They say that if you want something done, ask a busy person. Well don't ask me, I'm too busy! Doing what? I'm not sure, but there seems to be a lot of it! I've been working on a HUGE commission of 8 pieces, one of which you can see in progress on the left. This part of the first part of the commission, already delivered, which comprises of a set of 4 thematically and tonally linked pieces (known as a tetraptych). I worked closely with the clients to decide on the colour scheme so that the colours, tone and subject perfectly matched the lounge in which they are to be hung. It was a fascinating process that really highlighted the need to properly and carefully match artworks to their surroundings. It's always a little disheartening when a potential buyer says something like "I love this piece but that colour scheme would never work with the decor in my dining room", but I can't be disparaging, it's actually an astute observation, and the last thing I want is for a lovingly crafted artwork to become a carbuncle due to poor placement!
The second tranche of the commission is also for four pieces, again a tetraptych, but each is much bigger, bolder and more ambitious. I can't share any pictures, you'll need to wait until the client has taken possession of the whole lot. Watch this space!
What else have I been up to that's keeping me so busy? Well, the business of being a selling artist isn't all flouncing around the studio wielding a palette knife, brush 'twixt teeth! The amount of time needed to promote myself and work, just so that people know who I am, takes considerably more time than creating the art itself. I've been beavering away on social advertising, creating this newsletter, building a new website (look out for more news on this), writing my ebook, starting my next ebook, organising various exhibitions (more on this in the next newsletter), planning an arts showcase at a music festival, and probably a whole bunch of other stuff I can't remember. I'm exhausted just thinking about it!
Nothing Special (2019)
I'm not very Zen, really. My mind is rarely still, neither is my body. Both of these things are pretty central to Zen Buddhism. But the philosophy of Zen, a non-spiritual flavour of Buddhism birthed in Japan, with its focus on moral, ethical and most importantly, practical aspects of Buddhism, which essentially means sitting still, has always attracted me. Zen makes me calm.
I don't meditate regularly, but wish I would. I firmly believe that learning to meditate was one of the most important factors in managing my ADHD and my mental health.
This painting depicts Shunryu Suzuki, a Japanese Zen monk who founded the first Zen monastery outside of Asia in San Francisco in the 1960s. Suzuki wrote my favourite book on Zen, and one of my favourite books on any subject really, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. It's one of those books that, whenever I am stuck in life, lost or confused, I can pick up and open it on pretty much any page and find some answers, solace, peace. Suzuki always maintained that the act of meditation, enlightenment, Zen, and he himself were "nothing special". He's right of course. None of us are, and that's precisely the point, your are everything, and you are nothing. Everyone is special therefore no one is. This book is not special, but it generates special moments, on every page.
Alphonse Mucha
It may not look like it, but a good 50% of my artworks are failed attempts to imitate Alphonse Mucha, a Czech illustrator active in the late 19th and early 20th century and played a (somewhat reluctant) central role in the Art Nouveau movement. Maybe you've heard his name, maybe not, but I'd place money on you having seen his work, and probably many times. If you've ever been to Paris, for example, postcard stands are usually overrepresented with this man's work, usually his theatrical posters, often depicting then-megastar Sarah Bernhardt, or his poster adverts for champagne, chocolate and cigarettes. He may not be considered with the same reverence, or even in the same ball game, as his contemporaries like the impressionists, but his work must be similarly influential.
His works are deceptively complex and intricate, incorporating repetitive, organic, flowing motifs and patterns, depicting beautiful, detached-looking women among stylised, flowing flora, hair blowing and undulating into beguiling curvaceous tendrils. They are utterly mesmerising. My Mucha obsession usually leaks out into the stylised hair of many of my female subjects. I have neither the steadiness of hand nor patience to ape Mucha's intricate ornamentations, but I can but try. I always think the best art comes from trying to emulate something great and failing. I can't claim that my artworks are great, but they are at least happy failures.
Mark Burden
A friend from my prior life in Windsor, and part of my old art group the Windsor Artist Collective, Mark Burden has had, and continues to have, a pretty significant influence on my own work. A purely digital artist, Mark uses his tablet computer to make small squares of joy. Mark is prolific, producing extensive collections unified by themes ranging from literature to Information Technology. We share a similar reverence for mathematician, WWII hero code breaker and father of computing Alan Turing who makes appearances in both our repertoires. In fact, one of Mark's Turing works appears in the collage background of my own Turing portrait!
Taken alone, each piece is little narrative on which you can project your own story. But Mark's works are best experienced in big geometric formations, in rows or grids. They can be organised to create composite artworks that create and aesthetic and tell a story of their own.
My own Em Collection, all squares and muted tones, are an explicit nod to Mark's work. You never know, maybe one day you'll see our art displayed in the same space!
Various other tasty brain snacks.
From my blog
My pet AI the Image Mangler likes to gobble up images and regurgitate them in beguiling forms. Here's a selection of my favourites
