No unicorns today

I am attracted to shapes. This stark intrusion in the nature reserve at Rye Harbour stopped me, it insisted I record it.
That was Tuesday
All day today I have been working on shapes, not from this image, other ideas that I have that refuse to gel into any sort of manageable form. I draw, I paint and draw again to no avail. I am an artist - I am meant to deliver a stream of art for that is what I do. But no, not today.
In my drawing book, on the 15 November 2009 I wrote in pencil -

Healing wings
Under big trees in heavy wind
I sit on sandstone
with holly on the windward (SW) side

here without possessions
under the power of the wind
'moving the trees' higher up

not looking for revelation
only detachment from the domestic

not to invent
but to discover
to experience


(there follows 82 line drawings on about 16 pages) - it is these drawings I am trying to use - but today without success.

Risk taking

Some time ago I made a wooden piece called Torso, inspired by some earlier drawings that persisted in my thinking. Encouraged by a gouache study of the figures I ventured on an oil painting around 1.2M high.
Now following the demise (sorry, destruction) of my last idea I am increasingly unsure about myself and my judgement. Further - to show you an unfinished, unknown piece is verging on madness. But, lest we imagine that painters have an easy time of it - we need to put the record straight - we don't really know what we are doing most of the time and that's a fact.
So, here it is. See it from where I am standing, unfinished paintings are a puzzle - can I make this one work?

Tranquility broken

Not surprisingly, the creative path for a pictures is often far from straight and on occasions ends abruptly without warning. Such was the case for the badly conceived and badly named 'Tranquility' which after serious doubts and a violent attempt at a re-working, has now been scrubbed back with turps and thoroughly erased - and we are all feeling a lot better for that!
It is unsettling to find yourself engaged in such ill judged ventures but the sooner we see that its a failure the better and then to act accordingly. Gone, move on.
Working to set patterns for work does reduce such failures but such calculations make for dull pictures  - when risk is so much more exciting!

Tranquility

How to paint is a great mystery.

How rough can it be? There is a beautiful rough, a sort of lightness that is very pleasing. Looking back to earlier blogs that reference this piece, I see I spoke about 'transcribing the energy of the drawing' which probably what has happened as I try to combine ancient and modern.

At this point I will leave off painting. There may or may not be more to do, but that will be clear to me after a few days have passed when I will examine it again - for now it rests against the wall.

The procession of time

The room dedicated to Prints and Drawings in the British Museum is an old haunt of mine. Always quiet, free of queues and razzmatazz. Always full of amazing things, things in displays furnished with a shelf in front on which to place a sketch book - such a grown up place.

This drawing was made there some years ago, its a vigorous rendering that carries the spirit of procession, I would have been attracted to the lovely arrangement of figures with pipes and drums (did you notice the drum?) and no doubt, could not help but make a copy with my book on that shelf so thoughtfully provided by an earlier generation.

The reason this line drawing comes to light is in the shape of a piece canvas covered plywood, ready primed that I found alongside the plan-chest in the studio. Who knows, it was probably made about the same time as the procession drawing! I know they are made for each other. Last thing yesterday with the remaining pigment of the day I dashed in some Tiepolo colours to kill the white primer. All is set - let the music begin. 

A warm evening

Evening

That's it, this picture has engaged me for quite a while. I have taken it to a point where I can bear it - its power and subtlety are tuned as far as I can manage.

Like any offspring - I can only only release it and let it make its own way in the world.

Troubadours

Harmonic sounds

This painting was completed yesterday. It is satisfying to bring a piece to a state that I feel is conclusion. It has been slowly developed over a month or so from a neglected charcoal drawing that came to light while I searched for something else. The painting is oil on canvas and slightly bigger than A3.

Troubadours were French wandering minstrels from the 11th - 13thC, singer songwriters of a past age who wrote complex pieces of courtly love. The three figures here, while rustic in a way, show a formal quality in their stance.

This gentle harmony of colour and composition is pleasing, it carries a sense of contentment, that is in itself attractive to me.