St Paul's Spire by Amanda Bates

Something's wrong with it, and I've just realised - the tower is too skinny for the spire. I think that's it.

Hi I really like it lovley I am sure they will love this as a gitf well done xx

Thank you, Paula. Still going to have to correct that tower...

It might just be the photograph Amanda but is the spire leaning slightly to the left? The foliage and sky is lovely. I think the tower is good, it's just the actual pointed spire I think. Place a set square or just a square piece of paper along the top of the photo to see the vertical through the spire centre and you'll see what I mean.

You are right, Louise. I had seen it but wasdoing my best to pretend it wasn't so... There's a lumpy bit at the top that will need removing :-(

Well, I'm reluctant - as a rookie - to offer technical comments, but here goes! I'm not sure that the spire is the problem. Yes, it does appear to lean to the left, but this would be quite natural if the spire was being viewed from below and well right of centre. To me, what doesn't gel is the roofline immediately above the clock. This is bang-on horizontal: therefore the perspectives of the tower and that roofline are different - they have completely different upward vanishing points - and I think that this causes the visually jarring effect. For me, if you cover that horizontal line with a finger for half a minute, then the tower ceases to lean, but looks rather as though it recedes gracefully towards the distance of the sky. Well, there you go, my two-pennorth for whatever it's worth!

I also wondered about the roof line immediately above the clock. You've got us thinking Amanda. Bill might be right. Sorry, I feel a bit bad now for pointing it out but couldn't help myself. Something's not quite right which spoils an otherwise attractive painting. How about tilting that horizontal line above the clock very slightly to the left. That shouldn't be too difficult and might solve the problem for you. I did as Bill suggested with my finger and it did look a lot better. Good luck, it'll be well worth it!

Ah. Before Bill shared his wisdom, which I deem to be of great worth, I had already started painting the edge of the spire out. The revised painting will be posted imminently ...

Well, I'm verily humbled by having a comment deemed of great worth! I always thought that I should read a lot less, and paint a lot more. Perhaps I've got it the wrong way round - the more I read then the more I can pretend that I know what I'm talking about!! I do think that the second version works very well, though. Right, I'm definitely going back to my New Year resolution - paint, not read. Oh dear, it's June already.........