Hello and welcome to Newsletter #18!
It’s been a longer-than-expected spell since our last post, but we have TWO new pictures to share with you today, to make up for the silence!
Oh, and before I forget, the Newbury district’s ‘Open Studio’ programme is also up and running as of mid-September: details below.
Delayed from its usual May slot, this is a second-chance for you to pop-in and view Ann’s (chaotic) studio, along with the complete range of Originals & Prints: ‘Act now to avoid disappointment’, as the saying goes.
Okay: on with the show!
Childhood. Do you remember it? Carefree days, spent running in pursuit of a dream; trusting that you really could run across water if you were fast enough?
I do…
And I painted ‘Windcheetah’ so that I wouldn’t forget…
What’s more, I’ve a sneaky feeling that some of you might want to remember it, too…
The balloon is just the next goal in life, that keeps you moving forward. It doesn’t matter if you never catch it, as long as you keep running! Just as in life: when we stop aiming at our goals, then we get dragged down. And forget what it felt like to be free…
Our Cheetah wears a style of armour that I’ve used before: a series of overlapping teal-blue plates, with gold edging.
On his back, rides a Ring-Tailed Lemur. I actually included one of these cheeky fellows in my last work ‘Leap of Faith’ and he attracted a lot of comment, so it seemed appropriate to have him make a return appearance!
The Flying Fishes also return, having previously been seen in ‘The Dreamcatchers’.
‘Windcheetah’ started life as a painting exercise, to see if I could
successfully capture a turbulent seascape.
When it became clear I had something more than a mere test piece, I sat on it awhile until inspiration struck!
A highly satisfying picture, ‘Infinite Dreams’ took a few left turns along the way, but I’m very pleased with the way this one turned out!
We join our Flamingo and Pug (as seen in previous works) as they embark on the next stage of their journey: passage aboard a small steamboat.
But this is no ordinary ferry… For it carries a majestic Elephant, on whose back sits a giant water-globe. Inside this, swims an Oar Fish; a large, deep-water species. For the mathematicians amongst you, you’ll notice that the fish is curling its body into the symbol for infinity (‘§’)…
At the bow, a Hare stretches out to retrieve what looks to be a message-in-a-bottle. Behind him sits an open chest, filled with other bottles; other messages.
This, then, is our picture: all those bright ideas we have when we dream? Those glittering prizes, that are soon forgotten upon waking? Well, they’re not lost!
We send them out to the limitless – INFINITE – Universe of our imaginations, where they’re collected and remembered by the Elephant.
And then? Maybe – just maybe – they’re returned when we need them…
Our Hare is fishing out bottles from the river; each one carrying someone’s precious dream or bright idea.
Each bottle retrieved, resides in the chest; its vital message stored forever until it’s needed.
Note the ink pot & quill label? You’ll be seeing that somewhere else!
I love how the little Pug came out here: doesn’t he look cheeky in his Fez?
Towards the rear, you can see some of the care & detail I put into the details of the steam-boat! In particular, the tarnished brasswork & staining on the paddle-wheel’s shroud.
Oh, and look at the flag!
So then, to our giant water-globe and the Oar Fish within.
Often mistake for giant-sized Eels, these mysterious fish live at depth in the open ocean. In our picture, it has curled itself into an ‘Infinity’ sign, that symbolises the endless stream of our creativity.
As long as people dream, there will always be bottles to collect & messages to remember.
I was particularly pleased with the brass filigree effect I achieved with the globe’s pedestal: VERY fiddly, that!
Here’s a good view of the Elephant.
His decoration begins with a beautifully marked throw,
studded with beads & lapis with a faintly Arabic feel.
Above that, is a layer in quilted leather, that’s also studded with jewels and topped with a blanket of silver-leaf. I actually used real Silver paint here, so a shout-out to my photographer for capturing its shimmer.
This all supports the weight of the water-globe, in its brass & copper frame.
Perched atop the water-globe, sits a beautiful Bird-of-Paradise. I debated long and hard about what kind of bird might sit there. I went through everything from Eagles, to Sparrows but, in the end, only the Bird-of-Paradise had what I wanted, with its dramatic sweep of tail feathers.
Even then, it still needed to be holding a jewel in its beak: an idea I’ve used before.
Which brings us, last but not least, to our majestic, soulful Elephant.
One of the first areas of this picture to be attempted, it’s also the reason why it took so long to finish!
Not because it was particularly complicated or tricky to do, but because at the time I started it, the UK was experiencing a freakishly hot spell (that turned out to be the high-point of a dismal Summer). As a result, the paint didn’t flow on the brush as I would expect, becoming sluggish and unresponsive. The days quickly became weeks, as I waited for the paint to ‘behave’!
One last point: have you spotted that his ivory tusks are engraved? This is a call-back to the Walrus in ‘Old Man of the Sea’!
One late touch, was the addition of this ‘extension rod’ to the lantern above the Elephant’s head!
I like the idea that, even in this magical, imaginary world, not everything goes right first-time. That, sometimes, improvisations have to be made.
Look closely, and you’ll see that this extra lamp, uses a glow-worm: another call-back to an early idea used in this series: if it ain’t broke…
As we go into our busiest months of the year, we shall be at the Corn Hall, Cirencester, every Saturday from now until January…
We try to squeeze as much of the range in as possible, so if you’re in the area and want to catch-up with our new work, we’d love to see you!
Our Opening Days are:
September 2021 – 19 / 20 / 21 / 26 / 27 / 28
October 2021 – 3 / 4 / 5 / 10
11am – 6pm
COME VISIT: WE’D LOVE TO SAY HELLO!
I’ve made a little gallery out of what’s usually my ‘print room’; the place where I assemble
framed work and store the materials needed to get Ann’s work out to the World.
We’ve crammed all-sorts into this space: signed prints in our usual sizes, plus some rare originals that seldom see the light of day.
No Appointments necessary.
Outdoor seating for appraisals.
With no access to the rest of the house, surfaces cleaned between visits and ample ventilation, the space is as ‘safe’ as any other ‘non-essential’ retail space now re-open.
Innocent When You Dream…
More SOON!
Well, that’s it for now: we hope you enjoyed this month’s Newsletter.
Here’s looking forward to better days!
