Birds

I Lost Myself – acrylic on canvas, 200 x 200 mm, 2017. Available on Etsy.
I Will Stay Here – acrylic on canvas, 200 x 200 mm, 2017. Available on Etsy.

“Your ability to see is your tools of trade; nothing else matters. Beautiful seeing is the desideratum. Remember, when you hear people say they can see a thing but not do it that they cannot really see it. If they did, they could do it even if they put the paint on with their fingers.Charles Hawthorne

I’ve posted this quote before. It’s one that stays with me. I often find myself thinking “if I could really see this, I could put the paint on with my fingers”. But what if the thing you want to paint is the abstract impression of a favourite song? What if the thing you are “seeing” is a feeling, an impression, something in your mind’s eye?

I had one of my favourite songs playing in my head when I painted these little abstracts. I imagined being in the mountains just before dawn as the birds were beginning to wake up. You may see something completely different. Make of them what you will. I see the colours of early morning and mountains in the clouds. And I hear music… Birds by Lisa Crawley.

Give us what you’ve got

Louis — student project — ink, watercolour and digital, 2011
Louis — student project — ink, watercolour and digital, 2011

“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor.* It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.” Steven Pressfield

*actor, artist, photographer, designer, craftsperson, writer, architect, singer, dancer, jeweller, florist, chef, poet, potter, musician, storyteller…

Lost in Space

Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011

I used to love this series. It had the best robot EVER. And the theme music was fabulous too! It was written by John Williams — yes, the same John Williams who wrote the music for Star Wars. Click on the link below to hear the original Lost in Space theme music* (note: it takes about 40 seconds before it really gets started)…

Lost in Space theme music

Lost In Space (1965-1968): The year is 1997. The crew of the Jupiter 2 leaves an overpopulated Earth in the hope of finding a suitable world to colonise but an act of sabotage causes them to crash on an unknown planet. The stamp features images from the opening credits as well as the talking robot made famous by the series.

The stamp design, poster and text are from one of my favourite student projects. Each stamp depicts an iconic science fiction TV series from the 1960s. For a recap on the project, click here.

*I’ve just discovered a cool site with free TV theme tunes — so I’ve added a couple of groovy audio links to my The Prisoner and Star Trek stamp posts : )

Science Fiction stamp poster (594 x 420 mm) Stars and planets (background collage) courtesy of the Internet Student project, 2011
Science Fiction stamp poster – student project, 2011

Star Trek

Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011

Star Trek original pilot theme music

Star Trek (1966-1969): The original series of 79 episodes has become a cult classic. “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before.” Numerous movies and spin-off series have followed, including The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise.

My all-time favourite episode is The Trouble with Tribbles. I’m quite enjoying the movie prequels too.

The stamp design, poster and text are from one of my favourite student projects. Each stamp depicts an iconic science fiction TV series from the 1960s. For a recap on the project, click here.

Science Fiction stamp poster (594 x 420 mm) Stars and planets (background collage) courtesy of the Internet Student project, 2011
Science Fiction stamp poster – student project, 2011