Twigs paintings.

Anyone who has read this blog will know that I love going to my local auction rooms to rummage for interesting bits and bobs to fill my house with. On some occasions I pop along but come away disappointed, other times I'll come away with a few 'maybe' items in mind and other times something will leave such an impact on me I know I must have it. This is just what happened at last week's Ross-on-Wye auction.

I'd looked through most of the items when two shoe boxes caught my eye, they looked at first as though they were filled with postcards but on further inspection it was obvious that the boxes were in fact filled with over one hundred individual little postcard sized oil paintings! Each little painting had been lovingly created by the same man, Alfred Meredith, and dated from 1948 to 1983, a real labour of love I think you'll agree.

Tucked away in the box was a little note book where Alfred had catalogued each painting giving it a number and where the scene had been taken from. Also on the cover of the note book were the words: 'Twig was Fred's nickname in the army' and 'born November 6th 1911, died, September 23rd 1987, age 76'

There were also a few other paintings by 'Twig', a scene of a castle ruin and a cottage scene with cows in the foreground which, again, I fell in love with (this was starting to be an expensive day!)

All fired up with excitement I left my telephone number with the auctioneer with the instructions that I wanted to be a telephone bidder as I would be at work whilst the sale was in full flow. After a very nervous telephone bid, trying desperately to hear the auction assistant over the sound of the auctioneers PA system in the background I managed to get them and at a reasonable price too - hurray!

When I counted the paintings there were in fact 137 of them. Here I've spread them out on my landing, I couldn't fit them all into the photo frame.

They're absolutely beautiful, I can't stop looking through them!

Here are a few of my favorites for you to see close up...

Turnpike Gate Llanfair no.87

Glastonbury Abbey, Wells no.69

The Rocking Stone, Pochin no.47

The Sugar Loaf Mountain, Abergavenny no.49

Boadicea, Westminster no.41

The White Horse, Churbury no.76

Palace of Westminster no.61

The Severn Bridge, Gwent no. 70

Clifton Suspension Bridge no.107

Curst-a-bela Church no.95 (I'm not too sure if this is correct as I can't read Twig's writing on this one!)

Tower of London no.26

The White Cliffs of Dover no. 90

Coke ovens, Bargoed no.86

Nelson's Naval Temple, Monmouth no. 119

The Pier, Penarth no.92

Markham Colliery, Gwent no.123

Mynyddislwyn Church no.136

Scott Memorial, Cardiff no.129

Kennixton Farm, St Fagans no.80

William Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-on-Avon no.60

The Tower Bridge, London no.62

Ludlow Castle no.10