Some while ago, I dreamt about a large old deserted house - it seemed very real to me (possibly I've actually seen it at some point in the distant past, and it's burned on my memory). Anyway, I drew it, and painted a sketch of it in oil. Got it out of my system. But I dreamt about it again the other night - this time from the back; and it's gained a pediment..... I wasn't going to paint it, but there are times when these things just have to be done; I have absolutely no idea why I find it so fascinating (and I hope others will share some small element of that interest) nor do I know why I feel I have to paint it, but in turning my face against it and saying NO, go away, I've not been doing anything else - well, drawings, yes, but not painting. I even found myself working on a painting I'd abandoned two years ago, because I couldn't start anything new. So I've got the acrylics out this time, and am hoping that when I've finished my haunted house (well it's haunting me) will be satisfied, and leave me alone. The big difficulty about painting anything entirely from imagination is that you have to create, ie to imagine, your own lights and darks: where and how would shadows fall? And when painting shadows, how do they relate to each other - you can guess that, say, a near wall will be darker than a wall slightly further back, but actually, will it? And how much darker (or lighter) would it be? If only you could still get Betta-builder toy bricks! Then, I could have all the fun of building my dream house, and also light it so that I could paint from the model. Lego, I regret to say, is far too obviously a toy for this purpose. But there it is, you can't - so I shall use a couple of shoe boxes instead, set them up and light those: a poor substitute, but the best I can do. (It's very annoying that they've stopped making all my favourite toys ... do you realize how difficult it is to get cowboys and Indians these days? On the other hand - perhaps it's just as well; the flat would be full of them.... )