Hercynia silva

You might be aware that Iam absolutely in love with forests especially cool climate forests with lots of pines. Recently I discovered the name of the mighty forest that once covered most of Germany and stretched all the way to the Carpathian mountains in the Ukraine. "Hercynia" and the old roman word for forest "silva". "Hercynia silva" doesn't that sound wonderful.
so last night I was searching for more info on the forest and came across this short film made by artists "Anna Abraham" and Jan Frederik Groot". This video is so close to perfect. To me it has the same feeling as my favourite black metal songs a kind of nostalgic longing mixed with dread. I cant explain it but I'm always chasing it.
hears the link. www.onlinefilm.org/en/film/43961

 

"In the northern region is the vast expanse of the Hercynian forest, untouched by the ages and coeval with the world, which surpasses all marvels by its almost immortal destiny." (Pliny, ‘Natural History’ 23-79 AD)

Wonderful old illustrations

Another post were I share some of my large collection of inspirational images I search out tirelessly on the web and else were. Tonight I'd like to share some of my favourite old time illustrators, from around the early 1900s to be more precise . This was a wonderful time for illustration with lots of very talented and creative artists.

 

The first work is by Kay Nielson from the book " In powder and crinoline"

I love the darkness of this picture and the ethereal flowing shapes. To me this is a perfect picture of dusk.

Next are two quite different works by "Virginia Frances Sterrett". The trees and colouring in the first picture are so creative and unusual. The second picture is an example of her fantastic black and white work, witch is the stile I love the most from her. So simple and poetic, just wonderful.

 And of course the ever brilliant Arthur Rackham. This man was just so talented. No one captures north European myth and fairy tales better than he did. The foreboding atmosphere, the brooding skis, the dark twisted trees and all that wonderful delicate detail. I love almost everything he ever did, his art takes me away to those quiet dark forests of my dreaming.

 

Hot like / unlike London.

its that horrible hot time of the year wear the sun sucks all energy from me and and the humidity smothers me with a wet blanket and steals all my air. I hate hate summer in the tropics. I get almost no work done because its too hot in my ...

studio. So anyway hear is some ace art done by other people namely "the London Police". Their crisp detailed black and white art is just so clever creative and fun. I love the contrast between realism and big bold solid cartoon shapes. Their works are very imaginative and they seem to really like dogs so I like them. Not the most in depth or particularly articulate review but then it is soooooooooooooooooooo hot. just check them out for yourself. www.thelondonpolice.com

 

Lush

Many years ago in Melbourne I saw a stencil in a car park of a child in black and white vomiting drops/ blobs of colour. I remember that the contrast of the bright colours and the black and white really caught my attention and staid in my mind. So years later I credit that stencil with the inspiration of this painting.

Thank you unknown stenciler.

 

This painting actually has a lot of meaning and emotion for me, it was bourn out of the frustration of the Darwin build up (horrible hot humid time of the year).

 I find it quite a sexual painting, it represents desire and energy for life and love and everything seating within, frustrated by the deadening heat and isolation that is Darwin at this time of the year. It is about frustration but it is also about strength, of breaking free and being yourself. I started this in the build up last year and fittingly finished it in the build up this year.

 I'm rather pleased with it, I love her steady defiant expression.

 

A nice walk in the country

The other day I got out my "how to watercolour landscape" book and just copied one of the pictures in it with a few changes of my own. I had so much fun, not bothering with content just coping the picture and trying out the recommended techniques. So this nothing like my style but it really was so much fun to paint. Very bright and pretty, maybe I'll send it to my grandma. 

 

 

more watercolour

My watercolour explorations continue. This is a detail of a forest study I've been working on. I like how this part of it turned out but am not so happy with the picture as a whole. I painted this on canvas paper, which the watercolours swam on a bit and made more solid colours hard. The tree is drawn with ink and a quill. This is the first time I used a quill and I love it. I really like the accuracy and control of using the quill and it also makes lovely wispy effects as it runs out. Oh and it makes little scratching sounds on the paper which further adds to the basic and old fashioned feel of it. I'm won over.

broken arm time to draw.

Well I've gone and fractured my arm falling off my bicycle. Luckily its my left arm and i now have oodles of time to paint draw read ect. It dosent hurt that much but I have to keep it nice and still, so drawings perfect, i might even get to finish some of all those bits and bobs that have been in the works for a million years.

I felt like just playing around and not concentrateing to much so i got out my markers and watercolours and just had some fun with colour.