Hello..!
We’re so thrilled to finally share ‘Follow the Leader?’ with you today!
It seems these days, as if every new painting takes longer – and LONGER! – than ever… Originally, this was supposed to take ‘about a month’; i.e. the duration of July’s ‘Open Studio’ event. Many of you will have stopped by and seen Ann working on it…
But as time & experience have shown, sometimes a painting can just ‘run away’ from you. So it was, here. Happily, we think the end-result more than justifies the wait! ‘Follow the Leader?’ has proven to be one of the happiest paintings we’ve produced to-date and we think it’s going to be enjoyed by many of you.
As with every new artwork within ‘Otherwurlde’, there’s a LOT to discover, so in this Newsletter, I’ll take you step-by-step through all its secrets: and there are quite a few!
One other point of note: if everything goes according to-plan, this Newsletter is going to be the first in a new format…
Long-term fans have been very patient with us. About a year ago, we had the debacle of moving – for one issue only – to a different email provider. Ho-hum. Then we changed our name – from ‘AnnRIchmond.co.uk’ to ‘Otherwurlde.com’, which produced inevitable confusion. But lessons have been learnt as we stumble forward!
The biggest hurdle facing us now is that, by packing our Newsletters with so many images, they create emails so large that many email providers – Yahoo & Google, among them – simply block them BEFORE THEY EVER REACH YOUR IN-BOX! They treat them as spam and, as a result, way over half of them are never seen. If you signed-up to our mailing list, only to wonder why you never saw anything, that’s the reason! You might even have been receiving them, only to then empty your spam / junk folder and lose them forever, without realising they were there all along!
As you might imagine, it’s been a constant source of irritation and frustration… We want to grow and keep showing you all what we’re up to, but sometimes it feels as if we’re being held-back…
But we think we’ve got an answer that will please everyone! Instead of sending you a bulky email, we will instead be sending you a short & sweet plain-text message, containing little more than a link to this page of the Journal. If you’re reading this, then it’s working! (Incidentally: the Journal section of the website is a recent addition and contains many past editions featuring some of the classic paintings: so if you ever wanted to learn more about your favourite artwork, have a look HERE…).
From the bottom of our hearts Thank You, once again, for being a vital part of our story. Your ongoing encouragement and passion for our work fuels our creativity. It drives us to capture a little of the beauty & mystery that surrounds us. Long may it continue…
Our Best Wishes to you,
Gary & Ann
Sometimes, an idea arrives effortlessly; dropped into our laps by the universe, fully-formed and raring-to-go. Journey’s End was one of those, and Follow the Leader? is another. Typically, creating a painting feels like a battle—between the boundless creativity of the mind and the physical constraints of the canvas. When we finally present the work, it’s often a compromise—a truce between the two forces, leaving us wondering whether we’ve got it right or where we went wrong.
With Follow the Leader?, though, things flowed smoothly from the start. From the very beginning, both of us felt this one was going to work. Ann had the idea of a “swimming elephant” after seeing an image in an old magazine—probably National Geographic—of an Indian elephant swimming, sunlight flickering through the water, dappling its hide. She even sketched something whilst we were at Cirencester’s Corn Hall one Saturday. A striking image, then, but an image without context. Without story…
This was happening back in May, 2024. Although just a few short months ago as I write this, it already feels like an age has passed. Our world seems more divided than ever. Powerful figures, vying for our attention – and votes – seem a little louder. So it was against this background – of political noise & global uncertainty – that I began thinking of Ann’s idea. The elephant… Could it be leading a mixed shoal of colourful fish, unaware it’s about to leave them behind as it walks ashore? That was it…
Underwater, it would blend in, looking like just another awkward creature of the deep. But once it emerges from the water and leaves them behind, without a backward glance, only then will its true colours emerge: those merry streamers and bejewelled saddle will glitter & shine even stronger, once it’s amongst its own kind… The fish should think twice about who they trust & believe: they want to see a fish… But they’re getting something very different!
All of which leaves the Elephant who, as far as he’s concerned, is just enjoying a swim! Oblivious to all that’s happening in his wake, he’s merrily swimming towards the shore; happy to shake-off the water and leave it all behind… If only he were to look around: he might have a very different view of the chaos he’s caused!
There’s a lot to discover in the painting. In the top right, a group of flying fish—recurring visitors from The Dreamcatchers & elsewhere…
Just below? The familiar duo from Quicksilver!: an Oranda Carp and a Frog; chasing after a Yahooh fish, this time and not their usual Barracuda!
A string of Redfin Perch follows the elephant’s tail, and Ann captured their distinctive stripes beautifully!
The pair of circular blue & red fishes in and around the tail? Opah fish.
The bright yellow ones? Unsurprisingly, they are Lemonpeel Angel fish and they’re directly above a large, grey Grouper. In front of him, is a shoal of Bannerfish and at the top of this close-up, is the Yahooh fish being chased by our two heroes!
The orange fish leading that gaggle is a Lyretail Anthias: so-named, on account of the distinctive curve in its tail.
Moving further down, the silvery-white fish with red fins are Snubnose Pompano, while Saddled Sea Bream dart around the elephant’s legs.
At the bottom-right of the scene, tucked-into the coral, you might see a glimpse of a crab?
Moving left, along the bottom, there’s a magnificent Green Turtle. Long-terms fans of our work, will remember that Strangers in a Strange Land, also featured a turtle? The joke being, that with all our creatures having armour to some degree, the turtle gets a pass by-default: so we gave his shell a chromed-plating! This idea returns here, though Ann couldn’t resist adding a jewel for good measure…
Keep going left and you won’t fail to miss our pair of Clown Fish; an irresistible nod to one of Pixar’s finest!
Last – but not least – we have a splendid Blue Lobster, also sporting chrome armour…
Then there’s the main attraction: the Indian Elephant himself! Ann’s memory of that photo, had the elephant framed from below, almost in silhouette. However, we instead opted for a side view. This allowed us to showcase its finery, the rise of the beach, and its colourful companions in a pleasing composition. Let’s start with the snout of the trunk: have you noticed the bubbles? We couldn’t paint an ambitious work such as this, without adding a playful nod back to other artworks. At first, we considered a ribbon, tied somehow to the trunk, towing a balloon (but of course!) before settling for the bubbles…
Notice the intricate carvings on its tusks, adorned with gold and ruby rings…
There’s a golden fish placed where a floral ‘rosette’ would typically sit on an Indian parade elephant.
The beautiful ‘skullcap’, was originally intended to be a kind of ‘goldfish bowl’ with fish living within! Indeed, they were going to be acting as ‘lures’ to entice the fish to follow, but when we looked at the amount of space this was likely to use-up, the idea was quickly dropped…
The saddle itself is another example of the beautifully-tooled leatherwork seen throughout the Otherwurlde; Ann’s made this a speciality over the years and this one is a particularly fine example. The filigree work, along with the bejewelled fringe being two highlights for me.
It wouldn’t have felt right to paint this beautiful elephant and NOT have some streamers…! This view, also shows a little more of the delicate filigree work at the saddle’s border. I’m a big fan of the decision to omit jewels at random places; makes you think about why there are gaps!!
Finally, I must mention the sun and the bubbles. Ann was especially proud of the sun’s subtle warmth, which adds a tropical feel without overpowering the scene; those ‘God-Rays’ piercing the waters, are a subtle touch.
And the bubbles? Well, there are plenty, and by the end, Ann was ready to throw the canvas out of the window! If you visited us during our Open Studios event in July and wondered why this piece took so long, the bubbles—and other tiny details—are your answer!
Unlike some of our more recent artworks, we’ve chosen to leave the Original Painting of Follow the Leader? Un-Framed. Truth be told, neither Ann nor I could agree / decide on which approach might suit it best! Besides, if you’re tempted, it’ll probably come down to your own preference…!
So, I’ve put together a few more mock-ups here, to give you some ideas. Oh, and these might also be useful when it comes to our Bespoke Prints, too…
Our Signature Print in an Oak frame. Or Black…
That just about does it..! Thanks for getting this far!
We’re back at the Corn Hall, Cirencester EVERY weekend (Saturdays and Sundays) from now until Xmas… The only exception, being the FIRST TWO WEEKENDS IN OCTOBER! On those weekends, Cirencester’s town centre is dominated by the annual ‘Mop’ Fairs and for us, the logistics involved in getting everything set-up, amidst the chaos is just too much!
Our stand at the Corn Hall might look impressive these days, but we still struggle for storage. That means we can’t bring everything you might want to see, to every show…
Neither Ann nor myself want to disappoint you, so if there’s anything you’d particularly like to see in-person, PLEASE get in-touch ahead of time and we’ll ensure it’s there!
Thanks for sticking this Newsletter out to the end; we hope that you’re delighted by this one as much as we are!
What’s next? As I write this, Ann’s making steady progress with ‘The Watchers’. Another of our smaller pieces, this one should be done & dusted fairly soon; we’ll have it framed, too.
After that? Do you remember Arrival? When it premiered last year, we hinted that it might be the first of a mooted triptych? Well, I’m pleased as punch to announce that it’s now COMPLETE! We’re going to get some photography done and show that completed project very soon…
I can’t close without offering our thanks to you all. Your support (and patience) has been immense over the few years we’ve been on this ride together; we couldn’t do this without you…
