I had the most wonderful and uplifting experience last night on the train which I must share with you....but let me go back a bit first.
Over the past couple of weeks I have found the lack of time spent painting frustrating. It’s down to me to change that and I am working on doing just so. I now have my travel sketch set with me at work and I am looking at ways to paint more in the evenings.
So last night I travelled a fair few miles and at a bit of a cost to attend my weekly art group. The money and time was well spent as I lost myself for a couple of hours doing something I truly love.
I had to get a train home and with all the connections it meant an hour and a half journey....rather more than the 5 mins I have had previously. But I wanted to go there last night.
So I settled down in my seat on the train, took out my copy of The Leisure Painter magazine and started to read. There was a baby crying in the carriage....well, it was more like a wail, and it was pretty continuous. I looked at the gentleman sitting in front of me and we both smiled at each other and commented on how hard it must be for the baby and the parents. And then he pointed to my art magazine and asked if I painted. I replied yes, and then what happened next was just wonderful. We sat there and chatted about art and his work and art and my work and more art until I had to get off at Clapham Junction. So we thanked each other for a wonderful conversation, bid farewell and each other a safe journey home.
Our whole conversation was so uplifting for me, and I hope to the gentleman too. I commute daily on trains and am all too aware that people just don’t talk to each other, so not only was it refreshing to chat to a kind chap, but also to have such an interesting conversation.
It also couldn’t have come at a better time for me after the way I have been feeling over the last couple of weeks. It uplifted me and made me feel encouraged and excited at what I do.
He said to me ‘Painting is good for the soul, you know’ to which I agreed.....but so are kind gentleman who engage in delightful conversation.
So thank you Kind Gentleman for uplifting my precious soul and I hope our paths cross again....
NB: I’ve just noticed that on my previous post about how to engage with more artists I mentioned talking about my art, but not to random strangers on the train....well how weird is that!!
