Oil on mdf 11" x 16"
‘In quietness and confidence shall be your strength’. Isaiah Chapter 30 verse 15.
“While there is a chance of the world getting through its troubles, I hold that a reasonable man has to behave as though he were sure of it.” H.G Wells
I perhaps ought to have called this piece ‘Steadfastness’ but I preferred the bible quote instead because it sums up this painting much better. This painting is of the Derby Lodge at Shipley Country Park in Derbyshire in the spring of 2021 and it is a grade II listed building dating back to the late nineteenth century. It has stood the test of time. It has weathered many storms, many seasons, it has seen world wars, political, economic and cultural shifts and most recently a global pandemic (also, not the first). Unlike Shipley Hall close by, once a lavish stately home now demolished only to reveal the foundations, the humble Derby Lodge still survives and fulfils a purpose. It’s a stalwart character standing strong and unmovable as the world around it constantly shifts and changes. It has also seen me pass by over the years, first as a young child with my grandparents and parents, as a teenager on my bike with my brother, it saw me drive past when I got my first car, it’s seen me walk by lost in conversation with many of my friends over the years, and also many times simply on my own lost in my thoughts. It’s witnessed me on such joyful days without a care in the world, and also really tough days navigating crushing failures and soul-searching times, and yet it hasn’t changed a bit over those years. And so here it is today, after well over one hundred years of history and a very long, particularly cold winter it waits to see what the spring of 2021 will bring. If it could speak for itself it would probably quote you Ecclesiastes 1 verse 9 “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again, there is nothing new under the sun.” but when I next pass by it I’ll be reminded of Isaiah 30 verse 15 “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength”, because like this lodge, however difficult the inevitable seasons of life may be and the storms that may surround us, life and faith bids us to remain resolute, to stand - quietly confident that ‘springtime’ will surely come again soon.
Peter Lloyd (April 2021)
(for enquires about the sale of the original piece or a limited print please email me at petelloyd128@gmail.com)
(for sale enquires please email me at petelloyd128@gmail.com)
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