Because the painter knew restraint, the sky blue hits harder here. Everything else is left soft and sandy, so that one loose band of blue does all the lifting. Put it on a plain kitchen or hallway wall and the whole run of cupboards suddenly looks warmer and less serious. It gives you a face to greet, which is exactly what a blank stretch of wall at the end of a corridor needs. Keep the company simple: painted timber, cream cupboards, stoneware, a rattan basket, a checked tea towel. Don’t sit it beside busy florals or another animal portrait fighting for the same attention one big friendly face per wall is plenty. As a canvas the painted texture reads as a real hand-worked picture from across the room.