Since then I have been working on the next 12 to 18 month plan, helping new staff and looking at new tech.
It is also coming up to 10 years since i joined the rail sim project and it has played a huge part of my life.
I still play the game every day and route build on a small scale most evenings.
My latest fun thing to do is make small fictional dioramas out of each route pack to see what I can come up with.
I'm not sure I have another route in me, but I do hope to start my Bishop Auckland oil painting set soon.
I turn 44 in January which leaves me 6 years to fulfill my dreams of putting on a show in the Bishop Auckland town hall before I turn 50.
I may well keep my blog going to keep folks that are interested updated with my art.
d
6 comments:
Derek I must say what a fabulous route the weardale railway is, six months down the line (excuse the pun derek)I play this every day, a little bit extreme some may say. I have created many scenarios (3) for this route, two of them the (early bird 3f part 1 & 2) were shown on Matt Peddlesden's trainsim live channel. It's very addictive this route as it is good to time travel using TS2016. I like the artwork that you have done too.
An exibition of your art at Darlington Town Hall sounds like a great ambition, but you had better get moving as 6 years will pass very quickly.
If it helps, I like your early water colours of St Andrews and Seaton, looking at Seal Sands. The latter in particular is totally believable and I can easily imagine being there and looking across at the industrial complex whilst the wind blows through the spiky dune grass. This scene reminds me of the landscape at Dungeness which is another wild place dominated by the Power Station.
Some more examples of this style of painting might be good for your exhibition. I think you are particularly good at pictures like this that require the viewer to do some imaginative work. I would happily have the Seaton painting on my wall.
I said Darlington Town Hall when I should have said Bishop Auckland but hey, why not Darlington as well!
thanks guys.
Wish I'd realised sooner how easy it is to post here, thank you! I love your art and railsim work (and the blog!) very much and the Weardale route has become a firm favourite of mine. It has that 'real' feel, and attention to detail, that places it in a small group of 'must have' and 'go to' routes. I am grateful for your completion of such a large and demanding task. Although I love everything railway, old and new, I'm a steam era man at heart, with my Dad a goods guard out of Fleetwood all his life. So you will realise how hard it was for me to become so hooked on the 'wrong' side of the Pennines! Seriously, the Northumberland and North Yorks areas and their railways have always been favourite holiday destinations for us, and a piece of heaven that we keep returning to. A highlight for us recently was a steam trip to Boulby (so good to still be able to head down at least part of that lost treasure of a line to Sandsend and Whitby!) and along the wild and lovely Weardale line. We are very lucky that so many preservationists work so hard for us all. Good luck with the art exhibition and I hope too that we haven't seen quite the last of your route building Derek! Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year, to you and yours.
Sorry I missed this message Paul, thank you so very much!
It means a great deal to me knowing people enjoy the work I and a few others slaved over.
d
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