This is the famous bridge at Arnhem in the Netherlands which, in September 1944, the Allies attempted to seize in order to cross the Rhine and potentially finish the war by Christmas. German strength was far greater than expected and of the large British Airborne force dropped at Arnhem, only a single depleted battalion could reach the bridge. They captured and held the right hand side of the bridge, as shown here, and expected to be relieved by armoured reinforcements within 2 days. However, for various reasons the reinforcements never arrived. The small force famously held the bridge for over a week against overwhelming odds before being forced to surrender with almost all the survivors wounded. The Bridge was later bombed and had to be rebuilt after the war; it now bears the name 'The John Frost Bridge' after the commander of the small force which defended it.
This painting is not about the war, however: indeed, its peaceful tone is very deliberate. It shows a view which has vanished forever, as it is the Arnhem of old which is shown here. I have used a combination of my own photographs and sketches, together with wartime reconnaissance photographs to reconstruct this part of the old town. Sadly, the destruction of the town was so intense during the fighting that not a single building that appears in this painting survived. The area to the right of the painting is now just fields and trees.
A professional artist living and working in the beautiful north of Scotland. My work is realistic and quite traditional, though strongly interpretational in nature. My inspiration is the beauty of Nature, and the wonderful colours and moods she shows everywhere.