Hall's Wood 1959

Completed at the home of Christopher Hall. 244 Andover Road, Newbury. Christopher Hall was a fellow painter, lifelong friend and godfather to Tom and Pat's son David.

Sketchbook, 1959, Tom Cross Estate:

'4th April 1959. After 5 days work on Hall's Wood - 244 Andover Road , Newbury, I have one day more. Started Monday drawing on rough side of hardboard improved with two coats flat white. Drawing in cobalt blue and then with yellow ochre. Monday Tues & Wednesday now still transparent but in full colour. On Wednesday evening I decided it was necessary to use opaque paint and for Thursday and Friday used that paint with grey base for structure. Colour - soft green, veridian clove green cobalt blue. ivory. Black. Burnt amber, burnt sienna...red yellow ochre, cardamon yellow, clove yellow and lemon yellow...white. 

The idea of this picture is something to put to the London Group on Monday. All I can hope is a few vertical references and a web of green with perhaps another web of blue-purple analogous to a rope. I should be able now to see movement in the picture, but as yet I cannot. But I must finish it tomorrow.

13 April -  Painting rejected by London Group. it is dull and flat, all of one tone, and without colour.

2nd Aug. One more day on the picture of Hall's Wood that I referred to earlier. I re-organized my palette...all best quality. I divided the canvas into 8 parts across which gives 5 down, and today, tried to reorganise the structure and get one or two fixed points.

7 Aug. 2 days more work...It is now becoming possible to see the colour and the future. The paint is more dense'

Note in Tom Cross' Catalogue 'Lent to Alan Windsor '61, returned 1964'.

We can only speculate as to whether it was the Feedback from the London Group that led to Tom revisiting the piece 5 years later, producing a colourful abstract interpretation of the scene (see Hall's Wood TC116, 1964).

Exhibited at:

- Ashgate Gallery, March 1961

- 'Tom Cross - Paintings from the Artist's Studio', Belgrave Gallery, St Ives, Cornwall, October 2023.

The piece is now on display in the library at Falmouth University's Penryn Campus.