“Worry is a misuse of the imagination.” Dan Zadra
Painting this little canvas was a joy. I had some paint left over from a project and didn’t want it to go to waste. I’m so happy with the colours that I’m thinking of painting a much larger version. No varnish for this one. I don’t want to change a thing.
Patina – acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 mm, 2017. Available.
The Heart of a Rose – acrylic on canvas, 400 x 400 mm, 2017. Available.
“Everything’s already been said, but since nobody was listening, we have to start again.” André Gide
This bold red rose is freshly varnished and now available on Etsy. I borrowed the rose shape from my 2014 painting Gold Medal but instead of a golden yellow, I’ve painted it red and turquoise. It’s one of my favourite colour combinations — I don’t know why I don’t use it in my art more often.
In other news, I had a successful art show over the weekend with ‘Any Road Will Take You There’ finding a new home. I went along on Friday night and was impressed with the wonderful variety of work on display.
I’m now working on a small landscape using the same turquoise as ‘The Heart of a Rose’ …but more on that later in the week.
An Answer to Prayer, detail – mixed media on canvas
“Everything you can imagine is real.” Pablo Picasso
‘An Answer to Prayer’ is my latest painting: an abstract initially inspired by, of all things, fridge poetry.* But the words were just the starting point. This painting has taken me on quite a journey. I’ve ventured way outside my comfort zone. Way, way outside. I have painted abstracts before but this was an entirely different experience and I’ve ended up with something that doesn’t look like anything I’ve painted before. I guess that’s to be expected when you’re experimenting. I would call it an imagined landscape rather than an imaginary one. It’s surreal and personal and creating it has made me see Picasso’s words in a new light.
*Fridge poetry is made from magnetic word sets that can be arranged and rearranged on a fridge door, providing endless hours of fun and amusement. I posted photographs of some of my favourites on Facebook a few years ago. This painting was inspired by one of those poems and was transferred to the canvas using the same technique as ‘Time’.
An Answer to Prayer – mixed media on canvas, 305 x 610 mm, 2017. Available.
An Answer to Prayer, another view
Sheep – acrylic on canvas, 200 x 255 mm, 2017. Available.
Tree lines and sheep dots,
Light falling on them like snow
Even in summer.
Daisies – acrylic on canvas, 405 x 505 mm, 2017. Available.
This painting has had quite a few different names during its short life. I’ve never had such difficulty naming a painting. Ever. The working title was Daisy Abstract. Then it became Abstract of Daisies, Blue Grass, Daisies in Blue Grass, Abstract of Daisies in the Blue Grass, Daisies Dancing in the Rain… I could have called it ‘The painting that refuses to tell me its name’ but I’ve finally settled on ‘Daisies’ … keeping it nice and simple and leaving the rest up to the viewer’s imagination. It’s written on the back now and so that is the end of the matter.
