Wild

 

 

Holly came from Miami, Florida
Hitch-hiked her way across the U.S.A.
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her legs and then he was a she
She says, "Hey, babe
Take a walk on the wild side"
She said, "Hey, honey
Take a walk on the wild side"

Walk On The Wild Side

Lou Reed, 1972

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember those "halcyon" days of our youth?

 

No, me neither.

 

 

 

 

 

The first time I heard the word 'Halcyon", was the same day that I heard the word "Luddite".

They came from the mouth of the same man, a friend of a friend.

  

I was a naive 29 year old. He was a worldly man with too much money and a world weariness that hung around him like the smell of a freshly boiled onion. We were on our friend's boat out on the harbour, drinking almost French Champagne and watching  the world go by.

 

Our mutual friend was newly very rich and enjoying his wealth by acquiring paintings, toys - (Sports Cars, Ocean Cruisers etc)  - and houses over looking the water. Even with all that, he was a "good bloke" - and very generous. We met when we were studying English Lit together.

 

 

 

 

 

Of course I had to ask what both words meant - and I've never forgotten what a Luddite was - because as I grow older, I feel like I am becoming one.

 

But Halcyon? I never quite grasped the meaning. 

 

So let me google it.

 

 

Ah, here it is. Halcyon:

 

A fabled bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was supposed to have had the power to calm the wind and the waves while it nested on the sea during the winter solstice.
 

Well I never knew that.

 

So the Halcyon days of our youth translates as: "those particular days of our youth that we used a fabled bird to calm the waves so we could nest on the sea."

 



And by some dogmatic coincidence, that is exactly what my illustration is about......

 

 

 

 

 

 

Verdaccio
 

Do you know the word Verdaccio?

 

Well, it's something the old master's used to use occasionally (not the word but the technique). It's where you paint a green monotone under painting - a dead painting) then glaze over it with translucent colours. The idea is that the green under painting glows through the warmer layers and gives that nice harmonious glow that suggests depth in human flesh.

 

I've been invited to a show with "Nightmares" as the theme - so I've been working up this painting.
for a few weeks. It's 90 by 120 cms on linen.

And in  that time I've spent a lot of time looking at anatomy drawings as well as Greek statues. It's all very interesting what they were doing a few thousand years ago. I've also been looking at Da Vinci's working methods and his sketches. How smart was he, eh? What a mind....

In verdaccio  you are supposed to paint two tones lighter than the finished painting is meant to be.
So I still have a lot of work :)

The big advantage is that, in taking out the colour parameters, you just need to be making tonal decisions for the underpainting stage. It's a learning curve -  but not very steep. I'm also changing the characters as I go, slimming them down, changing hand positions etc.
 

Above and below are pics of  it as a work in progress in situ in the studio. If you look very closely you may recognise some of the characters.... :)

PS: Whoever invented the saxophone obviously thought no one in their right mind would ever try to paint one.

 

 

 

 

And finally, below, a self portrait (the big guy, not the rat).

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking. Hope you are well!

 

 



The Joy of Being A Fallen Angel - Afterwards

From the age of four I attended Sunday School.

The school was an ancient Sunday School, so ancient that my  mother and her many friends had spent most the wild times of their premarried life in the Sunday School, or in the church. The Church had been going since 1859.

Set in the now posh inner Sydney suburb of "W", the Sunday School was in a double story building attached to the manse of our church. On one side was a large hall where the Church held its plays and pantomines, on the other was an enclosed and locked playground with swings and roundabouts and all manner of fun things - to those brave enough to climb the fence.

It was locked to keep the poor people out. For in those days the suburb of "W' was (relatively speaking) a working class quagmire of small semi detached houses with pan toilets and back alleys.

The Sunday School room itself was reached by climbing a steep set of stairs. At the top of the stairs you found yourself in a hexagonal room. There was a window in each of five walls. The floor was composed of grey floorboards with a bright but tattered rug in the centre. If you looked from the window you could see into the backyards where the poor people hung their washing.

In the centre of the Sunday School room was a half circle of child sized straw chairs.

For Sunday School lessons, we sat on those chairs, all pointing to the one seat in the middle of the circle where the Sunday School teacher sat. Behind her was a piano - on which to play the Sunday School songs. Next to her was the Birthday chair where any lucky child whose birthday had occurred in the proceding week took pride of place.

.

Flanking both teacher and birthday child were six foot high broom handles that stood on stands like senturies. Holes in the wood supported small flags. There were two types of flags - the English Union Jack, or the Australian Flag.

Once we had taken our places in front of our seats the teacher would pick out the birthday child. The birthday child would have the honour of sticking the flags into the broomstick handles. Then the teacher would go to the piano and start playing the first song. Her name was Caroline, and she had a fine voice.

My favourite song was "You need not fear the storm or the earthquake shock" because we all got to slap our hands together as we said 'shock'. We would clap them as hard as possible, clap them so the palms stung. It was fun. Especially when you were four years old.

Of course none of us realised that the song was a metaphor for the church. Neither were we interested. We didn't care if we were being indoctrinated. In fact, as an adult I think it was good for us.

Build on the Rock, the Rock that ever stands,

Oh, build on the Rock, and not upon the sands;

You need not fear the storm, or the earthquake shock,

You're safe for evermore if you build on the Rock.

Around the walls of the Sunday School were scattered pictures of scenes from Jesus' life. In one picture there he was with Lazaurus, in another he was with a crowd of barefoot smiling little blonde children. In the picture over the piano he was throwing the money lenders out of the temple. And finally, in the picture closest to the stair well, he was riding a donkey, surrounded by dust and adoring crowd. The crowds waved palm fronds at him in excitement.

Each picture was a beautiful water colour, the colours rich and vibrant, the tonal range muted - so that a feeling of peace and well being would decend on the viewer. The pictures were behind glass, and in little gold frames.

But the thing that none of us kids ever noticed was that Jesus was a white. It wouldn't have occurred to us to think that he would be anything else.

But not only was he white, he was tall, he was blonde, he had a prophet's blonde beard, he had beautiful hair that had been freshly shampooed, he had kind blue eyes, his face was kind and unwrinkled, his nose delicate and well mannered, his robes immaculate and freshly laundered.

Being of English, Irish and Scottish descent we were white kids with small cute noses, blue eyes, mainly blonde hair (all Australian children were blonde until the age of 13). We were perfect little Aryans. And, height, beard and hair aside, Jesus looked just like us.

How lucky was that?

It wasn't till later that I realised that it was all wrong. (see footnote).

But by then I'd left the church, gone my own way. Sadly I was the last Sunday School teacher. When I left in 1975 they closed the place down. The Church itself ceased being a Church in the 1980's. A fire set by an arsonist in 1989 left it nothing but a blackened shell.

So now you know.

These images for Illustration Friday illustrate the concept "Afterward". It's a nod to the blonde haired Norse looking Jesus I grew up with. In it you'll find Judas - with dark hair of course. There's also doubting Thomas, and the devil. And me.

The setting is the Garden of Gethsemane (what a beautiful name eh?). It's not meant to be figurative, but metaphorical. It represents the feelings and events of Gesthsmane, both past and present - and afterward.

Here's a quote about Gethsemane (from here)

Knowing of his coming betrayal by Judas, Christ went with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. There he took the disciples Peter, James, and John aside and asked them to keep watch while he went apart and prayed. Twice Christ returned, found them sleeping and woke them. Upon returning the third time, he said: "Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners

Thank you for being kind enough to look at this work.
PS: dthaase is setting up a whimsical wednesday. I think it's worth a visit.

Footnote: On Jesus' face. Modern research suggests us that Jesus probably had "abroad peasant's face, dark olive skin, short curly hair and a prominent nose. He was probably 5' 1" ( Alison Galloway, professor of anthropology at the University of California in Santa Cruz)

Hic Sunt Dracones.

 Hic sunt dracones.

Here there be dragons!

What a saying eh? It's like pirate talk, but serious.

 Marked on all the best  medieval maps,  "Hic sunt dracones" is just one of a collection of  flavoursome warnings that also include : "in his locis elephanti nascuntur", "in his locis scorpiones nascuntur" and "hic cenocephali nascuntur" ("in these places elephants are born, in these places scorpions are born, here dog-headed beings are born"). From Wiki.

Hic sunt dracones is also the name of that first image right up the top.

The image tells the story of  eight dwarves who, every night at dusk hear a horrible bellowing noise emenating from the earth beneath them.

Finally, after weeks of terror and sleepless nights, they decide to send the bravest of their number (Baeowulf) down into the earth to investigate.

But as so often happens in life, the brave dwarf is on a fruitless quest because, in reality, the dragons and demons the dwarves seek are lurking in the shadows directly behind them. They are- unseen because they are unlooked for.

You are probably not aware that Baeowulf is one of my favourite stories, and that Baeowulf means "Bee Wulf" which means a "Bear,". In my household Baeowulf also has the honour of maintaning its dypthong - much like Aegypt, Aetilogy and Haematology. Baeowulf ...? Well the political correct manner is "Beowulf" but I like my spelling better because ... because it's mine. :)

So here's a bit of literal translation (from here)

He gave then Beowulf the sword of Healfdane,

Golden standard victory to reward;
Embroidered war-banner, helmet and armor,
Famous treasure,sword - many saw
Before the warrior borne.

Which to my untrained ears sounds much better than the clumsy transliterations accompanying it.

But:

To the crux of the matter: the Illustration Friday  prompt for today is "Beneath". And I've been working on Goldilocks and the six dwarves for about a week, so that is lucky. You think I'm kidding? Well this morning as I was telling my wife about how the dwarves kept eating her porridge... then I sudenly realised that it wasn't Goldilocks at all, but Red Riding Hood and the Six Dwarves ..... hmm.

"Now whose been eating my porridge said the little dwarf?" It has a kind of ring to it. I wonder would the Brothers Grimm be interested in it. Still it's all very confusing when you get to my age (26).

I've also been working on Rapunzel - not that I tell anyone, else the prince be jealous. So I threw her in this post too - but she, like the dwarves, is a work in progress. Her hair is hard to do when it is that long - (it's common knowledge that I have enough trouble with my own). And yet, frizzies and flyaway hair aside, she hangs in there with the theme "Beneath".

The dwarven names? Well I was going to call them 'funny' names like Rhinitus, Stupid, Boring, Unhappy etc, but I thought it was too close to Grumpy, Sneezy et al - and since Walt Dysney owns the metaphorical DNA helix for all cute dwarven names, I didn't want him jumping up out of his cryo-tank to come looking for me.

So, avoiding Gimli, they are called Cedric, Edward, Gayus (he's the Roman one with tight pants), Beaowulf , Godric, Arlo and Roderick. The eight one has no name because .... okay, his name is Freya, it's a girls' name and it makes him depressed. I promised I wouldn't mention his name on the net - so you didn't hear that, okay? Thanks for keeping it quite.

Oh there was something else.... hmm.

Ah. A BIG else!

 Did I tell you what a wonderful scintillating witty brilliant artist my friend Ces is?

Today I received a special nut - not only is it the best nut I have ever received .... no but seriously I am stompfooted and bowled over twice by it's beauty and by Ces' generosity.

But more on that later.

Thankyou for looking :)

Hic sunt dracones.

Aquí hay dragones!
¡Qué decir ¿eh? Es como charlar al estilo pirata, pero grave.

Marcado en todos los mejores mapas medievales, "Hic sunt dracones" es sólo uno de una colección de advertencias sabroso que incluyen también: "en su locis elephanti nascuntur", "en su locis nascuntur escorpiones" y "hic cenocephali nascuntur" ("en estos lugares los elefantes nacen, en estos lugares escorpiones nacen, aquí los seres con cabeza de perro han nacido "). De Wiki.

Hic sunt dracones es también el nombre de ese derecho la primera imagen hasta la parte superior.

La imagen cuenta la historia de ocho enanos que, todas las noches en la oscuridad oye un ruido horrible bramido emenating de la tierra debajo de ellos.

Finalmente, después de semanas de terror y noches sin dormir, se decide enviar el más valiente de su número (Beaowulf) hacia abajo en la tierra para investigar.

Pero como tantas veces sucede en la vida, los dragones y demonios están de pie justo detrás de ellos, porque son invisibles para el inesperado.

Usted probablemente no son conscientes de que Beaowulf es una de mis historias favoritas, y que Beaowulf significa "abeja Wulf", que significa "oso". Beaowulf también tiene el honor de su maintaning dypthong - como Aegypt, Aetilogy y Hematología. Beaowulf aún mantiene una dypthong cuando escribe de la manera correcta política de "Beowulf", pero me gusta mi ortografía mejor porque ... porque es la mía. :)

Bueno el viernes Ilustración del sistema de hoy es Bajo. Y he estado trabajando en Ricitos de Oro y los seis enanos por una semana, por lo que es suerte.

También he estado trabajando en Rapunzel - no es que le digas a nadie, de lo contrario el príncipe celoso. Así que le lanzó en este post -, pero ella, al igual que los enanos, es un trabajo en progreso.

Los nombres de los enanos -, así que me iba a llamar a los nombres raros como estúpido, aburrido, etc infeliz, pero pensé que estaba demasiado cerca de Gruñón y otros - y desde Walt dysney propietaria de la hélice de ADN metafórica de Ricitos de Oro y los seis enanos, que no quería que saltar fuera de su crio-tanque a venir a buscarme.

Así se les llama Cedric, Edward, Gayus (que es la romana con pantalones apretados), Beaowulf, Godric, Arlo y Roderick. Los ocho uno no tiene nombre porque ....

Oh, no era otra cosa .... hmm.
¿Te dije lo que es una maravillosa artista brillante brillante ingenio de mi amigo es Ces?
Hoy he recibido una tuerca especial - no sólo es la mejor tuerca que he recibido .... no, pero en serio me stompfooted y rodó más de dos veces por su belleza y por la generosidad de Ces.

Pero más sobre esto más adelante.

Gracias por mirar:)

Blind Leading the Blind: Horror of Horrors

Abyssus abyssum invocat (Hell invokes Hell)  G.L. Geronimicus.

Inter caecos regnat strabo ("Among blind people the squinting one rules.") : A.D. Erasmus

Facio picture magnus commodo click is per vestri muris puga pyga gratias ago

(Please clicken the picture to make it big) A.B. Finnie.

Invocat Abyssum Abyssus ("el infierno invoca el infierno") or perhaps Inter caecos regnat Estrabón ("Entre las personas ciegas del estrabismo un reglamento."): Erasmus.

Estoy empezando a como el español.....Pero a menudo me dicen que mis calzoncillos están en mi cabeza!
 
This is for Illustration Friday: Proverbs. What a great topic. Thankyou for everyone who made comments on that last work! I will be back after a surf :)  Esto es para el viernes Illustration: Proverbios. ¡Qué gran tema. Gracias por todos los que hicieron comentarios sobre este último trabajo! Estaré de vuelta después de una resaca (it is supposed to say 'surf"!, not 'hangover') :)


PS more than a small  homage to Breugel . :)

Just Desserts: Something from the New Project

Hello, sorry I am quiet quite quiet. Just like little children, it means I am up to no good. :)

Here is part of  Horror of Horrors, where a main character gets his just dessert(s). Of course I was tempted to make a bowl of children as dessert, but  child soup followed by child dessert was beyond my culinary skills.

Thank you for looking. PS: Illustration Friday prompt was "dessert' so of course I have twisted it to mine own evil ways.

Hola, lo siento tranquila muy tranquila. Significa que estoy para nada bueno. :)

He aquí parte de Horror de los horrores, donde un personaje principal recibe su justo postre (s).

Gracias por mirar una vez má.
PS: Viernes Ilustración del sistema era "postre" así que por supuesto tengo mi propia retorció malos caminos.
PS: Ilustrasi Jumat prompt adalah "dessert 'jadi tentu saja aku punya cara memelintirnya tambang jahat sendiri.

Immovable: Something from the New Project.

Hey I was working on this this morning when I read illustration Friday's prompt. 'Immovable." In the real illustration the 'hero' is running away. Don't say that I blame him. Heh. Thanks gratefully to everyone who commented on that last piece. That is very heart warming, thank you.  The very last image is part of the process - to give you an idea. Bad demon on left with eye patch is the pirate. Bad demon on far right is the detective. In past lives anyway.

Hey, yo estaba trabajando en esta mañana cuando he leído esta ilustración del sistema del viernes. "Immovable". En la ilustración del héroe real "es salir corriendo. No digas que yo lo culpo. Jeh. Gracias agradecimiento a todos los que comentaron que la última pieza. Eso es muy reconfortante (heart warming), gracias very much!. El último la imagen es parte del proceso - para darle una idea. Demonio malo a la izquierda con parche en el ojo es el pirata. demonio malo de extrema derecha es el detective. En las vidas pasadas de todos modos.

Atmosphere: Something from the new project.

Hey! Well sorry to be abstentious (if that's not a word...  well it is now heh)

I've actually been working on a new project. Horror of horrors (not the name, just the emotion)

It's a book of course  - I've been playing with the idea of having the intro chapter in black and white, then the rest, as the protagonist enters the 'new world' of his adventure, made in colour. Just like  the Wizard of Oz.

The bottom image is a scene which won't make it into the book. It has the old protagonist and is no longer needed as part of the visual narrative. The background props are the same I used for the "Invisible"   - lots of new characters though. You can see the Boschian influence/ Breughel influence on that creature at the extreme left of the bench.

The top image will be either the first or second image in the 'book'. It has the new character and.... and well, it portrays the catalyst that  sets things in motion. In Freytag's Pyramid it is known as the "Inciting Incident."

Thanks to everyone who commented on the windmill and that last work. You are all very kind. :)

cheers again  from the land of OZ.

By the way, this is my Illustration for "Atmosphere" - Illustration Friday's prompt de la week.

Hey! Pues siento estar sobrio (this should be absent not sober!) (si eso no es una palabra ... bueno ahora es je) De hecho, he estado trabajando en un nuevo proyecto. Horror de horrores (no el nombre, sólo la emoción) 

Es un libro, por supuesto - que he estado jugando con la idea de que el capítulo de introducción en blanco y negro, luego el resto, como el protagonista entra en el 'nuevo mundo' de su aventura, realizado en color. Al igual que el Mago de Oz. 

La imagen de abajo es una escena que no se construirá en el libro. Cuenta con el protagonista de edad y ya no es necesaria como parte de la narrativa visual. Los objetos de fondo son los mismos que he usado para el "invisible" - un montón de personajes nuevos sin embargo. Usted puede ver la influencia Bosch / influencia Breughel sobre esa criatura en el extremo izquierdo del banco.

La imagen superior será o bien la primera imagen o segundo en el 'libro'. Tiene el carácter nuevo y .... y bueno, que retrata el catalizador que pone en movimiento. En Pyramid Freytag se le conoce como el "Incidente de incitación". Gracias a todos los que comentaron el molino de viento y que el trabajo pasado. Todos ustedes son muy amables. :)  Should be 'you are all very  kind' Saludos una vez más de la tierra de Oz. Por cierto, esta es mi Ilustración para "Atmósfera" - Ilustración del viernes del sistema de la madrugada. 

Looking for the .... err Sixth Planet

Well I just received an email from an artist that I admire greatly. What they said has made me decide to add another image in the place of the first images. They are still there after the page break. I must warn you that they might disturb you - so please be aware of that, if you continue to the next point.

The image above is from a series I did on windmills last month but never posted. If you look carefully you can see two star gazers watching the stars appear with the coming of the sunset.

Star-light, star-bright

First star I've seen tonight;

I wish I may, I wish I might

Get the wish I wish tonight.

A children's rhyme, oft repeated by adults in their prime.

Sincere apologies to those I disturbed with my previous image.

To Hell With The Little Devils (Smartcar)

"To Hell With The Little Devils"

This one for Outsmart 2010.  The idea is to inco-operate a Smart Car into the double page image. La idea es inco-operar un Smart en la imagen de la página doble.Thanks for the heads up Maria.  I never knew what a smart car was before. Please click for big :)

Thanks to everyone who commented on the last piece!!  I'll be back asap and thank you again in the correct manner :) Presently I am visiting Bosch - he is not a bad cook, and I have borrowed some of his reci-pies. Luckily Brueg-hel lives down the road, and he might need a visit too....  Gracias a todos los que comentaron la última pieza! Estaré de vuelta lo antes posible y gracias de nuevo de la manera correcta:) Actualmente estoy visitando Bosch - no es una mala cocinera, y he tomado prestado algunas de sus reci-pasteles. Por suerte Brueg-hel vidas por el camino, y él puede ser que necesite una visita también ....

But seriously. Detail below. It's just lo res, as per destructions. Es de baja resolución que se acaba, según el escrito ".