Reflections in the Grand Western Canal

This is such a relaxing painting showing two people taking a leisurely stroll on the bank of the Grand Western Canal. There is no wind and the reflections of the trees on the water are just perfect. We love how Vince Peterson used subtle shades of blues, purples and greens in this painting, which are offset by the splash of red and yellow in the right bottom corner. It just gives that little zing. The Grand Western Canal extends for eleven and a quarter miles (18km) from the Canal Basin in Tiverton, through the villages of Halberton, Sampford Peverell, and Burlescombe, to its present-day terminus at the hamlet of Lowdwells, close to the Somerset border.

Originally part of an ambitious scheme to link the Bristol Channel with the English Channel, the Canal was proposed as a way for shipping to avoid the long and perilous journey around the Cornish peninsula, and as a route for transporting goods, including coal from South Wales, into the heart of Somerset and Devon. The first section was opened in 1814 and, rather than using locks, the canal follows contours through the construction of cuttings and embankments to make it as flat as possible.

The frame measures 48 by 41 cm, whilst the painting itself measures 34 x 26 cm.