North and South Art
This is what an 11×14 print can look like once it’s in a frame and on the wall!
North and South is finally finished!
If you haven't watched the BBC mini-series of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, Wives and Daughters, and Cranford, I highly recommend them. You can buy the set on DVD or perhaps your library has them (mine does!). It was, and still may be, on Netflix or other streaming services.
I will tell you that North and South is the pinnacle of Victorian romance stories for me. It's the only story that I've sought out and read fan fiction based on it. I couldn't let go of this restrained pair, LOL.
Have you read one or all of the novels?
I read Wives and Daughters and most of North and South (at a point I admit I skipped to the end). I haven't yet read any Cranford books (I believe there are two?).
On rare occasions I prefer a filmed adaptation to the source book and Gaskell's stories fall into this category. The nuance of character and social commentary is better in the novels, but as far as a tight romantic story that stays on plot as a love story, I prefer the show. A Room with a View is another example of this. I've read the E.M. Forester novella twice and love it, but I love the Merchant Ivory film even more. It's a visual delight.
Anyway, back to North and South. If you're a fan of the Austen adaptations or any classic romance films based on literature, the Gaskell stories will enchant you. They're a bit grittier than Jane Austen and they take place in Victorian England rather than the "happy" Regency years.
That being said, if you fall for the brooding hero, John Thornton is your man. I promise.
I actually wrote a book, the second in a seasonal series,A Fair-Weather Friend by Charlotte Brothers (my pen name) where my leading man is heavily influenced by a combo of John Thornton of North and South (played by Richard Armitage) with Mr. Carter (played by Philip Glenister) from Cranford (also a BBC mini-series).
This is what it looked like midway through the painting process.
Studio mess while working on the original oil painting on paper. You can see some of my sources!
