Of Mountains and Sky

A new small oil painting on plywood panel of a wild, mountainous landscape. There may be more images in this vein forthcoming, wait and see...

Of Mountains and Sky, 2018, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

A return to oil paint

It's been around 15 years since I last consistently used oil paints, so I was probably overdue to break them out again. Acrylic is easier to use, dries quicker and so on, but doesn't have the depth or subtlety of oil. Continuing on from a recent series on plywood panels where the wood grain is visible, here are some very recent works in oil on board. More to follow, no doubt.

Evocation of a Golden Summer's Day, 2018, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

The Queen in Yellow, 2018, oil on panel, 16" x 12"

The Tower of Babel from Afar, 2018, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

Ghost - Square Hammer

I occasionally post musical items on here when they interest me. I recently came across this "band" (seems to be one person, mostly, with some "Nameless Ghouls" hired to play on stage), who are gaining popularity these days. It's not really heavy metal as such, more melodic hard rock in my humble opinion. They remind me of my teenage years wasted listening to the likes of Blue Oyster Cult...and like that band, there is a heavy mystical/dark/atmospheric feeling to the proceedings. The video shown here I like for its overall aesthetic & the references to Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" & that old vampire movie "Nosferatu"...it's my favorite song of the week & that guitar riff is killer. Also, the singer/mastermind gets kudos for not just wearing makeup but also a prosthetic mask under that, to give him that aged/ancient look. A hit.

There is a Soul that Nestles in the World

Another one in the plywood series (see previous posting) where the warmth of the wood grain becomes a part of the composition. This one uses a very small portion of the surface of the support to give a sense of quiet intimacy.

There is a Soul that Nestles in the World, 2018, acrylic & ink on plywood, 20" x 16".

Medusa 2018

This is one of a new series of smallish paintings on treated plywood...I give the plywood several coats of water-based grain filler & then draw & paint on top. So far it seems to be working & the paint & ink hold well. In this one, the ripples in the grain of the plywood echo the coils of Medusa's hair, which was an unexpected but welcome touch.

Medusa 2018, ink & acrylic on plywood, 20" x 16".