Hello..!
At long, long last, we are thrilled that we can finally share The Watchers… with you. After months in the making, this delightful piece is finally ready to take centre stage.
Originally planned for release during our Open Studios event in July—yes, three months ago!—The Watchers… was delayed as Follow the Leader took longer to complete. Ann, ever the perfectionist, vowed not to touch this new piece until Follow… was finished. Much teeth-gritting ensued..!
But, with larger pieces coming towards the end of the month, now is the perfect time to let The Watchers… bask in the spotlight.
Speaking of basking, we’ve just returned from a blissful week in The Lizard, Cornwall—one of our favourite retreats in the UK. It’s a place where we can truly switch off, recharge, and rediscover our creative energy. No mobile signal, no TV—just quiet moments by a glowing wood-burner and evenings lost in books. Do you have a place like that? Somewhere to retreat when life feels overwhelming? For us, stepping away from screens and technology is essential to reconnect with the heart of our work—out goes the iPad, in comes the sketchpad!
Before I close, a quick note on our last newsletter (#42). As you may recall, instead of a bulky email filled with images, we opted to send you a simple link to view the content right here – on our website. I’m delighted to report that this approach more than doubled our open rates, and we saw a significant increase in engagement. At last, something worked!! Thank you for your continuing patience and support as we stumble forwards…
If you’re new to Otherwurlde and missed that newsletter, I just want to let you know, that many past editions featuring some of our most beloved paintings, can now be seen within the new ‘Journal’ section. If you ever wanted to delve deeper into a favourite piece, you’ll find plenty to enjoy there.
Finally, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you once again for being such an integral part of our journey. Your passion for our work inspires us every day and drives us to continue capturing the beauty and mystery of the world around us. We look forward to sharing much more with you…
Our Best Wishes to you,
Gary & Ann
Owls are a recurring presence in the world of Otherwurlde, always depicted as ‘Guardians’ of their realms. While we typically imagine them as larger, more imposing birds like the Eagle Owl (as seen in Pearls of Wisdom), size is often less important than guile—or simple common sense. Which is why we are thrilled to introduce a Little Owl in The Watchers.
Sometimes, there’s no dense woodland to hide in or valley to oversee from a lofty perch. Instead, there might just be the stump of a fallen tree, a cluster of tall grasses, or a humble fence post. In those smaller, quieter places, we find the Little Owl, ever watchful. Here, our hero perches atop a fallen tree trunk, surrounded by buttercups and a few delicate moths, which brighten the shadowed interior. Autumn leaves peek through, stark against the night sky.
The piece also incorporates a striking application of 22ct gold leaf, which Ann applied with some precision. She began by sketching the owl in pencil over the gesso primer, using it as a guide for the gold leaf, whilst leaving space for the midnight blue background. This blue, creeping over the edges of the gold, creates a beautiful contrast with the owl’s warm feathers and the ethereal glow of his armour, resulting in a composition that echoes the grandeur of a Byzantine icon.
In the early view seen above, you can see the first under-layer of grey paint and those pencil lines. Of late, Ann has adopted this ‘Grisaille’ technique for her underpainting; a way of layering-up grey tones with the aim of improving the reflectivity of light. We first used it on ‘The Promise of Spring’ to great effect; indeed, I dedicated a chunk of that Newsletter to showing the remarkable effect it can have when compared to other background options…
The design of the armour, closely matches that seen in Pearls…, with its distinctive chest panels and Samurai-inspired headpiece. You’ll note, that the pattern / motif chosen for the headpiece here, is different to that seen in Pearls… As if this Watcher belongs to a different Guild or Clan..?
A special mention must also be made of the armour’s luminous highlights. As some of you may recall, we recently acquired a unique luminous paint from Japan, and here it brings the armour to life. Though difficult to fully capture in photographs, when viewed from certain angles, the effect is mesmerising, like a verdigris patina catching the light. These close-ups also give a great view of the many subtleties in the owl’s feathering and the rusty weathering in the armour itself. Of little note by themselves, such details work together to make the picture so accomplished…
The Owl’s not alone… His companion, a brave little Fieldmouse, sits on what we think is a saddle, just out of sight. He wears matching armour, wields a small spear, and proudly holds a cherry-red banner. Just imagine the stories this pair could tell! In looking at his helmet, I’m reminded of something a Conquistador might wear? What do you think?
Here’s a great close-up of the hollow log and the little flurry of Buttercups within. Some of those glowing moths can also be seen; doesn’t it look magical?
I’ve also included a couple of shots of the autumnal leaves creeping-in to the edge of the panel, together with some detail of the magnificent frame we managed to find for this one. The antique gold finish really worked well with the dark blues of both the painting and its backboard.
And here it is… I took this shot with a particularly strong side-light, so you could get a sense, not only of how the panel works in its frame, but also how that gold leaf & the luminous paint can look. Stunning.
Last-but-not-least, a nice close-up of our two heroes together.
So satisfying to see this painting finally finished: it’s been a while…!
Please Note: This beautiful painting will NOT be available as a Fine-Art Print. In keeping with many of our smaller works, only the original, unique artwork is being offered. For details on measurements and to enquire about acquiring this unique piece, please follow the link below.
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 getting to the end; we hope that you’re delighted by this beautiful, new little painting as much as we are!
What’s next? As I write this, Ann’s beginning to draft out what ‘might’ be a sequel to ‘The Promise of Spring’, so keep an eye out for that… We always had a quartet of pictures in-mind for that idea, so it feels good to be making good on that promise. Ish…
By the end of October however, I’ll be showing another completed project in its entirety: the so-called ‘Inspiration Trilogy’… It’s something completely different and comes after over a year of on-off-on again painting, so we’ll see you 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…
