigging throughout even the most dramatic storm. Hold fast, endure, stay true and this too shall pass . The painting I created is complicated. Although at first glance it could be quite simple, but it challenged me and there were many times when I felt I couldn’t finish it. But I held fast and persevered and now I see a depth and drama hidden within a serene exterior which could never have been achieved without the struggle. The belief that anything that is worse doing requires some struggle I adhere to religiously. The struggle is the journey, the thing you learn from partaking of it is often of more value than the thing you are trying to achieve. Hold fast my friends, no matter what, hold fast. If I wasn’t such a wimp I’d get the tattoo…