Jul 14, 2010

Danse Macabre; Geraldine in my Closet.




























Well Danse Macabre? I can  thank Gurney Journey for this one.
I had the skeleton in my closet for a while; and the little girl from next door just waiting for me to turn my back before she crept into one of my images.
That bottle in her hand has a label that says "Do not open, or else!"
And the cauldron? I'd always told her it was a stage prop.
Heh. Silly me.
Oh, if you are wondering what the skeleton is saying it's:

Aucah lind feuta gab
Din lobin gragnot feuh
Bas tild gringt "Geraldine!"
Fann loab blaab.


Students of old gaeilic will recognise this as

I Told him not
To leave that Bottle around.
My name is "Geraldine!"
Hear me roar.

Well, in the original image (see top pic) the girl wasn't looking at the skeleton at first (hard things eyeballs, as an optometrist I ought to know :)). So hence the flash of light in the skeleton's hand -picture below this text). Not really my cup of tea. Too dramatic for us laid back colonials. But you have to take what you can get.



By the way, Happy Bastille Day!

Thankyou for all the comments on King Canute. I learnt a lot from reading them. Be back tomorrow and thankyou properly :)









Ps In seeking a Latin quote I found this.

36 comments:

  1. Hi Andrew, this is very impressive!
    I saw the look of the girl and thought "It's a look diavolic."
    she has evil in his eyes.
    I was very impressed the five-pointed star.
    and the object without form, to the right, under the cauldron.
    I wonder: What is that?

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  2. Hello, my good (well, bad actually) fellow. Miss Smarty Pants is unfortunately here again. :)

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  3. Looking at your art nowadays is really quite similar to decrypting a mysterious message during Second World War.

    Bet you knew that. :)

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  4. Strange how the subject of death keeps popping up every now and then. I suppose because it's inevitable? And to relate it to Danse Macabre is unsurprisingly real, considering it will eventually greet us at one point of our life. No matter who we are?

    The witch however, seems to be hatless this time and carrying something stronger than 'lolly water', no? Well, she'd better be wise and stay away from whatever is in that bottle, "or else"!

    If not, maybe she'd also have to face the roar of that warrior, who's now either being boiled or having a nice warm bath in the cauldron!

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  5. Ciao Andrea, ha ha, non so perché mi ha scritto in francese, ma io scrivo in italiano.
    Ja ja! Penso che potremmo provare a baciare le rane, giusto?
    Ah ho capito, da parte della Bastiglia?
    Vi do un abbraccio (ma non un bacio, eh)

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  6. I like finding things among the shadows. That mask is especially beautiful :)

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  7. Adrew,
    every detail of its composition already form a another composition!
    love the patterns and textures, you can leave everything very appropriate!
    a delight 'enter' on your illustration!
    the skeleton is the best! :D
    hugs!

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  8. AAAAAAaaaaaaaahhhhh, entonces es una máscara?
    Gracias Amalia.

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  9. this is very cool, do you really speak Gaelic? or are you kidding, I can never tell with you, if so I am totally impressed, if not I am still impressed, this is a very nice piece, the lighting really works well and the skeleton turned out great

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  10. La potion va-t-elle redonner un véritable corps à ce squelette ? ou a-t-elle le pouvoir de donner vie et de faire danser les morts?
    Très joli et rempli d'imagination.
    Amitiés

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  11. Andrew...what can I say. I come to visit and am met with two startling images - first, this dramatic piece which is so beautifully illustrated, though I at first had to look away..can I say that she scares me? I have to admit that. Upon reading your text (always very interesting, I must say, and who knew you were an optometrist?!) I am not afraid but intrigued with the visuals that you bring forth. The skeleton is amazingly illustrated - and the content, lighting, poses, are so intriguing to me. Each part of one illustration can be it's on masterpiece in your work..thank you for sharing all of it.

    Your last post, King Canute - well done. I enjoyed reading of your process..and the final result, as I have enlarged it, turned out wonderfully - why are you against the photo-realism, may I ask?

    Thank you for your kind words - I really enjoy reading of how you perceive my work!

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  12. The texture, details, fit and then flare!!!
    She really cannot go wrong with that dress... love the hair band toooooo!

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  13. Amazing, as always, Andrew! I love the gold atmosphere in the last one. I would love to watch you work!

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  14. This is delightfully mysterious!

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  15. Roberto hi! Thankyou. Aha, yes the girl has evil in her eyes. Oh, that's not from experience mind you.

    That object, it is, I am led to belive, a book of spells. There are a few scattered around, most of them open.

    By the way, great pics of your place on your blog.

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  16. Amalia, well I can't pull the eyes over your wool! The bottle, to tell you the truth, is stolen from alice in wonderland. The label said 'drink me;, but being an an abstinent absynthe drinker I changed it!!

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  17. Ciao Roberto! Sì, è saggio non baciare un rospo vecchio come me, soprattutto freschi d'assalto la Bastiglia avec le resistance, n'est ce pas?

    cheers :)

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  18. Hey thanks Karen, yes I must confess, I nearly wrote ancient garlic! There my dislexia is winning :) But seriously, oh those words, they just came out of the typewriter, by themselves. :)

    I have no idea what they mean?

    probably "it's your turn to mow the lawn, geraldine"

    :)

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  19. Mita, I had the feeling that you were a smooth criminal, when I saw your pic. :) Thankyou, yes I admit, the girl is stolen from the three witches. She is impeccably dressed though she has had a devil possessing her in this case :)

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  20. Bonjour Martine ! Bien ce qu'une question ! :) Ah oui, la potion magique. J'ai entendu que la jeune sorcière l'a versé dans le chaudron. Elle prévoyait un beau compagnon pour danser avec. Plutôt elle a reçu un danse macabre - et elle a dansé avec le mort.

    Merci pour votre amitié !

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  21. Shirley, thank you for your kind words. I'm really glad that you enjoyed those two images!! It's fun for me when they make themselves, which they do. I just go along for the ride and press the button - but don't tell anyone.

    Ahh the little girl. She does not deserve to be evil! But she shouldn't have opened the bottle ... :)

    Photo realism? Oh, I sort of love those old books we might have had as kids when everything as hand done and beautiful - so I would like to emulate that - and every step towards phot realism is one step in the other direction.

    Maybe it will go full circle?
    Now that would be grand.

    It's my pleasure to comment on your work. Your style is one I would aspire too!

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  22. Krista, thankyou too. That is very kind. I can tell you what I look when I work. My hair is messed up. Bed hair I think it's called. I have not shaved for two days so have a very small stubble. I use the mouse in my left hand so the keyboard is free for my right, and I slouch so that my back hurts and I have something to complain about at dinner :) :) :)

    Just kidding of course! Maybe we could swap. I really love how you get all your colours to work so harmoniously.

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  23. Michelle, thankyou your can-can diaries are a crackup :)

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  24. I thought I have seen this witch before. She is well dressed here and is that her date?

    Seriously, don't worry about the underwear-less picture you wish to send me. I will send you your nut anyway.

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  25. Ahah!! So you deliberately had the little witch possessed????! Shame on you! You know, I don't think she would've opened that bottle unless 'someone' had left it lying around (intentionally too, no doubt)... :D :D :D

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  26. Heh Ces, you are very funny. THANKYOU my nut. We wioll need to talk.

    Amalia, well, we leave around, what we leave around!! :)

    Annie, that's a great video you have on your site, you have big talent

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  27. I like everything about this. It's just amazing.

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