It’s been quite a while since I last posted on my blog. But I have been busy with my art work. I have had a couple of low key exhibitions. Currently I have work on display at our new shop, Keepers Preloved, at Farrington Gurney in Somerset. Here are a few images of my work, and I will post more later. Though they are all framed, some are only temporary. It’s good to get work on display, and I have had some very positive comments.
I decided to give this commemorative spoon, which I have posted about earlier, to a friend who was with me at Priston festival (whether he wants it or not!) So I had to mount and frame it. I used scans from the festival programme to create a mount, and set the spoon back behind this, and managed to find an appropriate frame from my collection. Although I was initially focussed on presenting this individual spoon it has suggested ways of presenting my other “tree-painted” wooden spoons. More to follow.
And he was very appreciative of the gift.
What to do when you are sitting behind a stall at a vintage and flea fair. Decorate the cutlery of course!
Another double page Apocalyptic Illuminated Initial. I have drawn these more fully in pen prior to adding colour. It was started a while ago, along with several others, and I am in the process of attempting to complete them before I start new works.
I have it in mind to make a colouring book-An Illuminated Apocalyptic Colouring Book, of depressing and fatalistic images.
Progress on actual art work has been slow of late, but I have made some progress with reproduction and presentation. I have had several images digitised in preparation for Giclee prints. Having worked on colour balancing and refining the quality and scale of the images they have printed some out for me. It isn’t a cheap process, but will allow me to produce good quality reproductions of my paintings and drawings. I don’t know if you can see the quality, or the comparison with the originals in these photographs. The colour and detail is very good. The only thing you lose is the texture and fragility of the paper they are painted on, and the gold, whilst an accurate colour copy, doesn’t have the sheen of the original.
I have also, finally, chosen a moulding for the paintings, so that I can move closer to having them framed and completed. I have had two thicknesses or widths made, in plain, unfinished wood. If these work I will experiment with the finish. I think I have a good idea of what I want, but haven’t been able to find it in any framing or art shop, so will have to get them custom made or do it myself. I envisage a dark frame with gilding. Upon the advice of people whose opinions I value, I am also considering dark coloured mounts, sympathetic to the colours of the individual art works.
At the moment I am leaning towards the larger, wider frame. I want the works to almost feel architectural, like panel paintings or altar pieces, that require the viewer to lean in and engage with the image at a very close and intimate distance, having been initially struck by the overall impact and “splendour”. Any feedback gratefully received.
Here are a couple of pages of my initial letters. As I have said before I was exploring the use of words around the trees, selecting words primarily on a gloomy and pessimistic theme. In the first ones the lettering is a fairly standard heavy font. In subsequent examples I started to use lettering that is intended to be recognisable. These two are almost finished. A little tidying up is needed, and replacing of the words at the top, with APOCALYPTIC ALPHABET, I think.
Once again, if you click on the image then zoom in you get a version as seen through a magnifying glass. Really quite interesting.
Following on from an earlier post here are a couple more simple pen sketches of tree shapes. I have included the earlier ones to show the development.
Here are a couple more small paintings on pages from books. Begun a while ago, but I think now finished. Again they are concerned with the shape and form of trees and leaves, and with earth and sky, above and below, root and branch.
Here are a few doodles from last weekend. They were scribbled in a few minutes in a small moleskin sketchbook. I am exploring the shape of leaves and trees, again, and experimenting with the formal and symbolic possibilities. Again, clicking on the images and zooming in magnifies the inconsequential images so that the texture of the paper is visible, and the pen lines take on an interesting quality!
Here are a couple of paintings painted over two facing pages in old books. I have had them mounted in two separate windows with a very thin dividing strip of card between. I am not entirely sure they are fully completed, and I do intend to put some text on the spine tree, which I intend to have greater alchemical and arcane meaning. I may add a little more detail.
These paintings are intended to look like Medieval Illumination, with similarly bright colours and attractive decoration. The imagery is a sort of nature symbolism, representing growth and life, making links between the corporeal and ethereal worlds. The spine tree painting is making connections between the tree and man, with its roots in earth/physical realm and crown in the heaven/metaphysical/spirit realm.
By clicking on the pictures and zooming in you get very interesting close-up views of the paintings, even closer than with the naked eye.
