Gustave Moreau / Jupiter and Semele

I've been looking at this incredible painting by Gustave Moreau quite a lot recently. He did it toward the end of his life, and it is probably a culmination of many of the themes, ideas & motifs he had used throughout his career. What strikes me most about it is the awesome (as in awe-inspiring) indigestibility of it, in that I could spend my life looking at it and possibly never manage to absorb all of it, never mind understand what is going on. The individual main theme of the painting, Jupiter revealing his true self to his lover (and the mother of Dionysus) & thereby killing her with his divine thunder and lightning, is straightforward enough, but that is almost the least of it. It seems as though every square inch of the canvas is covered with figures, or jewels, or plant forms, or fruit. The only element of relief is the deep blue sky, which the eye and mind must return to frequently, lest the density of imagery and paint exhaust the viewer...

In any case, I am feeling that I should produce a monumental, complex work, that might be as awe-inspiring and confusing as this one.

Gustave Moreau, Jupiter and Semele, 1894-5, oil on canvas, 83.8" × 46.5"

Just Another Day

A more complex drawing...containing a multitude of elements from previous works & other places...

I think this piece is notable not because it holds together particularly well, but because individual parts are more interesting than the whole. So, not a complete success, perhaps, more of a fascinating failure, to me at least. Also contains a lot of references to Bosch & Breughel.

Just Another Day, 2016, brush & ink on paper, 28.5" x 22.5"

The Pearl

I've been doing quite a lot of drawings recently. This is a new one, from this evening. I'm moving the scale up some.

The Pearl, 2016, brush & ink on paper, 28.5" x 22.5" approx.

Ship of Lost Souls

I think this small drawing may be a turning point for me, pointing the way forward. I'm thinking of doing some more complex, multi-figured drawings. I was looking at some of Breughel's work recently and admiring the way he could orchestrate a multitude of small figures within a complex large piece. We'll see...

Ship of Lost Souls, 2016, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Divining the Source

A new brush/ink drawing. The rounded triangle seems to be becoming a theme of sorts.

Divining the Source, 2016, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Space Oddity

Not really a tribute to David Bowie, this concerns the drawing below which came as something of a surprise. While I have read the odd science fiction book (Kurt Vonnegut, if he counts as science fiction, & maybe not exactly) & I like sci-fi movies, I don't really utilize such themes in my artwork. Until now. Or not. Probably an aberration, but not the worst thing I ever made...

Science Fiction, 2016, brush & ink on paper, 11" x 14".

Souls in Summerland

Another new brush & ink drawing, a series seems to be coming together. Also, this forms part of a series of faceless "souls" that I've done over the years. Summerland is apparently a name for the place on "the other side" where souls go when they pass, where everyone is happy and peaceful.

Souls in Summerland, 2016, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11"

Atomic

Here's a new ink drawing where I took the title from a Blondie song. I do this sometimes...use song titles or lyrics for my artworks. I always liked that song.

Atomic, 2016, brush & ink on paper, 11" x 14"

Medusa Again

Here is a new ink drawing of Medusa, a continuing thread in my artwork (along with other mythological figures such as Cyclops, Narcissus, etc.). This one is a little darker and more melancholy than most.

Medusa Caught in the Coils of Reality, 2016, brush & ink on paper, 11" x 14".

Head on Cardboard

A smallish drawing of a head done on a scrap of cardboard I cut from a box. I like the color & texture of cardboard. There is a bit of acrylic paint & graphite in this one as well.

Head on Cardboard, 2016, ink etc. on cardboard, 8.5" x 6.25" approx.

2 old paintings: Babel & Figure in a Landscape

Unfortunately, my aunt passed away suddenly a few weeks ago. In her collection were a couple of my paintings from long ago (1978, to be precise), which I'm posting below. "Babel" is a fairly straightforward oil painting somewhat in the style of John Martin, and "Figure in a Landscape" which is heavily painted in quite thick impasto. Both are done in oil. I hadn't really thought about either of these for years, so it was surprising to see them again. The second one, I've left the bamboo frame in the photo, as it goes well with the painting.

Babel, 1978, oil on canvas, 14" x 18"

Figure in a Landscape, 1978, oil on board, 16" x 12"

The Most Human Angel of All

This was supposed to be a better version of "Angelic" (see below), the drawing that I destroyed, but that lived on in a much better incarnation as a digital piece. Whilst the composition is just about the same (quite similar, anyhow), the piece took on a life of its own & with the addition of acrylic paint over the sepia ink, became a much more emotionally resonant image (in my opinion, at least).

The Most Human Angel of All, 2016, acrylic over sepia ink on paper, 12" x 9"

Angelic (digital)

Below is the digital version of a drawing that no longer exists. I originally started the drawing in sepia ink, which can be harder to work with than black ink on account of the paleness of the pigment. I find it more difficult to get an even tone. As time went on, the drawing became more and more overworked...I paused and took a digital photo in poor lighting conditions. To improve things, I loaded the photo into Photoshop & tried a few options...the "stamp" filter was the one that worked. Basically, it evened out the inconsistencies in the lines and revealed the underlying structure of the drawing much more coherently. Inspired by the digital version, I went back to the drawing and worked on it some more with black ink...with the unfortunate consequence that the drawing became more convoluted and weaker. Eventually, I destroyed the drawing. The digital version is much better than the drawing ever was...though it does indicate some possible routes forward for future artwork.

Angelic, digital image, 2016

The Song of the Bird

Here is a new ink drawing from today, done in sepia ink (Sennelier 438 sepia to be precise). I find that the sepia color softens the drawing and gives it a warmth...so I will probably do a few more like this.

The Song of the Bird, 2016, sepia ink on paper, 28.5" x 22.5"