Where Next?

Where Next? captures a familiar Newquay junction after dark, where roads divide and each direction leads somewhere different. Illuminated by street lights and the glow of the Red Lion, the painting turns an everyday roundabout into a moment of movement, choice and possibility.

Some places are destinations. Others exist almost entirely because we're on our way somewhere else.

Where Next? began with a familiar junction in Newquay: a small roundabout beside the Red Lion where several roads meet and then disappear in different directions.

One leads towards the harbour, another climbs away beneath sparse street lights, while quieter routes disappear towards the edges of the scene. For locals, these choices barely require thought. We know which road we're taking almost instinctively. For someone unfamiliar with the town, the same junction becomes a brief moment of decision.

The road markings pull the viewer into the centre of the painting before offering several possible ways out. Nearby, the Red Lion provides a point of warmth and activity, its distinctive red light reflecting across the road while silhouetted figures gather outside.

The title came naturally from the composition.

Where Next?