UPDATES
33 – 947 ‘Chokolate Late’ work-in-progress
Japanese ships at the Rijksmuseum
John Furnival’s show at the Museum in the Park, Stroud
33 – 946 ‘Chokolate Late’ work-in-progress
Pine cone, Windsor Great Park
33 – 945 ‘Chokolate Late’ work-in-progress
33 – 944 ‘Chokolate Late’ work-in-progress
#tableauxofdreams – exploring other avenues
This is one of my very long-term projects which is far from being completed, as I have not yet understood sufficiently what it is about. I have completed over 100 drawings with an accompanying 10,000-word text.
I do not feel any compunction to force it to a conclusion because, as with all my projects, it will be done when it is done.
In an English garden
#curatedspaces – broad canvass
It is never easy to pin down what is quintessential to our character, but it is safe to say the English love to garden and in a singular style defined by history, climate and scale. Our garden is small in scale but filled with a wide variety of plants chosen for interest throughout the year.
There is a long tradition of artists being inspired by their gardens and in 2016 the Royal Academy of Arts put on an exhibition entitled Painting the modern garden – Monet to Matisse which was the inspiration behind this series of paintings.
Oil sketch of a laburnum tree cascading over lilac [Cat: 0332, Laburnum, 16 x 20″ / 40 x 50 cm, Oil paint on canvass board, 2015]
Mons Chair
#Cul-De-Sac – no way out
There are certain scenes and situations that affect us in strange ways, whether it is a feeling of déjà vu or something comforting, or perhaps we are aware of a strange sensation but are unaware of the reason behind it.
Several years ago, while staying at a run-down pension in Mons – an ancient hilltop town in the south of France, way off the beaten track – I became fascinated by this scene. The pot plant blocks off access to a short flight of stairs that lead only to a disused and locked door, creating a sense of mystery, and the adjacent chair suggests that a guard or custodian has temporarily vacated their station.
A perfectly placed pot plant and chair [Cat: 0571, Chair at the top of the stairs, 20 x 24″ / 50 x 60 cm, Oil paint on canvas board, 2013]