ShirleySheltonArt

Sunflowers in a Blue Vase

2011-12-02T20:37:00.000Z

Hmm, continuing on with the theme of Sunflowers (there's a pattern developing here) I offer a very different treatment from my last entry. In this case a portrait and though in many ways it's more conventional than 'Sun Scorched' it's none the less highly stylized and owes it's entire look to digital enhancement.

I was initially drawn to the shape of the vase and it's exotic design. I also felt the blues complimented the colours in the flowers and both co-existed nicely with the door as background. I especially liked the scratched, weathered appearance of the door (which, incidentally is to my garden shed) Note that the door as background doesn't detract from the main subject. Rather it's gnarled, aged surface contrasts perfectly with both the elegance of the vase and the fresh, organic forms of the flowers.

Again I used my Sony A350 and again a 90mm lens. I shot it in RAW (my usual preference) and after playing with the basic look and levels in Adobe Camera Raw I opened the file in Photoshop. This allows me a myriad possibilities as well as complete freedom to 'work up' the image intuitively. In this case I duplicated the layer, converted the top layer to black and white and then played with the filters until the image had the required 'stylized look I was after.

I think this image works well. It puts a different spin on what might have been a very conventional vase of flowers. It's balanced with being boring and has an interesting background that doesn't compromise the subject. Of cousre I'm biasd and proudly so! But as always, you guys do the judging.

Shirley

Sun-Scorched

2011-11-30T20:49:00.000Z

Here's a piece of trivia for you. Know why sunflowers are so named? Well, because they belong to the genus Helianthus annus and "Helios" translates into sun in Greek. Hmm, now fancy that...

That and the fact they do actually resemble the sun (well at least a sun in a children's drawing) and their association with warmth, summer, Van Gogh and all we miss in these winter months..brrrrrr.

They also make for great photographs which is why they are so popular and why their image dominates the internet in countless clones of similar shots and why therefore I've felt the need to do something different. Don't get me wrong, I love sunflowers and I enjoy looking at them and I've loved painting them but if I'm going to put a photo of one on my blog I'd really like it to have a sliver of originality as opposed to the same old same as?

I took the original sunflower image this summer using my Sony A350 with a 90mm lens and edited mostly in Photoshop though I did add some of the textural elements in Coral Painter. Again this is a perfect example of experimenting with layers, unleashing their potential and with it your own creativity. In this case I simply stacked layers with different textures and after playing with various filters and getting the results I wanted I used the eraser to carve away unwanted elements. The text effect I created separately using free transform-warp then added it as another layer to the main image. Once I had all the elements together I tweaked the levels and adjusted tones and colour to finish off that fiery look.

I think Sun-Scorched resulted in a dynamic and interesting take on what could have remained a good but very 'bread and butter' photograph of sunflowers. As a painter I enjoy stretching other creative muscles and again with digital the potential is limitless. I mean really, there are no limits to what you can do and those purists who think digital manipulation is some form of artistic blasphemy obviously need to come into the 21ist Century pronto!

Shirley

Splish Splash

2011-11-24T18:37:00.000Z

Ok, it's been a while since my last post but hey, life has a habit of intervening! Other projects and concerns fight for attention and before you can spell B-L-O-G....six months have past and not a word or a picture published.

Bad girl. Must and should do better? Fair enough. OK, I'll give it a go!

Hmm, Splish Splash just happened. No prior planning or product of commission. I was simply looking for something to compliment my living room, pick up the colors, echo the theme and generally indulge a desire to simply 'splash' a slab of my imagination onto canvas. No restraint, just gut, muse and possibly a slice of the id?

Splish Splash is abstract as I like it with color, texture and composition hopefully coming together in in a riot of extravagance. I don't deny it's personal and thus it's ability to please will be governed by your own taste. I've again used the diptych format which I always feel lends an interesting play on space and again the medium I've used is acrylic with acrylic gesso to build up areas of thick texture. The result (I hope) is a playful fusion of color, surface and a sense of perhaps 'controlled' madness?

I'm happy with the result but as always, you guys are the ones who judge and you either like or...you apply the big thumbs down!

Shirley

Dandelion Daydreams

2011-05-03T18:02:00.003+01:00

So, how do you add sparkle to an otherwise 'ok' image? The two images above demonstrate the creative potential of Photoshop and the fact that there are always different ways of developing an images potential.

Dandelion Macro (above bottom) was taken on a bright day using a 90mm Sigma macro lens. OK, it's a good, crisp shot with a nicely blurred background and I suppose I could have left it at that. But is it original or in any way dynamic? Perhaps not. Alas it echoes a million such images found in galleries across the web. Nice, well taken photographs but with little to mark them out as being hmm...

individual?

So enter Dandelion Daydream or... the danedlion makeover...

When starting out manipulating an image like this it pays (unless you already have a firm idea) to be open minded and to go with your instincts. This allows you to respond to 'chance happenings' (or those wonderful little accidents) which ultimately gives your work a more spontaneous feel.

So I open my image in Photoshop and after a few tweaks to correct levels and tone I duplicate it in the layers palette. This is where the action is. Where the image will take shape and ultimately suceed..or not!

Oh and remember, Photoshop will not 'cure' a badly taken photograph. It is not a cure for sloppy practice and if you don't have a strong image then go away and practice more with your camera!

Next I selected a few textures to play with. You can find sites all over the Internet supplying an infinite number of wondrous and varied textures. Or (as I did here) you can create you own from anything your imagination cares to find. In this case I used a texture I'd conjured up some weeks back using shattered windscreen glass (like tiny diamonds) on my flat bed scanner. Try it. A scanner makes an excellent producer of textures weird and wild!

Using this shattered glass texture as a second layer in the layers Palette I experimented with the different filters until I found the one that gave me the effect I liked. Then it was a case of taking the layer in Photoshop's awesome black and white adjustments and simply (and intuitively) working until you get the look you like. Then I added a sepia tint, checked levels and finally sharpened until I had what I wanted!

As I 've said before, these are not supposed to be detailed tutorials but rather a peek at my working methods. A look 'behind the curtain' at my working methods. There are those who fail to be impressed by work created in such programmes as Photoshop (usually those who have no idea how it works) claiming either that it is some how 'false' or somehow untrue as a piece of art. Others simply think that it's 'computer generated' and that you simply 'push a button' and...presto the work appears! Both are ill informed and thus nonsense.

An artist utilises the technology of the day. The Impressionists in the 19th Century utilised advances in paint pigments which produced brighter more luminous tones than ever before. You don't accuse Degas or Monet of somehow cheating?

Photoshop is a tool which allows an artist to take their work to another level or to experiment in ways hitherto unimagined. Personally I find that incredibly exciting!

Shirley

A Hard Days Week

2011-05-01T17:17:00.001+01:00

It's been a busy week (phew) with muggins (above in painterly mode) trying to be in a dozen different places doing a dozen different things..

Simultaneously!

But do I complain?

Well of course I do! But what fun would life be without it's challenges? Anyway folks, when I haven't been painting I've been photographing and when not engaged in either I'm glued to my computer immersed in the wild and wonderful world of photoshop. And when not doing that? Well, after all... a girls got to have a private life!

So, I hope you'll enjoy my subsequent offerings as much as I've enjoyed creating them!

Shirley

Labours Hands

2011-04-21T22:01:00.000+01:00

'Labours Hands' (2011)

'His hands were his life. His livelihood earned turning wood or working stone. His hands the reflection of who he was and what he did. They were labours hands'

The power of black and white never fails to impress me. I barely considered the above image worth even editing in it's original, colour form. Yuk, too ordinary! Yet...strip away the veneer of colour and an indifferent image transforms into a powerful narrative, a story in a picture able to move or to suggest infinitely more than it's original colour cousin might ever have dreamt of!

Labours Hands belong to a man I've known many years. A craftsman and a softly spoken man of quiet pride and simple needs yet whose hands have fashioned innumerable riches. Only black and white could tell his story in one candid shot. Free of the distraction of colour the lines, cuts and abrasions are accentuated with a starkness that makes us look all the harder for it being monotone.

That's the power of black and white. The power to make us not only look but indeed to actually see!

Shirley

Beware 'Eyeballing' Sheep

2011-04-11T22:00:00.000+01:00

'Eyeballing Sheep 2011'

and just to prove that we artists are not all pretentious, uptight and void of humour I present exhibit A in my defence!

An early stroll as the sun was rising revealed these strangely statuesque sheep 'eyeballing' me? Or was it simply me reading Stephen King the night before? Well, either way I simply couldn't resist 'snapping' such a scene?

Walla...The perfect screen saver!

Shirley

Repitition Is Good For The Art!

2011-04-11T21:26:00.000+01:00

'Elephants Walking in the Dusk'

OK, commissions make up a large part of my painting output and since so many are based upon my most popular work there can be a tendency to....

paint and re-paint and re-paint the same painting over and over and...

Well, you get the idea. I'm sometimes asked whether I get fed up doing so many sunsets (especially the elephant ones!) but surpringly...

I don't ever tire of painting a similar theme simply because every brush stroke is a learning curve. I mean it! I've painted 'Elephants Walking in the Dusk' about a dozen times now and every single time I learn something knew about my art which takes me forward, which keeps me constantly aware that the more I discover...the more I know I've yet to learn!

Shirley

A touch of Gloom is Good?

2011-04-05T00:46:00.000+01:00

'Containment'

Gravestones & Shadows

It's been a busy week of painting and photographing and listing images online etc etc huff-puff..phew! So, here I have two, what at first might appear to be rather gloomy, images taken over the last week. Both were taken with my Sony Alpha with an 18-200 mm Sigma lens and as always I shot in RAW.

OK, Containment started out as a typical study in texture. Barbed wire against a rustic post, all very visual etc. However, as post production in Photoshop developed so did the intention of the image. The red colour (blood?) was simply moss growing on the post but with a click of the mouse the mottled yellow became a dark red. Hmm, at this point I own up to adding what might look like a hand print on the post. Well, once I saw the wire and the red the rest just clicked. So many cues from every media outlets we see. The world of repression, imprisonment and indeed confinement. For the record I'm not a paid up member of Amnesty International and my art tends to veer well clear of political statements but sometimes folks...

The dots just join themselves together!

Gravestones & Shadows had an equally inauspicious beginning. It was a warm day, I felt like a walk and as I passed our local churchyard I was drawn more by the daffodils than by the graves, Still, I thought a shot or two might work? I did like the shadows but hey, it was mid afternoon, warm and bright. Hardly the recipe for Gothic despair!

That though, is the wonder of post editing in a programme like Photoshop. You take an image which (in it's natural state) is fairly routine and well..boring? And you work it up into something unusual and hopefully less eh..boring?

In this case I played with the tones in Adobe Raw before importing into Photoshop where I used some textured backgrounds in Layers. Cue a fiddle with the filters and presto..one image which explores life, death and our obsession with recording our passing,

or

You can enjoy it as a feast of texture, form and a play on light. There, you see, spoilt for choice over such 'gloomy' subjects!

Shirley

My Fantasy Flowers

2011-03-25T19:25:00.001Z

I had in mind for some time the idea of doing a series of paintings featuring flowers. Not simply pretty petals and manicured border fodder. But rather…

hmm, flowers with a difference?

Well, we all like flowers (don’t we?) and I’ve always been drawn toward their infinite variety, transitory beauty and eh…flawless design. Dandelions are especially ephemeral. We’ve all held one up and…puff….gone, a myriad floating seeds. They are also quite visually striking, especially up close!

It was whilst looking at macro photography of magnified objects that I had the idea for this series. Close up, cropped images in a highly stylized manner. One of the great joys of being an artist is to take the familiar and by invention create a new way of seeing it!

The medium used here was acrylic paint applied in multiple layers with my favourite air-brush. This allows an even application and an effect of depth I really like. The initial design of the flower was drawn using masking fluid and so the paint covered the mask and once dry the mask could be peeled away to reveal the design below. The dandelion head was built up using a light impasto on top of acrylic gesso into which I scrapped and pushed the brush end until I had an effect I liked.

Painting like this tends to be intuitive and often comprise of a sequence of variations and 'lucky mistakes' (as Picasso called them) Together with trial and error you build up the painting with what works and discard (obviously) what doesn't. Thus, hopefully, you come away with a piece that both works as a picture and pleases as a painting.

Shirley

Your First Digital SLR - What You Should Know?

2011-03-17T21:17:00.000Z

If like me, you're thinking about getting (or already are) serious about photography, whether as a hobby or maybe even as a line of work, one of the first investments you'll be looking to make is in a good digital SLR. There are a number of different makes and models (just a few!) and you'll need to make some careful considerations when deciding on the best DSLR camera for your needs.

What is a DSLR camera and how is it different to other digital cameras?

SLR stands for single lens reflex and describes the way these types of cameras behave. Light passes through the camera lens to a mirror that then reflects the light upward to a pentaprism or pentamirror - which corrects the mirroring of the image - before being reflected to the viewfinder. When the shutter is released, the initial mirror flips up to allow the light to pass through the shutter and capture the image.

SLR cameras allow for more accurate composition and colour balance in your shot, as what you see through the viewfinder is what you get in your final picture. They also have faster response times and allow for more control which means you can get more creative with your shots, such as focusing on different elements of the composition. Meanwhile, digital SLR cameras allow for digital capture so that you can review your images instantly.

Choosing your first DSLR - what to consider

Many makes and models of DSLR cameras behave in similar ways - but there are lots of variations between the types. Choosing the best DSLR camera for your needs depends on how you intend to use the machine - and the amount you're willing to spend. Here are some points to keep in mind:

Megapixels - these days, most DSLR cameras will offer substantial megapixels, starting at about 8 MP up to 24 MP or more. Having more megapixels generally means better resolution for large prints or when you're enlarging small sections of a shot. However, having more megapixels isn't the be all and end all for getting quality pictures. In poor lighting conditions, for example, your camera sensor can sometimes record the wrong colour tone for a particular pixel, creating "noise" in your photographs resulting in a speckled appearance. Professional photographers may prefer a higher megapixel count if their photos will be used in large prints, such as billboards, or if they plan on significantly cropping the image. Consider how you'll be using the camera and how big you'll be printing photos when deciding on how many megapixels you'll need.

Cost - Your budget will determine the type of DSLR camera you purchase. Remember that in addition to buying the camera body, you might want a couple of camera lenses as well. A good zoom lens, for example, will bring you up close to your subject while a wide angle lens will broaden your angle view and give you a unique perspective. You may also want to invest in camera accessories, including filters, a camera bag or even an extra battery to make the most out of your machine.

Speed - one of the most noticeable benefits of switching to a DSLR camera is the speed. A typical digital camera involves a bit of shutter lag (the delay between pushing the button and actually capturing the image). DSLR cameras are much quicker in their response time. If you'll be shooting lots of action photographs, such as at sporting events, then a faster model is a must.

Ebay or Amazon? - These can be particularly valuable places to pick up some great bargains. New or used DSLR'S can be yours at incredibly knocked down prices but remember to us caution and research any seller thoroughly before committing to buy. I bought my own Sony Alpha 350 off Ebay about a year ago for nearly half price. It was virtually untouched and it's been a great camera ever since I bought it. However, be sure to really research the seller and their feed-back before committing to buy!

Choosing the right DSLR camera requires some good old fashioned research. Ask for advice from friends and family who own DSLR cameras, or maybe borrow one for a weekend. Read photography magazines and check out web sites and blogs like Photography Blog for professional advice, reviews and updates on technology developments. Investing in a quality DSLR camera will really add a whole new dimension to your photography experience - so make sure you get it right!

Shirley

More Skies and Elephants!

2011-03-13T18:49:00.001Z

I have my other half to thank for resurrecting this one! Believe it or not Red Horizon Elephants has been laying around my studio for the last couple of weeks simply begging for that finishing touch of…TLC (poor neglected thing!) Alas I was all too busy indulging my appetite for abstract and enjoying the delights of my Sony DSLR.

So hubby appears waving this canvas frantically under my nostrils with that…"Aren’t you going to finish this" expression! (Thank you Darling)

Hmm, well I have to admit that my first love is painting skies. Especially an African sky. Extra especially when it’s a scorching African sky acting as backdrop to those wonderful elephants.. So, it’s really quite a mystery as to how I could have neglected my creation for quite so long?... (Artists hey!)

I do love colour, that’s why African paintings have always held a particular fascination for me. I also love the sense of capturing the moment. You know, that one snap-shot in a moving sequence caught in an immortal stillness. I love that enigmatic sense of those innumerable possibilities? Anything could happen afterwards but we will never know? Only the frozen moment caught and held forever. I could gaze into that world and dream up any number of varied and unusual outcomes!

That has to be another of art’s great rewards…the joy of not just creating something aesthetic to gaze at but also to conjure up a world into which our spirit might occasionally wander when our mind tires of the daily grind.

Shirley

Cool Keyboard Tip

2011-03-12T20:38:00.000Z

Flipping through the Reader's Digest superb '1001 Computer Hints & Tips' (I don't just read art books!) I noticed a clever little keyboard shortcut you might find very useful.

Instead of typing in the http://www. before the domain name, and the .com after it, just type in the site’s domain name into the address bar. Then tap CTRL and ENTER keys together. This adds both the http://www. and the .com and works in both Internet Explorer and FireFox browser. Well, anything to save a few moments in our busy, busy world!

OK, so it might not be for advanced webmasters used to all manner of code or javascript matters but
really folks, for most users, this is an absolute gem of a book. Tip after eye-opening tip. Magic!

Shirley

Macro Mania?

2011-03-08T22:29:00.001Z

They say that a change is as good as a rest and as an artist (swamped by commissions) I'm inclined to agree. Much as I love painting there comes a time when the I simply want to....

Tear the canvas to shreds!!

OK (that felt better) So, as to the change in question? I again turn to photography and the joys of the macro lens...

The two images above (the Pink Camellia and the Honey Bee) were both captured last summer and have since residered as RAW files on my hard drive. Well, we artists do get waylaid! So, time to get creative and do something with them?

Both were taken using a Minolta 90mm Macro Lens in natural light. With the Pink Camellia I used shutter priority (1/160seconds) as there was a slight breeze and I wanted to eliminate any movement. The result gave a crisp image with excellent depth of field which I later reemphasised in Photoshop after a few adjustments in Abobe Raw. To make the flower stand out even more I partially desaturated the background and used the burn tool to darken the background tones.

With bee I got really lucky in terms of it sitting still. Now, Bees aren't usually so obliging when it comes to portraits but this one made his way into my conservatory during a cold spell last July and was left groggy or whatever bees get when cold? I found the hapless fellow sitting on the white sill (perfect background) perfectly inert. Perfect for me too! The light was excellent. cloudy, bright and beautifully defused by the frosted glass of the conservatory roof. A natural light tent indeed. Due to the Bees statuesque mood I was able to take long exposures resulting in a perfect capture. Except for a little post editing and a few light filters in Photoshop I did little else to it.

Now, I'm not a purest. I don't believe that as a photographer you somehow 'fail' if you need lots of post editing Depends on what you wish to achieve? I love the whole creative process whereby via camera and image editor I can create something that leaves me satisfied with the end result. Thus using Abobe Bridge, RAW and Photoshop are means to an end. They give a greater range to the artist. Not simply a quick fix for bad camera skills but an endless set of possibilities taking the boundaries of photography ever forward and yes...upward too!

Shirley

Photography:Skulls & Candles

2011-03-02T19:42:00.003Z

I've been trying my hand (and lens) at subjects in low light and the wonderful effects (as with Mr Skull above) you can expect to achive with a little practise, a bit of effort and (essentially) the right camera!

Well of course painting is my first love, my passion and favourite child but photography has quickly won a very important seat at my table. Initially the camera was simply a tool. A device to capture my paintings for use online as well as my portfolio. Simply utilitarian? Well yes, until the time came when I started to think about producing high quality photo's. Then everything changed...

Q: Time then for an upgrade?
A: Absolutely!

I'll not labour the point here regarding my transition from functional point & shoot bod into DSLR enthusiast extraordinaire! (I'll focus on that journey in a future post) Enough to say that the difference between the two is like comparing a Mini Cooper with a Ferrari F50!

The effect with the skeleton and candle was achieved using my Sony Alpha 350 with a 90mm macro lens on a manual setting. The key is to experiment with long exposures whilst using low (off camera lighting) lighting (other candles or even a diffused torch will do) and not being afraid to explore your manual settings. OK, it can be hit and miss at first (very!) but you soon gain a 'feel' for your subject as your choices become more and more intuitive.

Of course it helps in post editing to leverage the full benefits of photoshop but the aim is to get as much right before opening your favourite Adobe editor!

Oh, the skeleton? It's one of those cheap little plastic efforts you usually pick up for a song during Halloween. In normal light it hardly looks convincing but with a little 'razzle-dazle' the possibilities are simply endless.

Shirley

My New Golden Savannah

2011-02-28T20:26:00.002Z

Rain, rain, dark, damp and dim. Yep, it’s been a filthy, wet affair of a day here in Eastern England. Bother! And, what better antidote to our dreary British weather (yawn) than to immerse myself in the evocative colours of another African Landscape?

Golden Savannah is one my most popular commissions and I’m usually asked to produce it as a triptych. Which, if I'm being honest does show this composition off to it's best advantage (Don't take my word for it check out the link at the bottom of the post) However, on this occasion my client wanted a particular size for a particular wall and gee..I'm simply happy to oblige!

OK, Apart from ditching the triptych format all else remains essentially the same. Colour, composition and the central theme of Giraffes (gorgeous creatures) roaming and grazing the Great Savannah without a care in the world.

Again, I've used my airbrush here to apply numerous layers of acrylic paint. Acrylic dries quickly so I can thus build multiple layers at speed and create all manner of textural and colour effects. I wanted to make the composition 'burn' to create that sense of sizzling African heat. Hot, dry, arid and yet retaining that essential beauty and sense of the exotic. A perfect backdrop for such noble creatures.

Shirley

Golden Savannah Triptych Link

Does My Red Kiss Conceal an Atom Bomb?

2011-02-27T21:11:00.000Z

Actually I’ve been immersed all day working on two entirely different abstract paintings. So, Red Kiss (above) was actually painted on Friday but such a chaotic chronology seems quite apt at a time when an extra couple of cybernetic arms(nuclear powered of course) would be a very welcome attribute!

So, Why Red Kiss?

This was another case of starting out with one idea and ending up (in a sort of round about way) with something quite different. I was thinking skies…something gestural with sweeping strata’s of cloud line. Yes, blues and bites of simmering yellow…bla, bla

But it all went a little

Umm… haywire? Off kilter perhaps!

Such accidents are the grist to the creative mill. My husband happened to stroll in as I was in mid flow and remarked that my efforts thus far resembled the atom bomb test just before the mushroom cloud had formed!! (Well thank you David for so acute an observation..Grrrrr!) Still we artist’s do long to make our mark and if not perhaps a nuclear blast then at least a reasonable splash!

But actually I did kind of like the A-bomb reference. It lent the project a certain gravitas perhaps found lacking in my original, and now it seemed, all too ordinary sky idea. Another sweep, a smear and the dab of a damp rag and it seemed a kiss had appeared. Most definitely an open mouth, a captured impression. Like lipstick pressed against a handkerchief?

When I was a child I used to lay in the park, look up at the sky and watch for hours as the clouds played their eternal game of change and shape shift. And I would form pictures out of those countless wisps and ever changing shapes; tapping into that eternal reservoir of unlimited potential. So, like wise as painters we so often find our ideas from simply gazing into the yonder of our imagination.

Catch you later
Shirley

Black Swan: Some People Think it's Real?

2011-02-24T12:25:00.003Z

One recent story concerning film of the moment Black Swan certainly made me smile. A spokesperson for The Royal Opera House (which is staging its new production of Swan Lake) admitted;

"We have had people coming in and ringing up the box office to ask when Natalie Portman will be dancing in our production”

Now hold that thought will you. People, grown ups and hmm, responsible adults are actually ringing up to ask when they can expect to see a film actress performing Swan Lake!

Hello?..it's only make believe!

Now I absolutely loved Black Swan and I thought Natalie Portman’s performance was simply amazing. It was obvious watching her dance, the extraordinary lengths she’d been to and the formidable preparation she’d undergone to get her to such a level.

But (and this is the big but) at no time did it enter my mind that she was a real ballet dancer! No more than I ever considered Sylvester Stallone a real boxer? As wonderful as he was in the Rocky films I never once felt inclined to phone Madison Square Garden enquiring as to when he and Mike Tyson might be squaring up!

Still, people do have their funny ways and in this case it certainly left me wearing a massive smile!

Shirley

Blogging: Why Bother?

2011-02-22T17:39:00.001Z

Well, why indeed? What merit blogging in a world wide web overflowing with a million narcissistic blogs chanting the mantra of me, me, me? Who’s interested in what you had for breakfast or what your favourite YouTube clip is? Well precisely..nobody really gives a ****!

or, so you might think?

But it’s amazing how interested people become in those otherwise irrelevant parts of your life once you’ve made a connection or tweaked their interest. OK, there’s a limit to the amount of interest but think about the fascination we all take in every little facet of our favourite celebrity? It’s just a question of degree. The more famous or the greater the connection, the more likely people are to be interested in you and the things you have to say or write about.

I’m not particularly famous but there’s every chance that the reason you’re now reading this blog is because you’ve either seen my web site or liked my painting or perhaps considered buying one and are now finding out a little more about me?

Whatever the reason, we have a connection. Tenuous maybe, but a connection all the same. Now you’re interested (to one degree or another) but it means you’ll read something from me which in a different context you wouldn’t give a thank you for.

But again to the question why bother? Well, for my part it happens that I simply enjoy writing my blog. Just as a million others in the internet void also enjoy writing theirs. What matters isn’t that most are destined to float in virtual oblivion, unread, unloved and overflowing in personal trivia.

All that matters surely, is that a lot of people out there get a degree of satisfaction writing them whilst a smaller number (any bodies guess?) get a degree of satisfaction reading them. Quid pro quo.

Shirley

Wheels Within Wheels

2011-02-17T17:05:00.002Z

Wheels Within Wheels 2011 (Triptych, 20 x 16 inches each canvas)

Ok, so you might be wondering why I’ve chosen to paint a selection of Polo Mints mints floating in a rich chocolate sauce?

Could be I’m a crazed chocoholic?
Or…perhaps I’m endorsing a new product by Cadbury’s?

Well, that’s another story…. Actually it’s a variation on an abstract job I did a few years back called Wheels which was a cascade of fiery reds, opulent oranges and shimmering blue. In a word..colourful!

So I simply wondered (as one does) what it might be like to play with a similar composition but with a drastically different colour scheme?

So, away with the psychedelic hues and in with a visual fest of brown. Brown? But isn’t brown boring? Well no! Not when when you’re unleashing a palette of burnt umber, cocoa and succulent chocolate blended with burnt orange and seditious sepia. The possibilities are simply endless.

I used acrylic with my airbrush which allows me to build a series of fine, fast drying layers, creating depth and (utilising the canvases surface) some wonderful textual effects. I then used a tera cotta oil pastel (marvellous things) to both highlight/define and add extra texture to the edges of the rings.

Again I used the triptych format which I think works really well with compositions like this. I like the various elements bridging the gaps between each canvas, carrying the eye across and around the painting.

Circles work well in abstract. Both visually and symbolically they create interest, rhythm and a sense of movement. That makes them interesting and without interest you’re dead in the water. Or should I say dead in the chocolate sauce!

Shirley

The Selling Power of Colour?

2011-02-16T13:39:00.001Z

Colour. We see it every day. We experience it all around us and unless you hang upside down in a cave or belfry it will certainly impact on your life. From the packaging of a myriad daily products to the ultra cool techno graphics emerging from our LCD TVs we are continuously bombarded by colour. So, why does colour affect us?

In an absorbing article on the Science Daily website it appears psychologists have been studying the effects of colour on our memory and how colour helps us to make sense of the chaotic world around us.

Quoting extracts from field studies conducted by the American Psychological Association the article described how test after test revealed that people's recall of information was far superior when presented in colour. Black & White images recorded a far lower recall rate whilst even text and numbers were better remembered when presented in colour. Attempts to confuse the test group by giving objects and landscapes 'false' colours significantly failed to work. People didn’t recall these false colours any better than the monochrome images. To quote co-author Karl Gegenfurtner, Ph.D. "It appears as if our memory system is tuned, presumably by evolution and/or during development, to the colour structure found in the world" he later observed that although 'ultra bright colours' might be used by designers to grab attention it would be the more natural hues that would linger in the memory. Interesting stuff.

So, is our appreciation of colour, say as with the example of the Mondrian painting above, equally influenced? Do we make our consumer choises based on say a more natural colouring on the package? I'm not completely convinced. There is much in the APA article that certainly rings true. Perhaps we are 'pre-programmed' by evolution to remember certain colours better. But what of the environment in which we have developed our senses? Or our natural creative disposition? There are surely too many factors in how our perception of colour and its relationship to the world around us works. Far too many to allow any theory to claim it has answered all questions posed. Still, that isn’t to say that this doesn’t remain a valuable, absorbing and eh ‘colorful’ subject.

Shirley

Welcome Back!

2011-02-15T22:25:00.002Z

Well yes, it's been a while since I last posted! Hmm, enough to say that other things have grabbed my attention and drained my time. Still, that's life. Now I'm back (with a gleaming new blog) bursting to write and more eager than ever to keep all (any any) informed, interested and I hope..entertained!

So, please enjoy....

Shirley

Art's G-Men

2011-02-15T21:54:00.005Z

Welcome to the Bureaus Art Theft Program (established in 2004) dedicated to the prevention of ‘Art and cultural property crime’ which has so far recovered artworks, including a Rembrandt self portrait, in excess of $65 million! (Nice going boys!) However, with estimated losses running as high as $6 billion annually it seems those gallant G-Men have quite some way to go yet. (Better start putting in for overtime fellas!)

Joking aside, this really is an interesting site. There’s plenty of links taking you to all over the FBI’s main site, their labs as well as contacts with Interpol. There are also lists of investigations into ongoing crimes such as the 2002, $30 million theft of two Van Gogh paintings from the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam. Apparently in a really ‘ingenious’ plan two thieves used a ladder to climb to the roof and simply break in! Yeah, I guess that was some top score security the Dutch had going there. Jesus, so what happened to all that ‘Thomas Crown’ stuff any self respecting art thief has to go through!

So, if art crime’s your thing then spend a little time with art’s G-Men at the Bureaus Art Theft Program

Shirley

Uplands

2009-02-13T17:29:00.001Z

Radio Caroline

2008-08-29T14:50:00.003+01:00

Hi all,

Hmm..this was a commission I did for a friend who works (on occasion) at Radio Caroline which (for those of you who don’t know) gained much infamy and applause as the premier Pirate Radio Station over a more than 40 year career..Way da Go!

It’s effectively one of my trademark sunsets (all fiery red and streaky yellow!) with the addition of the ‘Pirate Ship’ itself. The ship is well known for its tall mast and such feature is a gift to any composition in that it affords both a striking silhouette and an effective device for directing the line of sight within the painting.

Hope you like it Jerry!

Catch you later

Shirley

Dawn at Grey Fenn Beach

2008-08-29T14:25:00.004+01:00

Hi all,

This represents something of a departure for me (what a liberty!) but really it is! No fiery reds of finger singeing hues in sight....rather a muted palette to reflect the subject, namely...

A grey dawn on Grey Fenn Beach..

Which incidentally is an invention of my imagination! Actually this is my first attempt at evoking that cold morning atmosphere usually only seen by the winkle pickers and those chronic insomniacs out on an un-godly constitutional!

I built this one up in a succession of acylic layers, developing the foreground to create depth and using a dry brush to create those rather edible clouds! Ok...so the birds were perhaps a tad hmm…clichéd? But hey...they effectively introduce both movement and atmosphere and I’m not knocking those. In this case the end result certainly justified the eh…means!

Catch you later

Shirley

Elephant Walk: Triptych (Acrylic on Canvas 183x76cm /72x30 inches)

2008-03-05T11:17:00.005Z

Hi all,

Yes I know my posting has been a little hmm, erratic of late but please guys…don’t take me to task as I have been slaving away to produce all manner of creative goodies such as the one you see here!

Let’s call it a reawakening of my ethnic period!

OK so I’m pretty smug about Elephant Walk. It started as a commission by somebody who wanted a variation of one of my other pieces Journeys End plus elephants (I so love elephants) in a triptych format (as you do)

This was an absolute joy to paint. A chance to evoke everything I feel about Africa in a single image. Its visual beauty, nobility and sense of timeless wonder. Don’t you feel you could just walk up to those elephants and experience that sunset as another day fades on a faraway continent…ahh, we can but dream.

Catch you later

Shirley

SkyBlaze (Acrylic on Canvas-24x30 inches)

2008-01-28T21:19:00.000Z

Hi all,
Doesn’t it just…blaze! Red and fiery, yet moody with a brooding sense of unease?

Umm, perhaps a brewing storm ready to…unleash it’s all!

This one really made my day…following on from the focus on movement I had hitherto explored with Sunset Swirl, I again used loads of heavy texture combined with a frantic brush to evoke a somewhat Turneresque sky!

I’ve deliberately used some darker tones both to accentuate the hot reds as well as helping to evoke that ‘uneasy’ turmoil present in a sky during that prelude to a storm.

Again, this could so easily be an abstract piece. Take away the knowledge of subject and we are left simply with a riotous display of colour upon a tactile surface! All of which creates yet another level of interest adding to the overall enjoyment of the piece.

Catch you later

Shirley

Sunset Swirl (Acrylic on Canvas 24 x30 inch)

2008-01-28T21:16:00.001Z

Hi all,
Well…it’s been a while! Enough to say I’ve taken a few months away from the blogging treadmill to eh ‘rejuvenate that creative id’...phew!

So, with a reinvigorated palette..

..Let me introduce Sunset Swirl…pure expressionist painting from head to toe. An unrestrained outpouring of colour (my humble opinion) in a style I simply relish! I love the whole semi-abstract feel about this picture. Yes it’s a sunset (a subject I simply just eat up) but it might just as easily be a playful display of swirling colour! An abstract array of blending forms.

The sense of movement is suggested not only by the composition but also by the riot of surface layers building into an extremely effective impasto both of which give the painting it’s ‘breath’ of life.

I was so pleased with this style (mega-pleased!) that I immediately carried it on to even greater effect in my next painting SkyBlaze. Great to be back!

Catch you later

Shirley

Wheels 2 (Triptych, 20 x 16 inches each canvas)

2007-10-25T20:36:00.000+01:00

Hi all

This was a commission requested by a woman who had seen my original Wheels. However, here they requested me to do it as a Triptych rather than in the original Diptych design of the original…

So, what do ya think?

Well, I have to admit the design really suits the three canvas format. The composition has acres of breathing room whilst those intersecting circles really hold the whole painting together. Ah, but most importantly the lady in question really loved it…and that folks is what really matters!

Catch you later

Shirley

Tequila Sunset (Acrylic on box canvas 24x30 inches)

2007-10-19T20:26:00.000+01:00

Hi all
Do you remember your first impression of a Tequila Sunrise? (umm, of course you do) That tall, beautiful, multi-coloured cocktail that both seduced our eyes and befuddled the senses. OK, so the next day we might well have cursed the very thought of the stuff, but…

We never ever ever forgot either its name or the way it looked!

So, when scratching my head for ideas to stretch my newly acquired airbrush skills this beverage inspired image (don't ask me why?) simply splashed back into my mind. Add a tall canvas, a simply setting and presto…a perfect setting for a simmering (tequila) sunset with that eh, definite twist of the exotic.

As I said in my last post, the wonderful thing about using the airbrush is its ability to create subtle effects by building your surface in fine layers. I was really thrilled with the effervescent quality I captured in the sky by using multiple glazes of ultra marine and Cerulean blue. An effect enhanced by the complimentary use of the yellows and red. Ouch, that red looks really hot!

Very pleased with this one folks. Sometimes it just doesn’t seem to come together and all your grand schemes are reduced to a motley collection of muddy hues and inept composition! Nice then to have the 'sun set' (groan) on a successful piece of work, and no…I’m not going to celebrate with an evening on Tequila Sunrise!

Catch you later

Shirley

Mystic Glow (Acrylic on box canvas 24x30 inches)

2007-10-18T14:42:00.000+01:00

Hi all
It’s no use. The urge to produce another sunset simply proved unstoppable (not that I put up much of a struggle) However…

This time I thought I’d try a different approach?

Much as I love to slap a paint loaded brush against a pristine canvas (well, we all have quirks) the urge for a more, eh delicate approach, sometimes beckons.Recent experiments with the airbrush have so far yielded some rather promising results. The latest of which is Mystic Glow (above)

Not only can I achieve some incredibly subtle effects using multiple glazes but I also use substantially less paint (No mean consideration for the jobbing artist!) I also find I can therefore achieve a luminosity which perfectly enhances the subject matter.

I also loved the idea of playing with reflections; light shimmering upon a silky smooth surface. There’s nothing quite brings a painting to life like light reflected off water. It’s another piece of the jig-saw; an added dimension which when combined with all the other pictorial elements creates a more satisfying whole.

Sunsets ain’t ever gonna be the same again!

Catch you later

Shirley

Shattered(Acrylic on box canvas 39x16 inches)

2007-10-16T20:08:00.000+01:00

Hi all
The other evening I was driving home from a friend’s house (yes I was shattered!) it was dark, wet and flecks of drizzle were trickling down the wing mirror. A car pulled up quickly behind me, nose up my behind, lights dazzling (brain obviously on vacation..thank you Mr Dazzle man) before screeching past and off into the night leaving me to ponder as to why such imbeciles inhabit the roads….

Except on this occasion said Mr Dazzle had offered me more than a glimmer of inspiration.

As soon as I got home I started to work on the image in my head. The image of a dazzling light reflected from distorted glass. Shattered shards streaking outwards. The multi-coloured light pulse emanating into the surrounding black abyss.

It’s not often that I am gifted the muse of inspiration by one of the worlds road jockeys. In this case his negligence and lack of courtesy yielded me the precious nugget of a good idea. So, thank you Mr. Razzle Dazzle man!

Catch you later

Shirley

This Ear Art Stuff is Getting Silly!

2007-10-13T23:33:00.000+01:00

Hi all
So, here we go again. Another in the ‘you just couldn’t make it up’ series! This month’s loon of the month award goes to (drum roll please) Australian philosopher and performer Stelios Arcadio (above) who (in the true spirit of art) has had an ear surgically implanted into his forearm! Yep, another superb example of insanity perpetrated in the name of artistic expression. (I thought the Aussies knew better)

As if such an act of infantile proportions weren’t enough he also plans to (ready for it) fit a microphone inside the said ear in order that the audience might…listen to what it hears!!! Oh, wouldn’t we all just love tickets to that performance (so long Avril & Christina) can’t you just see the mile long cues around the block for that one?

Says Stelios…

“I think art should be more than simply illustrating ideas,"

ummm, like simply going out of your freaking head and wiring your third ear for sound! What’s next in this ‘sincere’ quest for artistic truth…an implanted set of tesicals on his forehead fitted with Dolby surround…home grown cinema for the more discerning testical connoisseur!

Seriously folks…in a world where many starve and legions struggle for noble causes isn’t there something utterly stomach churning about such a display of such epic self-aggrandizement. Yeah yeah I know, he has every right to his self expression (and yes I do defend his right to do it) but is it any wonder that the public bulk at their tax’s going to fund so many art-projects when attention seeking parasites like this one receive so much critical attention!

Catch you later

Shirley

Oldest Painting in the world 11,000 years old

2007-10-12T18:10:00.000+01:00

Hi all
Just saw this article from Reuters…

“French archaeologists say they have excavated an 11,000-year-old wall painting (above) in red, black and white in northern Syria which they describe as the oldest in the world, although it resembles a modern work.

The 2-square-metre painting was found below ground at the Neolithic settlement of Djade al-Mughara on the Euphrates, northeast of the city of Aleppo, mission head Eric Coqueugniot told Reuters.

It looks like a modernist painting. Some of those who saw it have likened it to work by Klee.”

Imagine that, 11,000 years old! Some unknown artist (perhaps he was famous back then?) created that image long before the pyramids at Giza were built (3200 B.C) or the Greeks and the Romans even conceived of shaping their empires. Isn’t there something humbling yet reassuring to know that the human creative spirit stretches back that far and indeed in the case of the Lascaux cave paintings…possibly much further!

Catch you later

Shirley

Wisps (Acrylic on canvas 16x39 inches)

2007-10-12T16:06:00.000+01:00

Hi all
Felt the need to lay aside the abstract head and again return to the upbeat realms of another sunset…

OK..I know I’m addicted to painting them!

But actually, when you stop to take a long lingering look at those hot hues and evocative Wisps of colour you find in all sunsets a ready made abstract image. Yes…really! Walla, nature sows yet more seeds to set the creative juices flowing (if you pardon the gastronomic metaphors!)

But I really cannot say it enough, sunsets are delicious! A fiery, visual feast upon which to gaze come those long cold nights. Perfect antidote indeed to those dreary drab grays and wintertime blues!

Catch you later

Shirley

Rustic Edge (Acrylic on canvas 24x30 inches)

2007-10-11T14:29:00.000+01:00

Hi all

One of the great joys I get from abstract painting is the freedom to indulge in the wonderful possibilities of surface. For me that blank canvas is like a playground of infinite possibility simply begging to be unleashed!I love to play with texture, to tease the canvas with a variety of contrasting marks and spontaneous passages. Rustic Edge is my attempt to evoke that effect that the elements have upon a surface. Wind and rain upon a corrugated roof or the gradual corrosion of a rusty car in some forgotten field. I love that worn look as metal corrodes and a myriad subtle shades are released as the light hits it from a dozen angles.

I was also really lucky with the light when I photographed this one. Sometimes, no matter how much you prepare, you just can’t seem to capture your ‘labour of love’ to its best advantage. (Very disheartening) but here the Gods smiled and the light caught the surface perfectly…well, as near perfectly as modesty allows!

Catch you later

Shirley

Distant Shores (Triptych 16x20 inches each canvas)

2007-09-21T20:57:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
As an artist I’m always on the lookout for ideas. (Aren’t we all?) Influences coming in all manner of guises, be it the work of someone I admire (the list is endless) a scene I see whilst out for a walk, a movie, or perhaps quite often a photograph.

I’ve always been fascinated by ariel photos where landscapes take on that patchwork quilt effect, or those satellite images where entire coast lines are reduced to abstract shapes…ready material for the painter to capture, conjure and metamorphosize into something with a distinct ShirleyBod spin!

What I love about Distant Shores is that it can work both as a purely abstract piece, free of deliberate form or subject matter, as well as working as an interesting interpretation of one of those ‘on high’ views of some shoreline (red sea aside!) However, in order to reduce that ‘ariel photo look (that ordinance survey feel) I’ve deliberately chosen the triptych format which splits the composition serving to emphasize its painterly origins.

This is an element I love to get into my work (where possible) that multi faceted quality that makes for both a more enjoyable viewing as well as painting experience.

Catch you later

Shirley

Guardians (Acrylic on box canvas Size 61x76cm)

2007-08-29T22:58:00.001+01:00

Hi all,
I felt a return to a blatantly ethnic theme was way overdue! So, what better than a couple of highly stylized figures in ‘full on’ tribal mode. Simple composition yet… evoking that warm earthy quality that so epitomizes the whole African mystique.

I really love doing these semi-abstracted paintings. What I aim to do (and not always successfully!) is lay down several washes while subtly diffusing the colours to give me a warm and vibrant background where the colours blend both evenly and naturally. Then using the palette knife I create my stylized figures with a fairly thick impasto gently shaped and finished with brush and fingers. Walla…a genuine slice of ethnic flavored painting to please Pablo himself.

Trying different styles and themes is a certain recipe to bringing a greater degree of depth and skill to your work. A painting such as Guardians (with its heavily stylized elements) works (in my opinion) all the more successfully because of my time spent doing paintings which are 100% abstract.

Catch you later

Shirley

'Wheels' Diptych, 2 canvases at 20x16inches or 51x41cm each

2007-08-28T21:22:00.000+01:00

Hi all,

Yep, this one came out really well, hmm, not too bad at all. Not that I have A penchant for blowing my own trumpet (perish the thought!) but sometimes it all just…

Comes together sweetly…and (dare I say) easily!

In a way that makes you wish that painting worked like that every single time. No huffing, nor rabid expletives accompanied by a flurry of furiously hurled brushes…grrrrr!

Wheels sizzles. It’s hot and those vibrant colours seemed the perfect antidote to our oh so lackluster summer (what summer?) I wanted its circular forms to sweep the eye around the painting in a similar fashion to Van Gogh’s glorious Starry Night (just loooooove that painting Vincent)

You see I just felt the need to go abstract with this one. I mean real abstract. As opposed to…want to know what really hacks me off? It’s when you see artists online (eBay springs to mind) who time and again palm off every painting they do as abstract. They paint a face slightly idealized…it’s abstract. They use unconventional colours in a landscape or still life…it’s abstract. In fact any theme, they approach without Kodak certified 100% realism somehow manifests it’s self as…you’ve guessed it…ABSTRACT!

Of course some of them are simply cynically exploiting the gap in many peoples knowledge of art. People who (to give them some credit) wish to assume the trappings of culture without perhaps umm, delving too deeply into such pedestrian details such as....the facts!

Catch you later

Shirley

Indecision? (acylic-on-box-canvas-30x24 inches or 76x61 cm)

2007-07-08T22:32:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
I’m not usually indecisive but on this occasion…I admit I was in two minds about where to go on this one!

Plan 1…A colourful outpouring of unrestrained abstract abandon. Dazzling hues and simmering shades. Perhaps a mournful plea to our non existent British Summer!

Plan 2…A darker, much more somber, moodier piece to suit our rain sodden, waterlogged excuse of a Summer…grrrr, where has the summer gone!
So, after a few umms and ahhhs...I opted for Plan 2.

It’s raw, broken and has that unfinished quality that quirky side to me soooo appreciates! It’s anarchic, insolent and in my view certainly needs a very stern telling off by those art critics amongst you prefer a more sanitized art form.

The colour lays like tactile slabs breaking up the morbidity of the dark green. I achieved the lattice effect highlights using Gold leaf gilding paste which looks and feels very rich and is perfect for that slightly unusual effect.

It’s dark but I really enjoyed painting this one!

Catch you later

Shirley

Sweet Layers (acylic-on-box-canvas-30x24inches or 76x61cm)

2007-07-08T22:05:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
Yeah, I know it’s been a while but I assure you all I haven’t been idle!

New sites to build…new frontiers to conquer

O.K. why Sweet Layers? It simply seemed appropriate considering my frame of mind. Ideas stacked like layers, pressing down and squeezing out. I wanted something a little um…different. Something with little or no obvious reference to reality.

I cannot emphasize the importance of experimentation in painting. Sometimes you simply ‘go with the flow’ and allow your creative outpour to react to the unexpected. Chance directs and it’s often so much fun to follow and see what happens!

Like being a child again. Not afraid to dabble or play or make something that to older eyes might seem foolish. There’s something so very liberating about that.

Catch you later

Shirley

Inferno (triptych-3-canvases)36x12inches or 91x30cm each)

2007-06-07T22:05:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
It’s hot, it’s sumptuous and it’s simply aching to burst into flames! This painting is literally on fire...

Inferno is aptly named!

I was bent on unleashing a veritable onslaught of fiery hues to conjure up my vision of unrestrained heat. I wanted the canvas to melt. The onlooker to almost want to step back as from a bonfire ablaze in all it’s crackling fury!

The triptych format works especially well here helping to accentuate the sense of movement as the ‘flames’ leap across the panels evoking an internal rhythm within the picture plane.

The cooler blues at the bottom not only act as complimentary to those sizzling orangey/reds but help to anchor the composition especially as the blues give way to near black.

Loved doing this one folks. Can’t wait to get my asbestos gloves warm again!

Catch you later
Shirley

Glimmer (Triptych (3 canvases) 20x16 inches or 51x41cm each, overall size 20x48 inches or 122x51cm)

2007-06-04T21:18:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
My first abstract triptych came out rather well (OK, sometimes you’ve got to blow your own trumpet!) I wanted a real diffused look with the colours bleeding to create an almost autumnal look of warm, rusty hues.
I think the red/orange on blue works well as the complimentary colours really vibrate together fusing the composition whilst also lending it that slightly psychedelic edge.

Nice to know all those caffeine fueled late nights weren't in vain!
Shirley

Shimmer ( Acylic, box canvas 40x20 inches or 102x51cm)

2007-06-04T21:03:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
A refreshing return to my passion for skies, (especially for setting suns) with their evocative outpouring of fiery colours.
It also allows a freer style verging on abstract whilst retaining a recognizable image. I always try to capture that inherent sense of heat, of the ebbing energy latent in the sky during its final moments!

I've also given you two views (side & frontal) hope that allows for a better understanding of my subject!

Shirley

Duplicity (Diptych, 2 canvases at 36x12inches or 91x30cm each)

2007-06-04T20:54:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
I’ve always been intrigued by the diptych format. It’s especially suitable to abstract shapes and themes, allowing the visual elements to sweep from one surface to another yet maintaining a wonderful sense of wholeness.

I also love the challenge of balancing the two picture planes, making sure that each works in tandem with the other.
Shirley

Turbulence (Acylic on box canvas 24x30 inches or 61x76cm)

2007-06-04T20:36:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
I’ve been pre-occupied with so many other things of late so forgive my lack of posting recently. I have still been painting!

A real 'go for it' attempt at pure emotional abstract painting. I wanted it tactile and hot. Effervescent colours and a raw steak of spontaneity. I was pleased as punch with the outcome!

Shirley

Remember to Check My Pulse

2007-05-17T12:30:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
Want to know something? I really enjoyed painting this one. Of course I love all my creative offspring but one does have ones favorites! There’s always the one that possesses that certain spark, that special elusive quality. One that leaves you with a delicious taste of satisfaction.
I wanted a sunset theme with an abstract quality. Something that worked both as an image and as a playful expression in paint.

The result was Pulse (Acrylic on box canvas 40x20 inches or 102x51cm) which seemed to resemble some throbbing storm of turbulent colour. A fiery swirl reminiscent of some molten planet forever in flux. As I gazed at the finished result (as you do with that sense of smug self congratulatory ego stretching!) it seemed to almost glow, to throb even, with an internal pulse.

Either that or too many late nights watching the Matrix Trilogy!

Catch you later
Shirley

Bad Taste on Steroids!

2007-05-09T16:53:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
If in the next few days you happen to take leave of all your senses then perhaps you’d care to visit Guardian Unlimited and indulge their fanciful whim that you might just be interested in downloading ‘an original piece’ by Gilbert & George (Pictured) As for myself…

I’d rather exfoliate my legs with a blunt cheese grater!

Who on earth in any state resembling cognitive sanity would want to download a selection of high resolution images by these two talent less buffoons, print them out on A4 then piece them together to create what exactly? Some bizarre testament to sewer standards and bad taste on steroids!

What a wonderful way to while away your precious time!

Isn’t it so typical of that out of touch, trendy Guardian mindset which assumes that work by this ridiculous pair is somehow akin to some form of National Treasure? Work which we jolly proles will... simply love darling...just as much as the luvvie arty set seems to.

Please God rid us of such charlatans who thrive in an art world utterly bereft of standards, morals and any sense of their own irony!

Free Gilbert & George artwork only in the spirit of freedom of choice and assuming you've nothing better to do!

Catch you later
Shirley

Here's One I Did Earlier!

2007-05-03T21:49:00.000+01:00

Hi all!
Carrying on from the theme of a change being as good as rest I thought I would display my latest creation (Red-Relief) from a rather less conventional viewpoint, a slightly more dynamic angle, in an attempt to add a small grain of excitement to your online experience. Now, who can say I never provide value for money!

OK, so assuming you’re all simply blown away by the visuals…

So here’s Red-Relief (Acrylic on Box Canvas: 30"x20", 60x51cm) and yes it really was done earlier, Monday I think, or was it Tuesday? (Sorry folks, serious brain fatigue setting in!) The palette reflected the sumptuous weather we had that day, and probably hinted strongly at my subconscious urge to toss my entire artistic regalia into the bin and sprint blissfully out into the sunshine (doubtlessly to the strains of George Harrison singing Here come the Sun!)

I love playing with contrasts. Be it with colour or surface or indeed theme. It’s those contrasts that add interest, provide the work with its bite, its character and personality.

To which end I build up a thick impasto to create a rich relief which I felt worked very well to act as contrast to the smooth tones and texture of the upper portion of the painting. I used a palette knife to sculpt out the marble like effect and though I couldn’t imagine completing an entire piece using a knife I have to admit it adds a very useful tool to the surface making armory.

No theme or subtext here. Just the simple play of paint on canvas... Abstact passages performed as the mood took hold or chance took over and spun a quilt of colour words.

Catch you later
Shirley

A little Bit of a Make Over.

2007-05-03T21:31:00.000+01:00

Hi all!
I think the picture says it all! I’ve been building my new web site (Major headache city!) and alas have neglected my blogging duties over the last few days. (Shame on me) So, upon my return, and with a mind wafting in and out of web design mode, I fancied the old blog needed a bit of an um…sprucing up!

So, a few cosmetic changes have given it a slightly more ‘personal’ stamp, a tad more...

Shirley power!

Anyway, I have paintings to list, a site to slave over and some more blogging duties still to come; no rest for the whacked out!

Shirley

My Abstract Evolution

2007-04-28T18:56:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
What a bright, spanking sun kissed day it’s been! Way too glorious for long hours spent laboring over a hot canvas (sizzle sizzle) Oh no, not this bod, not today thank you! Today was for me and for…

Re-lax-a-tion!

The joy of simply chilling out with a tall, cold drink; a floppy hat, a shady spot and a favored piece of pulp fiction. Yummy! Yes that just about hits the spot perfectly…

Just as well then, I had my creative socks on ripe and early. Up, ready, tooled and all set at first light. I wanted something ethnic in tone. Something with a definite um, fizz, a slice of that early, effervescent light that streamed into my studio this morning. The creative juices were salivating as the magenta melded perfectly with purple. Playful passages of gold overlaying and highlighting; serving to underpin the paintings composition. Now, that was looking good.

Considering it was painted early in the day Evolution (Acrylic on Box Canvas: 30"x20", 60x51cm) seemed an apt enough name (unless you’re a Creationist!) It certainly set my day up perfectly. Leaving me able to indulge myself, in what evolved into, an exceedingly pleasant day of aimless thoughts and ambling ideas. Brain therapy as the Doctor never ordered and without as much as a cat’s whisker of guilt. Purr-fect!

Catch you later
Shirley

Fly the Saatchi Standard

2007-04-25T14:40:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
Reading an online interview with Charles Saatchi (above right, Art Patron & former Spin King) I was stuck by the admiration he still obviously holds for former Prime Minister (and his former boss) Margaret Thatcher (above left)

“She created an environment in Britain where people felt they could escape the role they had been pushed into. They no longer had to be dropouts and failures. Students like Damien Hirst felt they could do absolutely anything."

Well, obviously in Damian Hirst’s case, this is an illusion under which he still blissfully labors….or is that New Labours?

Still, it’s a little curious, when you consider how much Damian and his chums despise the whole Thatcher legacy, how involved these ‘edgy artists’ always have been with the very man (take a bow Charles Saatchi) who helped the Iron Lady stay in power for so long!

"Three Cheers for Britart and raise the double standard"

Catch you later
Shirley

Keeping the Connections Fresh!

2007-04-23T21:30:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
Yikes, I ‘m seriously in danger of falling very badly behind. In an umm, artistic scheduling sort of way. You know, as that usual ‘to-do’ list takes on a life of its own. Swelling, growing and consuming all and every spare crumb around it with its ravenous appetite…grrrrrrr!

Where does all the time go and how do we adapt our brains to that ever green conundrum?

Often when I ‘m painting, an idea (hitherto unformed) suddenly bursts out, taking me totally by surprise and proceeds to drag me off to some new, sometimes strange, (but never boring) tantalizing direction. If it’s an abstract painting then I purposely welcome these ‘creative bursts’ eager to play out whatever possibilities the idea presents.

Connections (Diptych Acrylic (2 Box Canvases: 30x20 inches 60x51 cm each) seemed the perfect metaphor for my feelings of frustration regarding the limits of time and the dilemma of only having one head to ponder that ever growing to-do list.

So, the diptych serves as the perfect platform to echo the two sides of our own self. The human brain. Left and right hemispheres apart and yet one. Constant, complex connections running between them in bewildering patterns of ideas, dreams and myriad conundrums!

It also struck me that the central mass of the painting (which I built up with lattice like layers of thick impasto) could also resemble a mother- board, a microchip city of circuits merging in a million intricate electrical connections which so perfectly captures our brains complexity.

Who said painting was simply playing with colour!

So art fans, abstract painting can so often be a passionate outpouring of emotion, a carefree sweep of form and colour or it can touch on themes, ideas and concerns which other mediums might fall far short of emulating. To which I might also add…its really great fun!

Catch you later
Shirley

Breaking the Abstract Frenzy!

2007-04-22T02:51:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
Yesterday was a teasing tempest of a day. A caffeine fueled frenzy of fun filled activity! All go no slacking, paintings to be finished, photographed, and then listed on eBay. Plus…all those usual personal and business commitments always conjured up by the weekend!

“Beam me up Mr. Scot!”

Phew! So, in a calmer vein may I present my latest abstract addition to the ShirleyBod hall of infamy…Breakers (Dyptych: 2 Canvases 16”x20” 45x51cm)

Why Breakers? Well, I guess I was thinking of the sea as I swept the paint across the canvas surface. (As one does) You know, in that rhythmic sway of swish and across. The textured pattern in the foreground seemed to suggest…
a beach perhaps or some rugged coast line with the salty spray or spit like surf gently breaking… you get the picture.

Eagle eyed observers will note (sorry no prizes) a slight departure here in both my choice of the Diptych format and a more restrained (me, restrained?) use of colour. (No searing hot reds or glowing yellows here folks!) Often I just love playing with compositional ideas. It’s always a thrill to act on an impulse, abandon caution and simply paint without restraint. No plan, no concerns about the whys the how’s or the justification of it all.

And if you’re lucky you end up with a painting you can feel a slither of pride in and that you guys might just like. Well, here’s hoping!

Catch you latter
Shirley

Has EBay Forsaken its Founders Ideal?

2007-04-20T17:17:00.000+01:00

Hi all,

Aye, there are rumblings in the eBay jungle! P*ssed off punters aplenty (myself included) vent our displeasure as the Internet colossus flexes it’s (not so subtle) online muscle…

I know, it’s a sad sorry tale of greed and disgruntled dreams.

So, what’s the beef?...Well until recently, items listed for sale by eBay punters on the UK site would automatically appear in the search results on it’s the bigger American brother .com site (and very nice too)
But since February, the most common 'simple search' on eBay.com only brings up items for sale by US sellers. (not so good at all)

OK, it is still possible for American users to find items listed by UK sellers, but only if they click on the 'advanced search' option, which of course isn’t (on a pro-rata basis) likely to be too often the case. Getting in on the .com action is vital to sellers as it receives mega more hits than our smaller UK site could ever dream of as well as offering simple access to nearly 300 million American consumers.

eBay announce they've changed their policy to eh… try and make the process more relevant for buyers… yeah right so lets see how relevant shall we? You see to add extra insult, UK sellers are told they can still continue to list their items automatically on the bigger site but only if they register separately and maintain two eBay accounts. (I bet they are) This means having to put items up for sale on both sites (two listing fees) not to mention the real balls ache of having to start creating your hard won feedback right from scratch on the new site!

C’mon Brits Let’s hear it for eBay!

Look guys, I've bought and sold on eBay and I certainly won’t cheer to the rafters any measure which may affect my potential online revenue. Alas our choices are limited. People may always moan and threaten to quit (taking their business elsewhere) but in truth eBay really are the biggest game in town. No other online auction site produces a fraction of the traffic generated by eBay. And with out traffic, without those online feet beating a path to your door many will find it hard to sell a bean!

Yet, it’s all a long way off from the noble sentiments expressed by eBay’s founder Pierre M Omidyar (above) when he first set out the standards by which eBay should operate…

We believe people are basically good
We believe everyone has something to contribute.
We believe that an honest, open environment can bring out the best in people.
We recognize and respect everyone as a unique individual.
We encourage you to treat others the way that you want to be treated"

The way that you want to be treated? It’s time for eBay to get back to basics and remember that it was Mr & Mrs Little who made them the Mr Big in the first place.

Catch you later
Shirley

So Who is Worth £30 Million?

2007-04-18T21:42:00.000+01:00

Hi all,

Why on earth has the news that popular Double act Ant and Dec (above) who have secured a two-and-a-half year golden handshake deal (worth around £30 million) raised such a chorus of hissy fit’s and righteous disapproval from certain areas of our (oh so impartial and highly paid) media…?

I know it’s a massive sum.

Yes and I know Surgeons and Firefighters and Nurses get sweet sod all in comparison. (Blame our Government folks!)

However when you consider that Damian Hurst was listed in last years Times rich list as being worth £100 Million or that the utterly useless duo Gilbert & George are raking in a fortune (for manufacturing profane images of excrement) then comparison would suggest our Geordie lads are an absolute bargain!

I’ll take a good laugh from them as opposed to all the poisoned hypocrisy of the farty Britart crowd any day.

I’m an artist…get me out of here!

Catch you later
Shirley

RedSquare Struts it's Stuff!

2007-04-15T19:59:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
OK comrades, so it might not be the most subtle title in the world but it did seem a very apt one considering I was watching Dr Zhivago when it was painted! I know, it was really far too nice a day to be stuck indoors wielding a loaded brush. But if I must be inside I do demand that I have my little diversions. Sometimes I like loud pulsating rock music and on other occasions I like um… soppy movies with gallons of gooey sentiment.

RedSquare (Acrylic 24"x30"on box canvas) definitely has echoes of Cubes (one of my recent abstract undertakings) and again I’m drawn to this desire to convey radiating heat by combining reds and yellows.
Again I’ve used a series of compartmentalized areas to create a sense of a fractured picture plane. I’m not sure if I’ve been completely successful but I ‘m pleased with the overall result.

This type of painting forces me to be disciplined. Yeah, I have fun and often allow the composition to simply follow a natural flow but as I wrote a couple of weeks back…

“This doesn't mean a massive cop out for the artist to indulge in playful whimsy. Rather it highlights a greater need than ever to understand the effects of colour, form and composition”

Have your fun by all means but always be in charge of the painting. Don’t let the dog take you for the walk!

Catch you later

Shirley

Me of Many Parts

2007-04-14T18:53:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
Sometimes it’s just way too easy to ssslide completely into being totally absorbed in your art. I mean really transfixed to the point of near addition. (Cue splashed cold water over the face and a spell of cold turkey to boot!) Perhaps time to allow the creative id some R&R and a chance to simply…play. Perchance cast off those stern shackles of perfectionism and maybe…

Take it easy!

Pamper the child within, relax and simply chill out…

OK I’m sure you get the picture. So basically it’s time to doodle, experiment and sharpen up a few other skills at the same time. Which leads me to my little montage (above, which I produced using Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter) this was a composite of me. Me in action. Me close up and in the fray. Multi tasking multi-purpose ShirleyBod! If you want to get noticed on the web then sometimes you need to jettison subtle and think showy…think eye grabbing.

Now it must be obvious to anyone whose seen and read about my work that I love working with natural media. (You bet I do) I love it and wouldn’t swap the smell of paint, a loaded brush or my acrylic caked dungarees for anything!

However there are some aspects of the visual arts that programs like Painter and Photoshop can do far better (and yes…much quicker!) than conventional media will allow. This is especially true if your intended use is for web graphics which by their very nature have to be designed subject to issues of file size etc.

So there you go. Yet another little slither of insight into my ‘away from painting’ activity. A veritable outpouring of personal tittle-tattle. Bet your thinking I must really knock them dead at parties!

Catch you later
Shirley

Composer Slates Labour Over Arts!

2007-04-12T22:01:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
Did you see Scottish composer Peter Maxwell Davies scathing assault on the British government accusing them of ignoring the importance of serious art, literature, and music (as if they would!) just days after the director of the National Gallery did the same? Davis said…

“Keeping people in a state of ignorance is good for the government in power - it precludes the possibility of articulate criticism, induces political apathy, and its by-product is a frustration which bursts forth into seemingly mindless, unmotivated violence."

Where did all that New Labour love go!

OK, so I don’t agree with the ‘unmotivated violence’ angle (There is no exscuse!) However I applaud and agree with every thing else he says. You don’t have to be chapter and verse familiar with Orwell’s 1984 to realize the dangers of subverting a population’s ability to think, question and articulate their grievances with the powers that be. We all of us, as citizens in an open society, have to be forever vigilant against those agencies who would (with the aid of ignorance) deprive us of that very openness.
To quote John F Kennedy

“One of the cornerstones of democracy is a well informed citizenry”

Amen to that!

Catch you later
Shirley

Redspin Really Rocks!

2007-04-07T18:16:00.000+01:00

Hi all
Yeah I know, the abstract bandwagon just keeps on a rolling! With copious crimson’s and an imagination fed on Stephen King and hard rock music my mind is simply… um, a little blown away! Well, sometimes it’s fun to just…

LET GO!!

You know the feeling? Go where the mood, the flow takes you. Sometimes your art can just slowly ssssslide into a so so rut, a trap, a mediocre manor of your own making. Keep churning out the same safe stuff until…

OK, don’t worry I’m not about to renounce all things sane and embrace some hideous retro art movement. I fully intend to create plenty of luscious landscapes, sizzling sunsets and a myriad mouth watering African panoramas. However (and it has to be said) it’s refreshing, rewarding and absolutely reinvigorating to embrace a big healthy dollop of the new.

So art lovers, here’s Redspin (Acrylic 24"x30"on box canvas) today’s labor of love and another very, very rewarding piece to ‘work’ on. Sometimes a painting like this seems almost to paint it’s self. As if the plan, the blueprint already existed and was merely waiting for my muse to capture and decipher it. Hope it's to your liking.

Catch you later
Shirley

Crucifixion Scenes in Art

2007-04-07T18:02:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
With Easter Sunday almost upon us it seemed umm… an apt time to peruse suitable imagery to reflect this moment in the Christian calendar. Well it seems the National Gallery has aired a few of their gems in a series of 12 pictures called Crucifixion scenes in art which you can see at the Guardian Unlimited website. Featuring the likes of El Greco and Michelangelo, to name but a few.

My personal favourite is Christ Mocked (The Crowning with Thorns) by Hieronymus Bosch (c1490-1500) Anyone familiar with Bosch’s work will know he was a particularly gruesome fellow who usually glorified in all manner of medieval torture and depictions of hell, fire and brimstone. (So, basically like most of today's TV Soaps!) However, here we see a more restrained, indeed moving scene as Christ (surrounded by his tormentors) gazes, almost with a hint of reflective irony, out at us as though to convey the unimportance of his physical torments.

But what I really like about this painting is the way Bosch creates his desired effect by squeezing those figures (sardine fashion) into the picture plane. Wham! So giving it very little depth, but creating maximum pictorial impact as the those packed figures push out towards us. Nice one Hieronymus!

Crucifixion scenes in art

Happy Easter
Shirley

Sunkist Set to Sizzle!

2007-04-05T21:32:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
Does the mood you’re in always reflect (to some greater or lesser degree) the subject you choose? Of course there are times when your choice might be totally at odds with your frame of mind. If perchance the blue moods threaten I reject that urge to immerse myself in somber hues and themes suggesting some darker aspect.

Better by far to revel in a…

Flow of glowing colours.

Brilliant reds
Dazzling yellows
Crisp and effervescent shades…

Today the sunshine danced; yes it did and I delighted in the radiance that seemed to pour from my creative id. The midday heat, the sizzle seemed to suggest a painting of fiery tones. So Sunkist (24"x30" box canvas) seemed a perfect phrase, an apt enough title for an abstract work inspired in the haze on an early April noon. And yes, I must confess, I 'm pleased as punch with the result!

Here’s to early summer days. Warm and hazy but never lazy. Here’s to clear blue skies and those quiet corners where our muse might bring us… the gift of inspiration.

Catch You later
Shirley

Queen Insists…It’s Turner!

2007-04-05T17:23:00.000+01:00

Hi all,

Let’s hear it for Queen Liz (Hip...Hooray!) From genuine art lovers across the realm a thousand thankyou’s for insisting that JMW Turner represent Britain at the Capolavori dell’ Arte Europea (Masterpieces of European Art) exhibition in Rome. There is a God after all! This exhibition celebrates 50 ‘glorious’ years of the European Union to which end 27 heads of state were asked their choice of artwork to represent their respective nations.

Apparently our Queen was most adamant about her choice; one that I doubt would have been shared by our self serving Art Establishment. Left to them we doubtless would have sent any number of Britart creations ranging from effluent smeared installations to frozen genitals!

Thus Tate Britain duly chose ‘The Arrival of Louis-Philippe at Portsmouth, 1844’ (above) which had long been thought to depict a scene from Venice but four years ago was actually discovered to show the arrival of the French “Citizen King” to visit Queen Victoria – an apt Anglo-French example of hands across the water!

So our unreserved thanks Mam for injecting some much needed sanity into a very, very mad world. Oh and by the way, is there any chance of you portraying Helen Mirren in the near future?

Catch you later
Shirley

Has the Abstract Bug Bitten?

2007-03-31T21:21:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
Has the abstract bug bitten? Um, I think that’s a distinct possibility! In my post on Wednesday (One up on Picasso!) I confessed that I’d never before ventured into the hallowed realms of the abstract. So of course now there’s nothing to stop me. The ice is broken; the ideas are flowing and whilst I doubt if it will become my predominant style I shall none the less embrace it with gusto!

So, here is abstract number two. The aptly named Cubes. Or perhaps Cubes in blocks of hot coloured hues. It echoes my love affair with red as I seek to create a series of multiple colour planes. Each a self contained frame, a building block supporting its neighbour. Certainly restrained as the boxes are compressed within the picture plane dynamic. Does this invoke a degree of tension or does it perhaps suggest a feeling of reassurance as solid almost phalanx like ranks reinforce our sense of security?

This is the beautiful nature of the abstract. It can appeal simply and directly to the aesthetic or evoke a more complex and multi-layered response. The observer interrupts according to their own perceptions. This doesn't mean a massive cop out for the artist to indulge in playful whimsy. Rather it highlights a greater need than ever to understand the effects of colour, form and composition. Forget these and you may as well make mud pies. Remember them and hopefully that bug will just keep biting and biting...

Catch you later
Shirley

Does He Ignore The Money?

2007-03-31T16:19:00.000+01:00

Hi all,

Mr. Damien Hurst (our leading ‘Britart icon’ pictured above) was quoted as saying “I always ignore money” (well, of course you do Damien!) Doesn’t this strike anyone else as a slightly curious statement for a man who only last year joined the Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of 100 million pounds?($197 million) Still, perhaps no more curious than the continued pursuit of one multi million pound commission after another by a man so careful to cultivate his ‘cor blimey’ (I’m one of the lads) street image. Yeah Damien, roll on the revolution.

Look, I’ve absolutely nothing against wealth nor the pursuit of the capitalist ideal (please, show me the money!) However, what does bug me big time are these wanabe ‘social outsiders’ with their oh so edgy, we’re on the margins of society routine. They whimper their phoney contempt for the whole capitalist gravy train, affecting a camaraderie with the downtrodden and a loathing for all things materialistic whilst simultaneously leaping aboard that same train destined for the nearest Hedge Fund Manager to bank roll their latest cash cow! And that folks, is sadly Showbiz.

Catch you later
Shirley

One up on Picasso!

2007-03-28T20:02:00.000+01:00

Hi all,

With my painting hat firmly on and trademark dungarees again caked in paint the artistic muse seems once again to be in full flow! So, with all caution abandoned I today launched into the joy of abstract painting. Now here I have a confession to make…I’ve never painted an abstract painting. (Gasps from the auditorium!) Yes, I‘ve made regular incursions into the realms of semi-abstract but until today I’ve never gone the full Monty. Still, is that such a surprise? After all Picasso went his whole career without painting a single abstract picture (Yes really). Um, suppose I should savor this moment knowing that for the only time in my artistic career I’ll be one up on Picasso!

In truth I’ve never been able to cast off the desire to be representational. My paintings always needed to tell a story, to evoke a scene in my minds eye. Much as I loved the great abstract masters I bolted at the notion of letting go and applying my self purely to the harmony of colour and the rhythm of shapes.

So, it’s not without reason I named my first abstract painting ‘Flourish’ since that describes perfectly the mood in which it developed. Again I used my favored acrylics on top of a pre-prepared textured surface (20"x30" box canvas) which creates a superb impasto effect. Also it gives the paint the perfect surface to bite into. Then I'm all set just to let the creative impulse flow... gestures take form as ideas come to life. The beauty of painting! Perhaps I’ll try the same tomorrow?

Catch you later
Shirley

Plaudits for Arts Phony Duo

2007-03-28T18:24:00.000+01:00

Hi all,

Ever had the feeling that you’ve woken up in some bizarre parallel dimension where the laws of reality, common sense and yes, good taste, have not only been turned upside down but actually tossed away all together? Then welcome to the sanity free, indeed unsanitary, world of Gilbert and George (above). A realm where images of excrement and profanity are hailed as possessing an oracle like insight into our troubled Eden!

Here you can attempt (if your stomach allows) to explain the avalanche of praise heaped upon this humourless ‘couple’ by an art world so corrupted by it’s own rotting values that it can no longer detect the stench of decay under it’s own nostrils!

Gilbert and George (as well as being performance ‘artists’) have been presenting their phony photographic montages for far, far too long. With their pathetic parade of vacuous ‘artwork’ they have hoodwinked the art establishment and succeeded in their dubious quest to become the darlings of the London art scene. Now, thanks to their latest exhibition at Tate Modern we now have to endure not only unprecedented exposure but waves of articles spewing platitudes testifying as to their place in the pantheon of British art! So, farewell to logic, reason and good sense in an Art world where pigs not only fly but their sh*t is likely to make them the toast of the town!

Gilbert & George: Infamous Five

Catch you later
Shirley

Painting on a Knife’s Edge

2007-03-26T20:33:00.000+01:00

Hi all,
I often get that urge to surf the web on an impulse. Click from site to site. Always hoping to uncover (in a sea of senseless bullsh*t) …well, you know, a nugget or two of inspiration. Perhaps that little spark of creative zest I might care to bookmark. Then one lucky click and Walla! So, If you like raw, spontaneous oil painting loaded with atmosphere and able to evoke a genuine sense of place then you’ll enjoy the work of Chris Geall

Chris comes from Whitby, North Yorkshire, a fact made evident as you gaze at his landscapes dripping with seasonal scenes of rustic power. Created with dexterous strokes of the palette knife (his favored tool) he appears to be at one both with his subject and with his chosen medium. These are painterly images. Carved, almost sculptured onto the canvas with an accomplished hand evoking what an equally discerning eye dictates.

These paintings stand up for themselves without recourse to repellent undercurrents or a ‘smack you in the face’ assault on your taste. This is art you pay good money for. Paintings you hang on the wall and allow your friends to enjoy. The kind of art that would never ever get a whiff of the Turner Prize anymore than Turner himselfwould!

Chris also has his own website which he claims is in it’s infancy but is probably a refreshing antidote to the glut of glossy, oh so smooth webmaster efforts on show. He also posts a first rate blog in which he talks about his art and some of the working methods he employs. And of course there are plenty of paintings on show. Well worth a read, a look and yes…perhaps even that bookmark!

PS. Oh and also check out his speeded up videos, great stuff!

Chris Geall Website
Chris Geall Blog

Catch you later
Shirley

The Face of Feminism?

2007-03-26T17:20:00.000+01:00

Roberta Smith writing in the New York Times poses the question ‘is there such a thing as feminist art?’ Commenting on the ‘Global Feminism's’ exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum Roberta poses some interesting (and perhaps long overdue) questions as she probes a subject not without it’s um... controversial elements!

Personally I dislike ‘isms’ almost as much as I loath most kinds of labels. To pigeon hole something is to limit it or to stamp upon it some manner of maker’s seal of approval. Of course there is plenty of art influenced by feminine thinking just as there is art inspired by love and sex. Yet we don’t refer to such as sex or love art or perhaps lovism!

However this is not to decry the quality nor the impact of much of the art featured. Some of these images (which includes the above work from the disturbing "Bind" series of 2001 by Ryoko Suzuki) brilliantly succeed in shocking the onlooker which in turn acts to focus our attention on an issue too readily swept from view. No they’re not pretty. They’re not indented to be. Indeed they are repellent. For me such brutal images are legitimate when presented in the context which inspired them. This is neither Political Correctness nor point scoring to beg crumbs from the critics table. Alas, some of these pictures are sadly all too real. I simply don’t believe they should be branded or presented under the blanket banner of feminism.

Global Feminism's

Catch you later
Shirley

'Journeys End' Is My New Beginning

2007-03-24T17:56:00.000Z

Well, after weeks of artistic ‘hibernation’ I’ve finally kicked my creative arse back into gear and here is the result. I call it ‘Journeys End’ which seems not only an appropriate title for the above work but also an apt metaphor for my own recent quest to find somewhere we could at last call home. So, house moving stuff aside, I can at last let loose a long sigh and look forward to wallowing in my creative juices. (The proverbial pig in pooh no less!)

Once again I’ve continued with my preoccupation (obsession!) with skies. I just luv em! They’re so expressive, vibrant and alive. They warm the soul, sooth the eyes and add a healthy dollop of colour into a sometimes monotone world. Allied with an African theme they make for the perfect visual setting.

Again I’ve used a panoramic box canvas 48"x16"(I’m really falling in love with these) they’re absolutely brilliant for creating that whole wide open vista effect; you know the ‘Out of Africa’ look!

System 3Acrylics remains my favorite working medium. They’re robust (I can lay them on in a thick impasto) they respond beautifully to the brush yet allow me to achieve some very subtle effects. Which does tend to be a rather important consideration when tackling a subject like skies?

Ah, it’s good being back in the saddle, brush in hand and ready to unleash the creative id. Yep, I know my style of painting isn’t likely to go down well with the ‘in crowd’ or attract a mention from our overly serious ‘scribes’ but hey, that makes painting them all the more enjoyable!

Catch you later
Shirley

Miracle Girls ‘Magic’ Flowers

2007-03-22T18:03:00.000Z

What a courageous little girl five-year-old Sophie Delezio is. After enduring so much she adds a fresh chapter to her modern-day miracle as one of her paintings titled Flowers (above) joins other works of art to be auctioned for the benefit of the Royal Far West Children's Health Scheme.

In December 2003 Sophie and her friend Molly Wood suffered terrible injuries when a car smashed into their day care centre. Sophie lost an ear, fingers and both feet. Then, in May last year, unbelievably a car knocked her down as her nanny pushed her in a pram across a pedestrian crossing! Through of all this five-year-old Sophie has captured hearts and amazed people across the world by smiling her brave, most captivating smile.

Life affirming magic indeed. Isn’t the very sight of this brave little girl enough to put the problems of the daily drudge into its correct perspective? And don’t such stories always act as tonic to take away that ‘rat race’ stench so all consuming in our modern life!

Catch you later
Shirley

Has Tracey Emin Got Your Wallet?

2007-03-20T23:56:00.000Z

Well, here we go again with another slice of well baked ‘pie in the sky’. To mark the 60th anniversary of Arts Council England our ‘National Treasure’ Tracey Emin (yep, she of the unmade bed and other ‘worthy’ wonders) has designed a wallet for commuters featuring her cat Docket (Dockets the one pictured on the right!)to be used for train and bus passes due to be distributed in the streets of Brighton on March 22. Of course they will all be ‘free’ and yes of course luv it’s all being done for our benefit as part of the Art in Your Hand project. Which in turn will so spectacularly succeed in driving us proles in our droves into the hallowed temples of Britart up and down the nation? Yeah, just watch out for the rush as we Brits go wild over our lass Tracey!

Let’s be real here. The only significant wallet in this whole sad story is the increasingly fat one belonging to Emin and her talentless Britart cohorts! Oh and not forgetting that ever decreasing wallet belonging to Joe Taxpayer! Umm, but then our elitist friends never do forget nor do they turn done the chance to pilfer public coffers to gild their loaded pockets.

Catch you later
Shirley

Painted People Power

2007-03-16T22:51:00.000Z

On the Wild Side

Check this one out. Boo Ritson is an artist who takes real people, covers their faces, hair and clothes in a thick impasto of wet paint (as above) and then discusses the results in a diatribe of ‘artspeak’. Well OK, I admit that my first impression was “Jesus, not more Britart bullshit! Served up with dollops of modern artist mantra and ‘over egged’ justification” But to be fair, (yes I do try to be!) the more I looked the more intrigued I became with her rather bizarre creations. In fact I found myself (dare I say it) quite liking them!

No, this doesn’t mean I’ve sold my soul to Saatchi and now sup virgin’s blood with Damian Hurst and company. It’s just that occasionally I see an idea that seems to suggest an ‘ah ha’ moment. Something that’s capable of being a little odd but doesn’t insult (or assault) my eyes. I like the notion of transforming people, of making them look like paintings. There’s something rather childlike, even naïve in the papier-Mâché look of these inert beings. Alright, we don’t need wagonloads of waffle to grasp their point. We need only our eyes, our own offbeat taste and a desire to sometimes take an occasional walk on the wild side.

The art of photographing paint dry

Boo Ritso Saatchi Gallery

Catch you later

Shirley

Golden Age of Bullsh*t!

2007-03-13T20:40:00.000Z

Cultures Real Vulture?

Nearly a week has passed since Tony Blair’s cringe inducing ‘Golden Age of Art’ speech at the Tate modern. In typical New Labour style he stole the clothes, hijacked the moment and used the arts as shield to his countless failings as Prime minister. Oh Tony did you think that a few ill chosen lines aimed at the intellectual vanity of the anointed few would heal a decade of artistic reticence?
Reaction since then has been mixed as spin and flannel flog the issue to a timely death. The most interesting opinion (as always) comes via the countless blog entries and their thought provoking comments. Here are two which reflect a certain (though not necessarily my own) dissatisfied ‘perspective’…

“Art is fine but it doesn't stop people getting shot, bombed, gassed, incinerated and generally physically rearranged on a massive scale simply for being in a country that we wish to control. Some might even say that an increased interest in the arts is part of the general "bread and circuses" phenomenon diverting our collective attention from more important matters than pickled sheep”

“Why should the government take ANY credit for this?
I can't remember when I last visited a museum or a theatre in the UK, what a yawn, eh? Music's the same, boring rubbish.
But I can't wait to visit a Supercasino! After a vist to the 24-hour pub, of course.
And there must be loads of lapdancing clubs in London that even I haven't been to yet, some of those Slav girls, well, phew...
Now there's REAL culture in modern Britain for you! Thanks Tessa Jowell! No doubt you've told Tony his legacy is secure???”

Well yes, food for thought. Let’s not even start on the subject of Casino’s (New Labours brave new world…Thanks Tessa Jowell!) Time and again ordinary people (that rules out Melvyn Bragg) from many shades of political opinion seem contemptuous of yet another Blarite performance of smoke and mirrors. Please Tony, do the trick properly and disappear soon!

Catch you later

Shirley

Impressionism without a Modern Edge!

2007-03-07T23:50:00.000Z

the Violin no.3
At a time when our ludicrous art establishment genuflects at the poisoned alter of the talent free zone of Gilbert & George (has the world gone mad!) It’s a pleasure indeed to cast weary eyes upon someone with a genuine artistic gift.
Andrei Filipovich is a contemporary Impressionist. Some might say an old school artist. A painter who produces’s an evocative series of rich, succulent oil paintings. No hint here of the phony satire or subtle subtexts too often the perquisite of so much ‘edgy art’. Instead we find fuel for the heart and food for the eye. Painting we can both appreciate and enjoy without feeling guilty that in so doing we become less intellectually enlightened!

Andrei seems a man of few words (if his blog is anything to go by) an artist who allows his art to do the talking. That's fine, refreshing perhaps, but I do confess to a slight frustration at so little insight into this obviously gifted painter. C'mon Andrei...just a few words of wisdom!

Andreis Blog

Catch you later

Shirley

Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T17:56:00.000Z

I think the image Say's it all!

Dog Collection auctioned by Sotheby's

2007-02-11T20:30:00.000Z

Not such a Shaggy Story

Hi all,

So, something that in a cynical world brings a much needed slice of hope. The above pictures of dogs are by stars ranging from Ricky Gervais to Paul McCartney. All inspired by a picture of a dog drawn on a scrap of paper by a five-year-old boy Jensen Parsons, which he named Boil(top left) for his stepfather Simon Freedman.

Now, Simon 40, an osteopath (whose patients include a clutch of A-list celebs), hung the picture on the wall of his swanky London practice and before he knew it stars aplenty were queuing up to do their own versions. Thus from such small acorns… Simon then contacted Great Ormond Street Hospital with the his grand idea which has ended with theses pictures being auctioned off at Sotheby’s to raise funds for the hospital. Follow this story in detail at http://www.dogproject.co.uk/

As I’ve always said, you just can’t make this up. Great Stuff!

Catch you later

Shirley

That Home Moving Feeling

2007-02-11T20:19:00.000Z

Not Much Time For Blogging!
Hi all,
Well, after much consideration, contemplation and um, gnashing of teeth the decision has been made… we’re finally moving house! Packing up and setting off to pastures greener. Out and hopefully up as a new chapter beckons. So, here I am (Yes I know, I know I'm tired and FED UP!) As you do when you’re in the midst of your own self made bombsite, don’t you just love it? Surrounded (entombed) by all our collective clutter (So, where exactly does it all come from, surely somebody could write a book called the collective clutter theory?)

Alas events have left precious little time for painting (blogging!) or any such aesthetic pursuits. The ‘things to do’ list grows and grows, already reading like the manifest for a small scale invasion. And, no matter how diligently I seem to plan I just can’t shake off this lingering fear that I’ve forgotten something of absolutely seismic importance! Ah well, it’s worth every bit of slog and assorted aggravation. David keeps my spirits up with endless cups of tea, infusions of humorous banter and, as always, plenty of TLC. Anyway you’ve got to laugh. Either that or …perhaps be in danger of taking such things far too seriously.

Catch you later

Shirley

Critics Indignant Over Kylie!

2007-02-09T21:40:00.000Z

We Should Be So Lucky!
Hi all,

Oh dear me, it seems our elitist friends are at it again. Talons out (hissy fits aplenty!) Heaping bilious remarks over the V&A’s decision to hold an exhibition which focuses’s on (horror of horrors) Kylie Minouge’s costumes throughout her career. My God, will civilization as we know it ever be the same again? C’mon, I’m not exactly a huge Kylie fan but compared to some of the warped, talent free cr*p hoisted upon us by the anointed few I’m willing to give our antipodean cousin the benefit of the doubt.

Chief Kylie critic is Stephen Bayley (The Observer's architecture critic and a design ‘expert’) who questions whether such an exhibition is fitting for such a prestigious venue. ‘I am conflicted about this,' he admitted. 'If they are going to put Kylie's dresses in the chamber of horrors that is one thing, but if it is to be a mute celebration of the life of a celebrity, then it is not such a worthy thing.’ … Oh Stephen how very droll!

OK, lets be serious and lets be crystal clear on this one. This is the same Stephen Bayley who ran the Boilerhouse Project with Terence Conran at the V&A in the Eighties. Eh the same project that included such (worthy) exhibitions as Ford, Sony, Issey Miyake and Coca Cola.(All so well known for their worthy cultural contributions) Um, OK so lets see Coca Cola (Billion Dollar mega global conglomerate) is good. Whilst Kylie Minouge (Hugely popular entertainer) is really not such a worthy thing! About as worthy as when our Mr Bayley worked as a consultant for the Coca Cola Company? Still holding the high moral ground Stephen?

Another sad story you just can’t make up. It’s bad enough that we endure these pretentious self appointed critics who constantly sneer at all that is popular whilst consistently elevating their own intolerant tastes. Worse still when we must endure the stench of their hypocrisy wafting up from whatever sewer their kind inhabit.

Catch you later

Shirley

Corel Unveil Painter X

2007-02-08T22:07:00.000Z

Painter Power?
Hi all,

Just a quick(ish) word to mention this week’s new release of Corel Painter X. Anybody who’s ever used Corels superlative painting software to recreate natural media will know that no other painting software comes even close Yes I know Adobe Photoshop is probably the industry leader in photographic and image manipulation. However, when it comes to the business of replicating oils, acrylics or pastels (to mention just a few) Painter is the natural choice for artists, illustrators and anyone wishing to unleash their creative talents via the PC.

Anyway, I’ve just downloaded the free 30 day trial (I just love trying out new software!) and I’ll let you know exactly what I think in the very near future! If you fancy trying it yourself (Go on, give it a bash) simply follow this link to the Corel download page… Corel Painter X have fun. I know I will!

Catch you later

Shirley

Paint Like An Eygptian

2007-02-07T22:53:00.000Z

Farghali Abdel Hafiz
Hi all,

Are the long, cold winter nights starting to get you down? Feel the need perhaps for some exotic colour therapy? Then look no further than this month’s edition of Canvas (Art and Culture from the Middle East and Arab World) their monthly profile looks at the Egyptian artist Farghali Abdel Hafiz. (Co-founder of the Axis Group, one of the most important art movements in Egypt’s post -Modernist era) With a bold, spontaneous style he happily wallows in a warm, rich and evocative imagery. Using such concerns as his cultures past and present he has developed a series of fresh and multi coloured scenes such as ‘Spiritual Power of Aswan’ – 2006 (pictured above)

I like this artist. Yes, many of his paintings are very much influenced by an assorted mix of western movements...so what! What he manages to do so well is to inject his own highly personalized style into the great mix. Also, It’s just so satisfying to find an eminent artist who’s unafraid to enjoy the ‘very essence of the paint’ who glories not in some bullsh*t manifesto but instead revels in the joy his art can bring. As he writes himself…

“I remain preoccupied with protecting the positive energy of art, steering it towards the ability to impart light, warmth, optimism and confidence.”

And so say all of us!

For more painting by Farghali Abdel Hafiz visit the Zamalek Art Gallery.

Catch you later

Shirley

Art Worlds G-Men!

2007-02-06T00:17:00.000Z

FBI on Art?
Hi all,

Now, hands up those of us whose perception of the FBI may have been well, slightly coloured by the novels of Thomas Harris? (C’mon you know, Hannibal Lecter/ Clarice Starling etc) OK, stereotypes aside, what else does your average Federal Agent do when not embroiled in cat and mouse duels with serial killers? Well it appears they invest a fairly impressive amount of time and money into tracking down multi-million dollar art crimes.

Welcome to the Bureaus Art Theft Program (established in 2004) dedicated to the prevention of ‘Art and cultural property crime’ which has so far recovered artworks, including a Rembrandt self portrait, in excess of $65 million! (Nice going boys!) However, with estimated losses running as high as $6 billion annually it seems those gallant G-Men have quite some way to go yet. (Better start putting in for overtime fellas!)

Joking aside, this really is an interesting site. There’s plenty of links taking you to all over the FBI’s main site, their labs as well as contacts with Interpol. There are also lists of investigations into ongoing crimes such as the 2002, $30 million theft of two Van Gogh paintings from the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam. Apparently in a really ‘ingenious’ plan two thieves used a ladder to climb to the roof and simply break in! Yeah, I guess that was some top score security the Dutch had going there. Jesus, so what happened to all that ‘Thomas Crown’ stuff any self respecting art thief has to go through!

So, if art crime’s your thing then spend a little time with art’s G-Men at the Bureaus Art Theft Program

Catch you later

Shirley

Painting With a Passion!

2007-02-05T17:05:00.000Z

Slapping Your Brush!
Hi all,
Do you ever get that whim to surf the web on an impulse? Of course you do. Flip from site to blog in hope that you find …well something of interest. Perhaps even a gem or two to tuck away in your favorites file. Then try this one! If you like your painting rich, spontaneous and colourful with a capital C then look no further than Jonas Gerad.

Here’s a self taught artist whose flamboyant painting style is positively infectious! His superb web site echoes this with its effervescent mixture of portraits (like Picasso pictured above), abstracts and Digital giclee’s (above right.. The Lady Saint Will Take You There)

I especially enjoyed his video’s in which he demonstrates his ‘full on’ method of painting. And I can only say If you’ve never painted in your life (or if you've painted your whole life) then I guarantee watching Jonas Gerad will have you itching to slap your brush against the nearest canvas (Is it me or doesn't that sound a little.. improper?)

So, metaphors aside, I suggest you seek this site as the perfect antidote to those cold grey winter hues and follow the links guaranteed to unleash the colourist lurking inside you... Jonas Gerard Fine Art

Catch you later

Shirley

Life sometimes does get better!

2007-02-01T23:29:00.000Z

Working at what I love Best..
Hi All,

Here’s me doing one of those oh so natural photo calls. Impromptu it isn’t! (Note the smile struggling like crazy to get out!) Umm, well all I wanted to do was pop into our local gallery. You know, press the flesh, chew the cud and generally see how my work was selling? Just after Christmas you see, things still a bit… slow. Everybody still a tad… skint! It all seems so very eh..Van Gogh this time of year.

Still it gave Hubbie a chance to loose off a few snaps of me. Indulge that ‘Henri Cartier-Bresson’ moment. Also it allowed me pause to reflect on how much has changed in so short a period. Was it only last year that I decided to paint full time? It seems so much longer, well it always does. Yet already my life has taken on so many different aspects. Let’s face it, you’re lucky to make any money at all from your painting let alone make a decent living at it. Yeah, tell me all about it!

OK, so I’m not as yet pinning any hopes on a major retrospective at the National. (Not till next year at any rate!) But I’m working at what I love doing and life‘s looking a distinctively positive shade. Sure, it may be a well worn cliche but life sometimes does get better and better. All depends on how you choose to view it.

Catch you later

Shirley

Street Art; Not Just Graffiti?

2007-02-01T21:44:00.000Z

Street Savvy?
Hi all,
Whatever your take on Graffiti (Cool cultural expression or urban vandalism?) there can be no denying the raw power and spontaneity in many of the images produced by street artists. Obviously I’m not talking about the mindless toilet murals much beloved by the bored and artistically challenged. Nor do I condone randomly daubing where the whim dictates. Rather where artists have joined community projects and channeled their energies into more worthwhile and legitimate pursuits.

Now, I’m not trying to show you how hip I am with the street art scene (that would be about as convincing as Prince Charles’s oh so cool ‘Full Monty’ routine!) However, I’ve been taking a long hard look at whats “out there’ and I’m finding myself continually amazed at the sheer degree of raw talent on display!

At the moment I’m looking at the work of New York Graffiti artists 156 ALL STARZ Please follow the links to discover some incredibly rich and varied painting with strong visual designs, bold forms and striking colours. (Very striking!) Indeed some of these pieces put me in mind of the action paintings of Abstract Expressionism, albeit with their own street savvy twist! All a very long way away from the scribbles on the toilet wall!

Catch you later

Shirley

Canvas: Art and Culture from the Middle East and Arab World

2007-01-29T23:46:00.000Z

Full Of Eastern Promise!
Hi all,

Fancy a change? Want to try something a tad different? Something a little more exotic perhaps? Then how about adding a touch of Eastern spice to your cultural palette? Interested... then check out Canvas (pictured above) a superb online magazine based in Dubai which presents ‘Art and Culture from the Middle East and Arab World’. And does so quite brilliantly.

The site itself is design heaven. With its clean edged thoughtfully constructed interface Canvas is delightfully rich in both style and content. What a pleasure to experience such abundance in both cultural and historical diversity yet be blissfully devoid of all political rhetoric! Thanks in no small part to its publisher and Editor-in-Chief Ali Y Khadra whose policy appears to concentrate firmly on the regions fabulous creative talents rather than to fan any militant agenda.

‘Canvas is a bi-monthly magazine distributed across the world, offering the best in art and culture from the Middle East and Arab world. With intelligent in-depth articles on every thing from the visual arts to museums, galleries, photography and design, every issue carries an exclusive feature’.

For those of us who believe that art should build bridges whilst breaking down barriers sites like Canvas should be both applauded and encouraged by all of us.

Catch you later

Shirley

Blimey! Ten Years Old Already

2007-01-27T23:27:00.000Z

And Still His Best?
Hi all,
Ten years old already? Can’t be, surely not! Why, it seems only a flick of the memory cells ago that Matthew Collings first book Blimey! (pictured above) was receiving rapturous ovations and various plaudits as the happening read of the moment? Was it really 1997? The year of Brit Pop, Chris Evans, Oasis and the launch of project Blair?

You see I was recently re-reading Blimey! (Subtitled-From Bohemia to Britpop: the London Artworld from Francis Bacon to Damien Hirst) a book I have always found both informative and entertaining. Collings may be a polarizing figure in a ‘love or loathe him’ sort of way but he’s an immensely entertaining writer and God knows the art world needs more of those!

Ah, but what I really love about this book (apart from capturing that period so perfectly) is Collings accessible and unpretentious manner. He never leaves you feeling like some bedlamite with nose pressed up against the asylum window. Rather, he leads you along his humorous tour through the great and the ridiculous of the art scene, always with an eye to prick the pompous balloons of some equally pompous people. Here’s a sample…

"Artworld people say, What do you mean you can't understand art talk? Would you expect to understand the talk of a nuclear physicist? Don't you see that art is a special subject like that; you have to do some work at it! But in reality people in the artworld mostly just think moronic thoughts like everyone else, and it's nothing like nuclear physics."

Nothing like it at all Matthew. Happy anniversary!

Catch you later

Shirley

AL PACINO IS TO PLAY SALVADOR DALI

2007-01-25T22:05:00.000Z

Godfather of Surrealism?

Hi all,

I've just heard that Hollywood heavyweight Al Pacino is to play the great Surrealist painter Salvador Dali in a new film, which will begin shooting this summer. Reports in Variety suggest that 'Dali & I' will be directed by Andrew Niccol, who previously worked with Pacino on the film 'Simone'. The film is to be based on the Stan Lauryssen book 'Dali and I' which explored the latter years of the artist's life.

Since I’m a big fan of both Pacino and Dali the prospect of such a project does sound very intriguing. However, movie land is notoriously fickle and such projects can and do often fall or falter due to the Directors or Actors last minute change of heart. Let’s hope they make Pacino ‘an offer he can’t refuse!’

Catch you later

Shirley

RedScape: Acylic on Canvas 40"X 16"

2007-01-23T22:32:00.000Z

When You Just See Red?

Hi all,

I've definitely been seeing red today! No, not anger inspired(I don't think so?) or crimson shades of stress (well, perhaps just a shade.) Rather I've allowed the acylic paint to liberally flow. Splashing a few scarlet streaks, strands of yellow, a dollop of black and a wisp of white and Walla!.. a sweeping sunset. Ah, that's the beauty of acylic paint, always the instant result.Well, maybe not quite instant but always very, very satisfying.

I hope you like RedScape. Horizons have always fascinated me. Distant plains where the sun sets or faraway fields that fade away on some endless eye line. That's their attraction, the allure of eternity. That out of reach, forever unobtainable goal. To stare at the horizon is to gaze into the unknown. Something we all find forever facinating.

Catch you later

Shirley

Spray Paint Art!

2007-01-21T22:52:00.000Z

Non Solvent Abuse!
Hi all,
After you’ve seen the YouTube video (featuring Turkish artist Erdogan Baybakan) check out his web site for some more cool solvent sessions! http://www.freewebs.com/spraypaintart/index.htm

I think these are fresh, spontaneous works with their echoes of encaustic wax painting in both style and their vivid multi-colouring. I only have one major qualm regarding his web site? Please, please Erdogan; loose that incredibly irritating personalized cursor!!

Catch you later

Shirley

Paint Your Own Pollock?

2007-01-19T12:32:00.000Z

Or, Maybe Not!
Hi all,
I found this amusing gizmo (designed by artist Miltos Manetas) that allows you to create online 'drip paintings' of a style made famous by action painter Jackson Pollock. (My brief effort is featured above..eh, sorry Jackson) Well, OK you may not find yourself shortlisted for any prestigious awards but it's a diverting trifle to whittle away a few carefree moments. Perhaps even release some of that suppressed creativity.

Go on, have a fiddle! http://www.jacksonpollock.org/
Catch you later

Shirley

Elephant Series:Acrylic on canvas 16"x 40"

2007-01-16T12:41:00.000Z

Elephants Are Fun!

Hi all,

Phew, another minor 'masterpiece' finished, glazed and presented for approval! Thus ends another long day of brushing, dabbing, swearing, smearing and yes, more swearing. In truth I felt a tad rusty. The result of an extended Xmas break in vain attempt to put painting completely out of my mind (fat chance there!) and concentrate on the IT side of things. You know, like getting to grips with HTML, CSS, RSS feeds and all the other joy filled 'web-whatsits' we online artists have to embrace! Oh well, C'est la vie.

Like all my Elephant Series I aim for a graphic, more simplified effect. With a strong line, clean edges and an emphasis on surface decoration as opposed to any emotional representation. I'm interested in the effects of silhouette's and playing with the pictures negative space. However, this is primarily art as ornament, art to adorn. Although I draw inspiration from source's as diverse as wildlife photography and cave art I try not to adopt a too rigid or predetermined approach, preferring instead to allow the various picture elements to form in a more organic fashion. Or, put another way..I go with the flow!

As I said, this is art as decoration. Art as fun, as a colourful diversion for eyes grown weary of urban grays and monochrome landscapes. What better tonic than yellow Ellie's!

Catch you later

Shirley

Picasso Given the Elbow!

2007-01-13T18:03:00.000Z

Yeah, but how?
Hi all,
News that Las Vegas Magnate Steve Wynn somehow managed to put his elbow through one of his Picasso's (The Dream 1932, pictured above being sold at Christies in 1997 for £24.7m) has left me a tad baffled? According to ambiguous reports this major 'mishap' happened whilst Mr Wynn was showing his multi squillion dollar painting off to guests. Most unfortunate.

My question though is how exactly do you do something like that? Whenever I touch one of my own canvas's (which sell for a hefty bit less than £24m!) I handle it as though I were grooming angles wings. In other words very, very carefully. OK, I know he's 75 years old and has a condition affecting his peripheral vision and I could understand if perhaps he had dropped it or fallen over it but how does he puncture it with his elbow?

Maybe he’d just been watching Enter the Dragon and simply got carried away. You know these Bruce Lee fans….
Catch you later

Shirley

'Artist' cooks meal in own body fat!

2007-01-13T17:53:00.000Z

A Tale To Turn Any Stomach!

Hi all,

Yes, tragic but true and straight from the realms of 'you couldn't make it up' comes another giddy tale of lunacy in the name of art. Sad case extraordinaire (and self styled 'Bad Boy of Danish art) Marco Evaristti (pictured above) served up yet another example of insanity(courtesy of the Santiago Animal Gallery) as he presented his friends with his newest creation: meatballs cooked with fat from his own body, extracted by liposuction! On the plates in front of them was a serving of agnolotti pasta (I wonder if the Agnolotti was stuffed with cheese?) and in the middle a meatball made with oil Evaristti had removed from his body in a liposuction procedure last year. Doubtless served with faver beans, and a nice Chianti...

"You are not a cannibal if you eat art," stated Evaristti, without the slightest trace of irony. Just as you're obviously not an artist if you stage sicko 'shock art' stunts like this just to raise your pathetic profile. Why not simply change your name to Hannible. Yes,yes I know that the legions of so called chattering class's simply adore revelling in this perverse abuse of artistic freedom but c,mon folks! This is the kind of warped, pseudo intellectual rubbish that alienates so many people from the genuinely progressive and thought provoking modern art being produced by so many of today's artists. Never before has there been greater access for anyone to take up tools and create work that both questions and inspires all of us.

Of course Evaristti is entitled to practice his art. That's his right. Just as people like me (and hopefully you!) are right to question it's validity and it's effect on critical and mass opinion. So, allow me to end with an anonymous quotation that I think says it all..

"First, they burned books, then paintings, then entire peoples, to show their superiority. There is an element in Modernist art that depends on ordinary people letting themselves be told by a self-appointed elite to distrust their own judgment, and consider the elite's preferences for a better, truer art - even if it is frankly impossible for ordinary people to see why. Substitute ideology for art and you have the recipe for fascism. We should encourage everyone to trust his or her own judgment"

Catch you later

Shirley

Pollock: Read the Book then see the Film!

2007-01-07T18:15:00.000Z

When Doubt Doubles the Delight!
Hi all,
Writing yesterdays post 'Ten Most Expensive Paintings Ever' set me thinking about its winner Jackson Pollock. He who was famous as an alcoholic, manic depressive and expressionist action painter. At college I could never 'get' what was so ‘wonderful’ about his work (anyone can do that squiggle stuff right?) Despite my tutors caustic "Ah, wait until you see his work in the flesh" I was unconvinced. Then I did see it in the flesh and that changed everything.

In London, 1999 the Tate held the first Pollock retrospective in 40 years. It was a sensation! That 'squiggle stuff' totally blew me away. As I wandered amidst those massive canvas's every preconception I had hitherto harbored melted away. Only when you get up close can you really begin to appreciate the sheer complexity of his paintings. They are so tactile as to be edible and possess a power to draw you in which verges on the hypnotic. Yes, yes I know that to the skeptical eye looking at a second rate reproduction they might seem but childish scribbles. But just stand before the real deal and you will surely feel such notions vanish forever.

For all and any interested in all things Pollock I would thoroughly recommend the Pulitzer Prize winning work Jackson Pollock: An American Saga. (Pictured above, right) Yes it may be a 900 page plus door stop of a book but it's absolutely addictive! Also, if you haven’t already, I suggest you grab a copy of the Ed Harris film Pollock (Pictured above, left) which is (in my humble opinion!) quite simply the best biography of an artist ever made. Great book and a superb film, double the delight!
Catch you later

Shirley

Ten Most Expensive Paintings Ever!

2007-01-06T21:18:00.000Z

Pollock Tops Top Ten!
Hi all,
A recently published list of the ten most most expensive paintings to date put Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock at the top of the heap with a mind blowing £73m ($143m) for the rather sombrely named No. 5, 1948, (now there's a title with soul Jackson!) The top ten looks like this..

1. £73.3m($140m) -No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock, Nov 2006
2. £70m ($135m) - Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt, June 200
3. £58m ($104m) - Garçon à la Pipe by Pablo Picasso, May 2004
4. £51.5m ($95m) - Dora Maar au Chat by Pablo Picasso, March 2006
5. £47.1m ($82.5m) - Portrait du Dr Gachet by Vincent van Gogh, May 1990
6. £44.5m ($78m) - Au Moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, May 1990
7. £43.8m ($76.7m) - The Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens, July 2002
8. £37.1m ($65m) - Portrait de l'Artiste Sans Barbe by Vincent van Gogh, November 1998
9. £31.4m ($55m) - Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier by Paul Cézanne, May 1999
10.£28m ($51.67m) - Les Noces de Pierrette by Pablo Picasso, November 1989

Once again Picasso dominates with his three chart positions with Van Gogh (a former number one) hot on his heels with two entries! Again the top ten is almost universally comprised of works from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the only notable exception being Paul Rubens Baroque masterpiece The Massacre of the Innocents .

Well, it certainly seems there’s a stack of money to be made from painting. Especially once you're dead!

Catch you later

Shirley

V&A on the Web

2006-12-23T23:32:00.000Z

Fancy Some Culture Surfing!
Hi all,
Just been browsing the Victoria and Albert Museums superb website. I haven’t been for a couple of years but this site offers a comfortable alternative to the real thing. Well, almost!

'Search for over 20,000 works and over 26,000 images from the V&A's collections, including ceramics, fashion, furniture, glass, metalwork, paintings, photographs, prints, sculpture, and textiles.'

This really is a treasure chest of a collection and you can enjoy it all from the comfort of your VDU!
Catch you later

Shirley

Things We Take For Granted?

2006-12-23T18:34:00.000Z

On Our Doorstep!
Hi all,

I remember a friend of mine who had lived in London for many years. During this time she never visited a single museum, attended any concerts nor entered any one of the vast array of the Capitals Art Gallery’s. Quite surprising when you consider that she studied Fine Art at college and often discussed the subject over her favourite tipple! In her words she was always "Just sooooo busy". Well, everyone’s entitled to their opinion!

But here’s the thing..Every year she took a week’s holiday in Paris and guess where she spent a considerable part of that week? Yeh, that’s right, wandering around the Louvre! Can you believe that? I used to joke with her that she no doubt had a Parisian counterpart (their planes probably passed each other over the channel) who had never visited the Louvre but made an annual pilgrimage to the National Gallery! (Pictured above)Ah, strange but oh so true.

That’s human nature for you. How often we take for granted that which sits on our own doorstep. The things we do and the people we see every day. It would seem that familiarity often does breed, if not contempt then certainly a big dollop of complacency!
Catch you later

Shirley

Flap Art

2006-12-21T22:32:00.000Z

In a Flap Art?
Hi all,
when I first came across this ad I thought it was a wind up! Go on, check out the web site!

'Flap Art book Covers are shocking covers that slip on top of your book. The covers are sure to shock with titles like: Make Your Mother a Pornstar, How to Kill a Complete Stranger, and Perfecting the Art of Fart Projection. If you find yourself bothered by people on the subway, a book cover like this is a good tool to keep people away. 'There are over 20 covers to choose from. Some are a little racy like How to Make Your Mother A Porn Star and How to Overcome Nymphomania (put that one in your bathroom, with a bookmark and become a hero!).'

Vulgar and childish, or just a bit of fun to take the bitter edge off life’s sometimes sour menu? I'm inclined to choose the latter. Any thing to prick that pretentious bubble surrounding so much of today’s 'thought provoking' media. I mean c'mon, it's Christmas time, the perfect opportunity to enjoy a little merriment!

Catch You Later

Shirley