'It's a curse, Well thy forsooth, Who is that interesting hack over there?, By Gad, verily, Cracked curse, disliked, burdened, It's a curse, and am not unguilty of using it' - Lyrics by Mark E. Smith of The Fall.
Here are nine pieces that were constructed in January of this year. Each piece is meant to be a story in itself. The influences are many, the styles are almost the same.
Here are nine pieces that were constructed in January of this year. Each piece is meant to be a story in itself. The influences are many, the styles are almost the same.
1. 'The Story of Judith' - A bible story - Judith means "Jewess". In the orginal painting she had cut off the head of Bethulia. I have made her into a hero of the last century with references to the first world war. Read into it what you will. One day will the Earth be water or dessert?
2. 'The Cardinal Obscura' - The title is taken from 'Camera Obscura' which from the latin means the following, Camera = Latin for “room”, Obscura = Latin for “dark”. So in this case it means that the Cardinal is dark.
3. 'The Curse of the Blue Dream' - A clown in quicksand is that? Clowns are the stuff of nightmares for some people, used in fiction as the evil side of the carnival and for others it is a clear case of finding them funny. If you see a clown in your dreams it means this:
'To see a clown in you dream, symbolizes absurdity, light-heartedness, and a childish side to your own character. The countenance of the clown is a reflection of your own feelings and emotions. Whether it is a happy clown or a sad clown, that will help guide you through how you may be feeling. The actions of the clown signifies your uninhibited nature. If you have a fear or phobia of clowns, the clown may represent a mysterious person in your life who mean you harm. Somebody you know may not be who they appear to be. Or somebody may be pretending to be somebody they are not and are hiding under a facade'.
4. 'A modern Lousie has a nightmare' - Another surreal dream piece. I felt that the girl in this picture looked like the old movie starlet, Louise Brook, mainly because of the hairstyle:
Louise Brook, a picture from the Louise Brook Society website. She died in 1985 and is remembered for that orginal 1920's hairstyle. Our modern Louise is having a bad time in my piece of art. At the top of her head is a map of Market Drayton and then a multiple exposure of waiting in a dream like state. It goes on to be scarey towards the bottom and the last image is about drowning.
I have an interest in multiple exposures, but can't seem to do them on my digital camera, which is a shame.
5. 'A Staircase Dream' - One of my favourite themes is Ladies dressed as men. I believe from the film 'Cabaret' that this was popular with ladies during the wars in Germany. In my dream piece, the sun is a watch face and the house is perched at the top of the staircase. It reminds me for some reason of Normal Bates in Hitchcocks 'Psycho'. I have a love for the artistic shapes that are produced by spiral staircases.
6. 'Ferris Halo Girl' - This is another attempt at 'Jacket Girl' style picture from last year. The halo is made up of a the slow exposure of a ferris wheel at a fairground at night. There is always an interest in the circus or the fairground in some of my work and this has come to a head here. It is a modern female Iconic image and shows an intention to collide two worlds together.
7. '5 Girls' - Another of my influence is Peter Blake as mentioned in other journal entries. This is a modern version of some of his 'Pop Art' pictures. In my work I have kept to the mosaic patterning and use circles as well.
8. 'Architectresque' - This piece follows the theme of the previous work and uses not the human form but builds in the top left is the Eiffel Tower designed by Gustav Eiffel and one of the most famous landmarks in Paris, France.
The Eiffel Tower was the winning entry in a competition for a ‘centerpiece’ for the Paris Exposition of 1889. The design by an engineer named Gustav Eiffel was selected from over three hundred entries for its striking design and for its economical structure which displayed the French prowess in metal construction.
9. 'Sunday Nude with Five Bars' - Tasteful, beauty posed for maximum control of style. As you can see it is like the bars in Peter Blake's work. I like to recycle paper and pictures in my art, which is popular at the moment. I sometimes feel that I am doing in art what Rappers/DJ's are doing with sampling past music and making them into a new piece of sound sculpture. I am very pleased with this section of work from earlier this year and I hope to bring more storytelling to my work. I love to be influenced and have an influence myself. I hope that this is a turning point in the continuing journey that is my artwork.
